Chapter 9 Goodbye Forever
624 Words
Dominick walked in first. Daniel, Harper, and Wyatt followed close behind him.
Charlotte's eyes snapped open. Asher was gone.
He had disappeared.
Panic flooded her instantly. Her legs gave out beneath her, and she nearly collapsed onto the floor.
"Dominick!" she cried, her voice shaking violently. "Call the police! Asher is out of prison. He's here! He's going to kill me!"
Dominick looked at her with clear impatience.
"Charlotte, can you stop this already? If you're trying to get my attention, at least come up with something believable. Asher is still in prison. He's not out!"
Wyatt's voice was even harsher. "You wicked b***h! You upset Evie so badly that she nearly miscarried. If anything happens to her or the baby, I will never let you off!"
"You faked depression and fooled us for three years! And even now, you still don't feel the slightest bit guilty!"
Daniel and Harper stood off to the side with a dark expression, not even bothering to look at her.
Charlotte stood there silently. She stared at them as if they were strangers.
"Well, at least Evie's prenatal report wasn't actually thrown away."
Harper sighed, her tone dripping with pointed accusation.
"Since we found it, let's hurry back," Wyatt said impatiently. "Evie will start worrying."
The one who was loved only had to forget a medical report at home, and the whole family rushed back to retrieve it for her.
Meanwhile, Charlotte had been slashed and left bleeding, yet not one of them cared. She suddenly felt like a ridiculous clown standing in the middle of someone else's play.
Dominick nodded, picked up the file envelope, and turned toward the door.
Charlotte finally felt a little strength return to her body.
She had to leave. She had to escape this place before they did!
She didn't want to die here. Her new life was just beginning. She had to live.
But the moment she stepped toward the door, Wyatt noticed the suitcase behind her.
His expression darkened. He grabbed her arm and kicked her hard, sending her stumbling back inside.
"Evie is still in the hospital, and you're trying to sneak off on a vacation?" he said with open disgust.
"Charlotte, go back to your room and think about what you've done! Until Evie is completely out of danger, don't even think about leaving this house!"
The heavy front door was locked from the outside.
A colossal wave of despair swallowed Charlotte whole.
Asher slowly stepped out from behind the curtains, a sinister smirk plastered across his face.
"I thought I might miss my chance today. But it turns out the people who delivered you straight into my hands were your own family and your dear husband."
"Charlotte, you cost me over a dozen years of my life! I'm taking yours now!"
With that, Asher lunged at her like a rabid dog.
But instead of panicking, Charlotte suddenly became terrifyingly calm. She ran straight into the kitchen. Before Asher could reach her, she smashed the gas pipe, struck a lighter, and hurled herself through the window in one swift motion.
A towering pillar of blinding fire erupted into the sky.
The house that had held ten years of her marriage to Dominick was swallowed by fire along with Asher.
Without a single second of hesitation, she turned her back on the flames, walking toward the airport.
Before boarding the plane, she sent one final message to the fertility specialist.
Charlotte: Please tell Dominick the truth about his infertility.
Then she removed the SIM card from her phone and tossed it into a trash can. Closing her eyes, she finally let out a long breath.
From now on, she would live only for herself.
'Goodbye, Dominick.'
'No... Goodbye forever.'
- Writer
