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Home / Romance / The Accidental Almost Kiss with my Ex's Uncle / Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

All Chapters of The Accidental Almost Kiss with my Ex's Uncle: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

59 Chapters

Thirty-One

CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V. The next few days, Lydia wouldn’t leave my side. She stood by me while I filled out the restraining order paperwork, when I cried myself to sleep that night, and when I stood before the judge and got my order of protection approved… The very judge who said that was all he could do. Everything else was a family court issue. I was still Justin Moretti’s wife. The entire experience felt surreal. Never in my life did I picture myself ever having to go through that, and I never wanted to again. Yet, I had to live and relive the experience so many times since it happened that I couldn’t even cry anymore… I didn’t want to cry anymore. I just felt angry and embarrassed. “Get up,” Lydia said, pushing my knee with her toes. “I told you, I don’t want to go anywhere right now. Rebecca gave me the week off, and I have until next Tuesday before my butt needs to leave this couch.” I said, making a point to wiggle in deeper, trying to ignore the slight slurring. It

Thirty-Two

DEREK’S P.O.V. Something was wrong. I could feel it in my bones, and my fingers tapped impatiently on my desk as I stared at the three messages I had sent Charlotte. Delivered. All of them said 'delivered,' but none had been read or responded to. Charlotte had ignored every single one, and what was worse was that she hadn’t returned any emails or calls from my staff about the redesign of The Black Door either. From what I had learned about her, it was very out of character. She had been eager to get started on it, but now, it was like she had fallen off the face of the planet. She was many things… funny, stubborn, attractive, and smart, but unprofessional and irresponsible were not on that list. The sinking feeling in my gut only got worse when I called The Ellis Design group and someone else answered instead of Charlotte. “Ellis Group, Vanessa speaking.” “I need to speak to Charlotte Valente. This is Derek… from The Black Door,” I insisted. “Sir, she’s not in, but I wi

Thirty-Three

CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V. The question hung in the air between us. For a moment, I couldn’t answer. When I had told the police, paramedics, doctors and nurses, and the judge, it felt different. I could tell them what happened, and it gutted me to relive it, but I didn’t care what they thought. For some reason, I cared what Derek thought about me and how he saw me. His eyes roamed over my face, stopping on my busted lip and the obvious teethmarks on it before moving up to my discolored cheek. I couldn’t imagine what he saw when he looked at me, but it wasn’t good. I expected to see disgust and pity, and I looked to the side, unable to meet his stare. “I’m fine,” I muttered, taking a small step back. “Who?” Derek repeated the word, dripping with rage. “Justin,” I said, my voice cracking. A loud thump echoed from my bedroom, and Derek’s entire body went rigid as his eyes darkened and flickered to the hallway. The second his hand left my cheek, I felt a new kind of fear fill me.

Thirty-Four

DEREK’S P.O.V.Every rational thought I had disappeared as I heard the fear in her voice. Justin had been released. That piece of shit was walking around free for now, but he wouldn’t be for long. I was on my feet before I even considered my next steps, already marching toward the door. “Where are you going?” Charlotte asked, and I knew I was making the right choice when I saw her red, wide eyes staring up at me. “To find him,” I said, unable to hide my anger. “Yes! I want to come! I love a good manhunt!” Lydia cheered, jumping to her feet and waving for Charlotte to join us. There was something very wrong with this woman. “No,” Charlotte said. “That’s fine. We’ll bring you back a souvenir then! Do you want a tooth or a finger?” Lydia chirped, but I had no intention of either of them coming with me. What I was going to do didn’t need witnesses. “I don’t want you going after him,” Charlotte insisted, and I grabbed the doorknob to leave, satisfied that she understood I had to

Thirty-Five

JUSTIN’S P.O.V.Charlotte’s apartment looked different at night, and I wrinkled my nose at just how cheap it looked. I knew it was only temporary until she realized how ridiculous she was acting, but just sitting in the parking lot made my skin start to itch. My wife didn't need to be living in this roach-infested hellhole. I had custom-built our home to be exactly what she deserved. Now her stubborn attitude had reduced her to this filth, and she deserved it. She deserved to be punished for what she did.She had actually gotten the nerve to get a restraining order against me now. ME!As if I were some kind of criminal instead of her husband, as if I were the one who had attacked her!My hand flexed around the steering wheel, and a dull pain filled my hand from my busted knuckles. My shoulder and ribs were black and purple from her kicking me down the stairs, and my face still stung from where she had raked her nails down my cheek, but nobody seemed to care about that. Nobody seem

Thirty-Six

CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V.My eyes slowly opened to the brightly lit room, and I wanted to curse myself for not closing my curtains last night, but I didn’t even remember going to my bed. I turned my head away from the window, wanting to go back to sleep, when I got a whiff of something delicious, like cedar and leather. For a few seconds, I kept my eyes closed as I breathed it in before I was finally able to place it. Derek. My eyes flew open with the realization, and I sat up quickly. My bed was empty, and there was no sign that anyone but me had been in it, but I remembered falling asleep on him. Beyond Lydia humming in the kitchen as she cooked, the apartment was silent, and an unexpected wave of disappointment filled me. Reaching over with a low groan, I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and opened it, feeling foolish that I was hoping for a message from him and found only a few work emails. Scrolling through them, I paused as I noticed an email from The Black Door.As I opened

Thirty-Seven

CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V. By the time I got home, the anger had started to fade, but my mind had never felt so loud. I just needed time and space, and maybe a scalding-hot bath to help me unwind, but when I walked in, Lydia was sitting on my couch with paperwork all around her. “What’s all this?” I asked, and she groaned, covering her face. “A little bit of everything. Over here is some legal shit from the fire. Here is insurance shit from the fire, and here is your specialty. I need to draft up new plans so we can place the orders for the materials to have the restaurant rebuilt.” Lydia said, letting her head fall back against the couch. “Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked, and she groaned and shook her head. “No. All I need right now is a glass of wine and a long sleep.” I winced as she cracked her neck. “About that,” I said, moving some papers to sit next to her. “I appreciate that you want to support me, and I love you so much for being here for me this week, but I

Thirty-Eight

CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V.Relief hit me so hard, I had to grab the counter to steady myself as I stared at his name. He was alive.“Where the hell have you been?” I snapped as I answered. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”I could hear my heart beating in my head as I was met with silence. “Derek?” I whispered, his name coming out more like a plea. I needed to know he was okay.“Where are you?” Derek’s voice washed over me, and I felt my muscles instantly relax at the sound. He sounded tired, his voice rougher than I was used to, but there was also an anger there that told me he didn’t have good news. “What?” I asked as I handed my ID over to the man behind the counter. “Are you at my place?” “Where are you, Charlotte?” Derek asked again, and something in his tone made me check my surroundings, as if I weren’t safe here.“At the store.” I frowned. “Derek, what is going on?” “Which one?” He demanded, and I gave him the name and cross streets. “Stay there.”“Miss?” The employee sa

Thirty-Nine

CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V. The car smelled like him, and I couldn’t help but smile to myself, realizing he preferred to drive himself over calling a driver every time. If Justin could get a driver, he would use one, even though he didn’t need one. It had frustrated me to no end that I couldn’t just go to dinner with him without it being a big deal and having to be escorted. It wasn’t like he was a celebrity. He was just a stuck-up trust-fund baby. I had seen Derek use a driver once, and he had been dressed very well, as if he had been at an event or on his way to one when he saw me standing out front of the hospital. For several minutes, neither of us spoke. I just watched the street lights flashing through the windows as he drove before I turned to him. His jaw was tight, and I could see that something more was bothering him. “You ignored my messages today,” I said. “I know.” He said, his jaw and shoulders relaxing as it began to sprinkle. I blinked, not expecting that answer

Forty

CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V.I was too stunned to speak, and possibly too in shock, as Derek gave me a quick tour of his home. The guest room alone was bigger than my entire apartment. Even if Justin were to get inside the house, he would probably get lost in it before he could find me.It should have made me feel safe, but instead, every time I closed my eyes, I pictured Justin slamming into my apartment door, demanding I let him in. Why had he come back tonight? He knew he was breaking the court order! The fact that he didn't care was terrifying.The judge had warned me when he signed it that it was just a piece of paper. It held consequences, but wouldn’t do anything to stop someone who wanted to come after me. He had been right.I rolled onto my side again, then onto my back once more as I tried to get my mind to turn off, but it wouldn’t. Eventually, I groaned, realizing sleep was not in the cards for me tonight, and I threw the blanket off my body and got out of bed. The house was si

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