Chapter 93
CHARLOTTE
I gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles ached, my nails digging into the leather as if I could tear it apart with sheer fury. My foot slammed harder on the gas pedal, the car jerking forward as the speedometer climbed. The road ahead blurred, but I didn’t care.
My breath came in short, ragged bursts. My entire body trembled, my pulse pounding so violently in my ears that I could barely hear the roar of the engine.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
Damien was supposed to fold. He was supposed to listen to reason–to his mother, to his uncles, to me. He was supposed to see that I was the only logical choice for him, that Rosalie was nothing but a mistake, a stain on his reputation, a burden dragging him down.
But instead……
Instead, that bitch had lied.
Pregnant?
The word felt disgusting in my mouth.
I let out a bitter, humorless laugh, my fingers tightening around the wheel until my skin burned.
There was no way.
No fucking way Rosalie and Damien were having a child together.
I knew their marriage was a joke. She never wanted Damien. She never chose him. She tolerated him at best, and he kept her around like a piece of furniture he was too lazy to get rid of.
There was no love between them. No real connection.
Nothing.
And yet, just when I had the perfect opportunity to get rid of her, to erase her from his life for good, she pulls this?
I gritted my teeth, my jaw aching from the pressure.
She must have known she was losing. She must have felt the walls closing in on her, so she did what she does best–she lied.
That’s the only explanation.
I refused to believe anything else.
And if–by some ridiculous, impossible chance–she was pregnant?
A slow, chilling rage crawled through my veins, setting every nerve in my body on fire.
Then that child would not live.
I didn’t care what I had to do. I didn’t care how far I had to go.
I would not let Rosalie win.
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She had already taken too much from me.
She stole my place. She stole my life. And now she thought she could steal my future with Damien?
No.
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I wouldn’t allow it.
The car screeched as I pulled into the driveway of my father’s house, my tires skidding against the pavement from how hard
I braked. My hands were shaking, my chest rising and falling in uneven, rage–filled breaths.
I shoved the door open and stormed inside.
The second I stepped through the entrance, my father’s voice rang out from the living room.
“How did it go?”
I ignored him.
I didn’t stop. I didn’t look at him.
I stormed past the hallway, my heels clacking against the marble floors, my vision red–hot with fury.
Up the stairs.
Into
my room.
I slammed the door shut with so much force that the walls trembled.
And then–without a single thought–my hand shot out, grabbing the nearest lamp and hurling it across the room.
The crash was satisfying.
Glass shattered, shards flying across the floor like glittering pieces of my broken plans.
But it wasn’t enough.
My chest heaved as I grabbed the jewelry box on my dresser and hurled it to the ground. The sound of gold and silver clattering against the wood barely registered in my ears.
I ripped the pillows off my bed and flung them, the silk cases tearing as they hit the floor. I kicked over the chair by my vanity, sending it crashing into the mirror. The glass cracked–fractured, splintering into a spiderweb of destruction that matched the chaos in my head.
Still, not enough.
I tore through my closet, grabbing dresses and yanking them from their hangers, throwing them to the ground like they were filth.
My breath burned in my lungs, my entire body trembling. My nails dug into my palms so hard I felt the sting of pain, but it didn’t matter.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to rip her apart.
Rosalie had ruined everything.
I had spent my entire life being the perfect choice. I had waited. I had endured. I had smiled through everything, knowing
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that one day–one day–Damien would see me.
And now?
Now, that pathetic excuse of a woman had stolen everything from me.
But she wouldn’t keep it.
She wouldn’t keep him.
She wouldn’t win. I refused to let her.
This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
Before I could even think about what to do next, my phone buzzed in my hand. The second I saw Liam’s name on the screen, I swiped to answer.
“Charlotte,” his voice was sharp, impatient. “How did it go?”
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I let out a dry laugh. “It was going perfectly fine, Liam. Damien was cornered, the divorce papers were right in front of him, his entire family was pressuring him—he had no way out. And then that bitch-” My voice shook with fury. “–she said she was pregnant.”
Silence.
Then, Liam scoffed. “What?”
“Oh, you heard me,” I snapped, running a hand through my hair. “She just sat there, acting all weak and pathetic, and then suddenly, boom–she says she’s carrying his child.”
Liam cursed under his breath. “That’s not possible.”
“I know it’s not,” I seethed. “There is no way in hell that Rosalie and Damien are having a baby together. Their marriage is dead. Damien doesn’t even love her. And suddenly she’s pregnant? She’s lying, Liam. She’s doing this to buy herself more time, to make herself look like the perfect little wife so that Damien won’t leave her.”
Liam’s voice darkened. “And he believed her?”
I clenched my jaw, my nails digging into my palm. “The second she touched her stomach and looked at him with those big, innocent eyes, he fell for it. He believed her, Liam. Just like that.”
Liam let out a bitter chuckle. “Unbelievable. So she gets to sit there and lie, and suddenly, everyone is supposed to just accept it? No. That’s not happening.” His voice turned sharp. “She has to take a pregnancy test.”
I sighed. “I already suggested that. It was the first thing I said. But she’s refusing to take one, and Damien is backing her up.”
Liam was quiet for a moment, but I could hear his anger through the phone. “So what? She gets to say whatever she wants, and we’re just supposed to take her word for it? That’s bullshit, Charlotte. She’s trying to trap him.”
I sat on the edge of my bed, pressing my fingertips against my temple. “I know. And Damien is too blinded to see it. He told his mother and uncles that he won’t force her to take a test. He’s protecting her.”
Liam’s breath came in sharp through the speaker. “This is exactly what I was afraid of. The longer she stays, the deeper her claws sink into him. If we don’t act now, we’re going to lose our chance.”
I exhaled, trying to steady my voice. “We’re not going to lose anything. Damien might be an idiot, but I’m not. I’ll handle
this.”
Liam let out a low chuckle. “I like that confidence.”
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I smirked slightly, though my blood was still boiling. “Rosalie thinks she’s won just because she threw out a desperate lie. But I’ll make sure she regrets ever opening her mouth tonight. Damien and I are meant to be, and nothing–nothing–is going to change that.”
Liam’s voice turned sharp again. “No matter what, we have to prove she’s lying. If we can expose her, this entire game is over for her. Damien’s family already hates her. The second they realize she’s lying about this, she’ll lose everything.”
My heart pounded at the thought.
Yes.
That’s exactly what needed to happen.
Rosalie thought she could play the perfect. But when her lie was exposed, when everyone saw her for the pathetic, desperate fraud that she was, Damien would have no choice but to leave her.
And I would be right there, exactly where I belonged.
I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes for a moment before whispering, “I’ll handle it, Liam. I’ll make sure that marriage falls apart.”
Liam chuckled. “Now that’s what I like to hear.”
I hung up without another word, gripping my phone tightly before tossing it onto the bed.
I would handle this.
I would make sure Rosalie had nothing left.
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