Chapter Three: The Man She Couldn’t Forget
1130 Words
Charlotte had barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Damien.
His dark eyes. His rough hands against her skin. The way he whispered her name like it already belonged to him.
And somehow, that hurt almost as much as Ethan’s betrayal.
Because Charlotte knew last night had meant nothing.
Just two strangers trying to escape their own loneliness.
Yet lying awake in her childhood bedroom, she couldn’t stop remembering the warmth of Damien’s chest beneath her cheek or the softness in his voice when he asked her to stay.
Her heart clenched painfully.
Stupid.
She barely knew him.
A loud knock suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
“Charlotte,” her mother’s cold voice echoed from outside. “Come downstairs. Now.”
Charlotte closed her eyes tiredly before forcing herself out of bed.
The nausea from earlier still lingered faintly in her stomach, but she ignored it.
Downstairs, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Ethan sat in the living room looking exhausted while Vanessa avoided Charlotte’s gaze completely. Her father stood near the window, and her mother looked as emotionless as ever.
Charlotte stopped walking immediately.
“What now?”
Ethan stood quickly. “Baby, can we talk privately?”
“No.”
Pain flashed across his face.
“Charlotte, please. I made a mistake.”
“A mistake?” Her voice shook. “You slept with my sister for six months.”
Vanessa flinched.
Ethan ran frustrated fingers through his hair. “I love you.”
Charlotte laughed bitterly.
“If that’s your version of love, then I don’t want it.”
Her mother sighed impatiently. “Enough with the dramatics.”
Charlotte turned toward her slowly.
“I’m not continuing this relationship.”
Silence.
Her father’s jaw tightened instantly. “You’re being irrational.”
“No,” Charlotte whispered painfully. “For the first time in my life, I’m finally respecting myself.”
“Respect?” Vanessa snapped suddenly. “You’re acting like Ethan cheated alone!”
Charlotte stared at her in disbelief.
“You really are unbelievable.”
Vanessa crossed her arms defensively. “Ethan was unhappy—”
“Shut up.”
The entire room went silent.
Charlotte’s eyes burned with tears now.
“You don’t get to betray me and then justify it.”
Ethan moved closer desperately. “Charlotte, I’ll end things with Vanessa. I swear.”
Charlotte physically recoiled.
“Do you hear yourself?” she whispered. “You think this is fixable?”
Her mother stepped forward coldly. “You will not throw away a five-year relationship over one affair.”
One affair.
Charlotte felt something inside her finally die.
Not one person in this house cared about her pain.
Not one.
Slowly, she looked around the mansion she grew up in.
The walls suddenly felt unfamiliar.
Empty.
“You know what hurts the most?” she said softly. “I would have never done this to any of you.”
Her father’s expression hardened. “If you walk out that door over this nonsense, don’t expect us to beg you to return.”
Charlotte swallowed painfully.
Then she nodded.
“Fine.”
Her mother blinked slightly. “What?”
Charlotte turned and walked upstairs.
For the first time since yesterday…
She stopped crying.
—
An hour later, Charlotte dragged her suitcase down the grand staircase while the entire family watched silently.
Nobody stopped her.
Nobody apologized.
Ethan stepped forward desperately. “Charlotte, please don’t do this.”
She didn’t even look at him.
Vanessa shifted uncomfortably beside the couch, guilt finally creeping into her face.
Too late.
Charlotte reached the front door before her mother’s voice stopped her.
“If you leave now, don’t expect things to be easy for you out there.”
Charlotte tightened her grip on the suitcase handle.
Then quietly replied—
“Nothing about loving this family was ever easy.”
And with that…
She walked away.
—
By evening, Charlotte sat curled on the couch inside her best friend’s apartment while Zara handed her a cup of tea.
“I still can’t believe they defended Vanessa,” Zara muttered angrily.
Charlotte gave a weak smile.
“I can.”
Zara frowned. “What do you mean?”
Charlotte stared blankly at the steaming cup in her hands.
“Vanessa was always their favorite.”
The words hurt more spoken aloud.
Zara immediately sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“You have me now,” she whispered softly.
And for the first time all day, Charlotte nearly cried again.
Not because of betrayal.
But because someone finally chose her.
Her phone buzzed repeatedly on the table.
Ethan.
Again.
Charlotte switched it off completely.
Then her mind betrayed her once more.
Damien.
A strange ache spread through her chest.
Why couldn’t she stop thinking about him?
His touch still lingered on her skin like temptation itself.
God.
She didn’t even know his full name.
Meanwhile, across the city…
Damien Ashford sat alone in the VIP section of Noir, his untouched whiskey glass resting between his fingers.
The club pulsed with loud music and half-naked women, but none of it interested him tonight.
His eyes kept drifting toward the entrance.
Waiting.
Annoyed with himself for waiting.
He barely knew her.
A reckless woman with sad eyes and trembling lips who offered him money like she was trying to punish herself for loving the wrong man.
Yet somehow…
He couldn’t get her out of his head.
Damien leaned back slowly, remembering the way Charlotte looked beneath him that night. Vulnerable yet bold. Broken yet irresistible.
A dangerous combination.
Most women chased his wealth. His name. His attention.
But Charlotte?
She had walked up to him believing he was a damn escort.
The memory almost made him laugh.
Almost.
His expression darkened slightly.
She left without even saying goodbye.
No name. No number. Nothing.
And somehow that irritated him more than it should have.
A woman approached his table flirtatiously. “Can I buy you a drink?”
Damien barely glanced at her.
“No.”
She walked away embarrassed.
Damien exhaled slowly, loosening his tie.
Why was he even here?
Then suddenly—
His eyes caught sight of a familiar figure entering the club.
Dark hair. Curvy body. Black dress.
Damien’s pulse instantly sharpened.
Charlotte.
Without thinking, he stood immediately.
But the moment the woman turned fully toward the light—
It wasn’t her.
Damien’s jaw tightened.
For the first time in years…
Disappointment hit him hard.
Then his phone suddenly rang.
Damien answered coldly. “What?”
His assistant’s nervous voice came through instantly.
“Mr. Ashford… there’s an emergency at the company.”
Damien frowned. “What happened?”
A brief silence followed.
Then—
“Someone hacked into Ashford Group’s private financial records.”
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