Where did this leave us?
Regret came over me quickly. I shouldn’t have had sex with Charlotte. Things were complicated enough between us without throwing sex into the mix, however hot it was.
She was a cheat. She had pretended to be in love with another man, and had most likely been sleeping with both of us at the same time.
Charlotte was the first to move. She sat up and reached for her blouse which she held up to shield her breasts. “I need to go and get Kayden.”
“I’ll be dressed and gone by the time you get back,” I said in a stiff tone that matched hers.
I kept my gaze averted to give her some privacy as she stood up and went to the bathroom. The sound of running water reminded me of the showers we took together that ended up as another sexual session.
A longing for what we had washed over me, leaving me sad and angry. I got up and reached for my boxer briefs. Charlotte left the bathroom and walked out of the room without saying a word to me.
It stung. It wasn’t like I didn’t have regrets over what had happened, but it was done and there was no going back. I finished dressing, went to the kitchen to pack my laptop into its bag.
I lingered longer than necessary, my heart filled with pain as I came to the decision that it was time to go back home to my own life.
Hanging on to the past had made me extend my stay but there was nothing between us anymore. The damage done in the past had been too great and to be honest, I doubt I could ever forgive Charlotte.
I had stayed with the hope of getting some answers but she had provided me with nothing and I knew she wouldn’t. She had spelled everything out in the letter. What more did I need? Maybe closure, and I felt as if I had it now.
I grabbed my bag and headed to the front door. I paused. I couldn’t leave without saying anything. I had to say something, even if it was in a note. I sat on the couch and fished out a notebook and pen from my stuff and wrote the note. I read it over once, signed my name and placed it on the empty coffee table.
I felt like a coward but I’d told her I would be gone when she got back. Neither of us was proud of what had just happened. I drove off feeling as if I had once again left my heart with Charlotte. I was a fool.
Back at the B&B, I packed my stuff, checked out and left. I glanced at the town of Woodfield one last time before driving down the road that would take me to the highway and away from Charlotte.
My chest felt as if it was being shredded into pieces. Had Charlotte felt the same way when she left me two years ago? I realized how ridiculous that comparison was.
Charlotte had been leaving to start a new, exciting life with her lover. She had left me behind as well as her best friend and her new family without a backward glance. I wished I could do the same thing but the sadness I felt refused to shift.
Over the years, I’d come to understand why she had decided to start a new life without her sister and best friend. If Amy had known anything, she would have told me and so would Helen. Their honesty and integrity would not have allowed them to be part of such a secret.
At first, we had emailed back and forth, mostly to figure out what had driven Charlotte to do such a thing. Amy had held on to the belief that she’d had a good reason. As soon as I got back, the first thing I would do was to email her to let her know that her worries and fears had been for nothing.
Charlotte was very well and raising a son in a small town surrounded by her new friends. Maybe then Amy would also move on.
Three and a half hours later of nonstop driving and I was home.
Alex
Despite keeping up with my correspondences when I was in Woodfield, my inbox was still overflowing and I spent all morning returning emails. My dad popped in for a few minutes.
“You look tired son,” he said, smiling indulgently.
“I’m fine Dad,” I told him. No matter how much we both tried, we never got back the easy friendship we’d enjoyed before.
Trust had been lost and I still couldn’t believe that my own father would resort to threats to force me into doing what he and my mother wanted.
“Maybe you should take some time off,” he said. “Take Abigail somewhere beautiful. I’m sure that she would love that.”