Chapter 2
729 Words
Charlotte had a dream in which she returned to the time when she was seven years old.
In that terrible fire, both of her parents died, and afterward, she developed a stutter.
After a firefighter brought her to the orphanage, many of the children refused to play with her because she stuttered.
It was Raymond and Sarah who helped her walk out of the shadow of losing her parents.
Back then, Sarah hugged her tightly and said in a firm voice, "Charlotte, I'm an orphan too. From now on, we're family."
"I want to be your family too."
Raymond reached out and wrapped his arms around both of them, adding in a muffled voice, "From now on, we'll share both blessings and hardships together."
And later on, they truly did become family.
The scene suddenly shifted, and Charlotte once again saw what she had witnessed outside the orphanage.
The two of them were holding each other intimately, as though they were the real couple while she was nothing more than an outsider.
Charlotte jolted awake. The first thing she saw was the stark white ceiling, while the sharp smell of disinfectant filled her nose.
A piercing pain throbbed in her lower stomach, reminding her that her baby was gone.
She moved her fingers slightly and realized that Raymond was tightly holding her hand.
He was slumped beside the bed, his hair disheveled and dark circles hanging beneath his eyes, looking as though he had not slept all night.
"Charlotte, you're awake?"
Raymond abruptly lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was incredibly hoarse.
He reached out as if to touch her face, but Charlotte instinctively avoided him.
She could not pretend that nothing had happened that day.
Raymond's hand froze midair. Choking back tears, he said, "Honey, the doctor said you were under too much stress... the stress caused complications with the pregnancy. The baby didn't make it."
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault. If I'd just told you I was coming home, you wouldn't have..."
Before he could finish speaking, he lowered his head and broke down in tears.
The next second, the hospital room door was suddenly pushed open. Sarah walked in carrying a thermal flask.
Her eyes were red and swollen, making it obvious that she had just been crying.
"Charlotte, don't be sad. You still have us."
Charlotte turned to look at her, the image of the two of them embracing surfacing in her mind once again.
She slowly closed her eyes and said softly, "Please just leave for a bit. I need to be alone."
Sarah froze for a second, staring worriedly at the woman lying on the hospital bed.
"Charlotte, what's wrong?"
"Honey, I know you're in pain. Please, just talk to me. Don't keep it all inside."
Raymond tightly gripped Charlotte's hand, obvious panic in his eyes.
Charlotte opened her eyes and looked at him quietly.
"I'm fine. I just need to sleep."
After the two of them left, Charlotte picked up her phone and sent a text message to the unknown number.
"How did you know they'd be at the orphanage?"
The reply was almost instant: "Ten years from now, Raymond dies at sea. Sarah mentioned that day while she was visiting his grave alone."
"Charlotte, Raymond never loved you. It's always been Sarah. From the very start."
Charlotte's heart sank, and she gripped her phone so hard that her knuckles turned white.
Back in her second year of high school, she had nearly fallen in the library, and Raymond had caught her just in time.
At that moment, she had clearly felt her heartbeat quicken, making her realize that she had unknowingly fallen for him long ago.
She had told Sarah everything—her feelings for Raymond and all her worries.
Sarah had been shocked at the time, but she still encouraged her to confess.
She had said, "Charlotte, if you like him, then be brave and confess. If he doesn't like you back, just say you lost a game of Truth or Dare with your friends."
After graduating from high school, Charlotte confessed her feelings, and Raymond agreed to date her.
Once they got together, marriage naturally became the next step.
But if he had never loved her from the very beginning, why did he accept her confession?
And later, why did he even marry her?
- Writer
