جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 168

Charlotte POV The door clicked shut. It was soft and final.But the silence it left behind wasn’t.It stretched across the room, heavy and suffocating, like something unseen had settled into the space Cecilia had just vacated.I didn’t move.I couldn’t.My eyes stayed fixed on the door, my mind replaying her last words over and over again.You don’t really have a choice.My fingers curled slightly at my sides.That wasn’t a warning.It was a promise.“Charlotte…”Margaret’s voice came gently, careful, like she didn’t want to startle me.I didn’t respond immediately.Because the more I thought about it—the more everything started to connect.Cecilia finding me and showing up here with a message…It was an intentional act. As was the attack...All orchestrated by Aiden.My chest tightened.“He found me,” I said quietly.Margaret stepped closer. “What?”I swallowed, finally pulling my gaze away from the door and turning toward her.“He found me,” I repeated, my voice a little steadier t

Charlotte POV The house was too quiet.And it wasn't the peaceful kind of quiet…I sat on the edge of the bed, my phone resting in my hand, my thumb hovering over the screen without actually doing anything.I hadn’t moved much since Margaret left the room.I hadn’t said much either.Because there was nothing to say.Everything felt… suspended.Like something was waiting to happen.And I didn’t know what it was.Or when it would hit.My eyes drifted to the window, watching the faint movement of leaves outside as the wind brushed through them.Normal.Everything out there looked normal.People walking, the cars passing… Life continuing like nothing had changed.Like yesterday hadn’t happened.Like men hadn’t forced their way into this house and almost killed Daniel. My chest tightened slightly at the memory.I pressed my lips together, exhaling slowly.This wasn’t supposed to follow me here.I had left it behind.I made the painful choice to leave Hayden and all baggage that came wit

CHARLOTTE POVMy heart raced loudly in my chest, refusing to slow down.I could feel it pounding loudly against my ribs as I stood there, caught between them.We were on the edge of complete chaos.Hayden.Aiden.Two brothers, grown apart by their childhood trauma, by years of malice and hate…I hadn’t been in either of their lives long enough to understand how deep they hatred ran.And somehow…I was the center of it.“You shouldn’t be here,” I said, my voice quieter than I intended as I looked at Hayden.His eyes flicked to me briefly, just a second.But it was enough.“I could say the same to you,” he replied.My chest tightened.“I didn’t have a choice.”“You did. You should have told me..”The words were calm and soft.But they hit.Because part of me knew he was right. I should have made the safe bet and told him first…But I didn’t.“I made mine,” he added.Something in his tone made my stomach twist.Before I could respond—Aiden let out a soft, amused breath.“This is touchi

CHARLOTTE POVEverything felt far away.Like I was there…But not really there.Voices came and went.But it was all blurred or muted.I was in a far different world…People moved around me, but I couldn’t focus on any of them long enough to understand what they were doing or why.All I could feel—Was the hole and the void that Hayden left me with…“Ma’am… ma’am, can you hear me?”A voice broke through finally.I blinked slowly.The world slowly came back into place.I finally noticed the lights and movements.My hands—They were stained with blood. His blood.I looked down.And everything rushed back at once.“No…”The word slipped out weaklyHands reached for me, their touch gentle and tender.“Ma’am, we need to move you—”“No.”I said, my tone firmer this time.I shook my head, my grip tightening instinctively.“No, I’m not—no—”“He needs medical attention—”“He needs—” my voice broke. “He needs to stay—”My chest tightened painfully.Because I knew, even as I said it.Even as I h