Chapter 22-2

"Charlie, I know I said we needed a few days to our self I didn't mean we cut ties altogether." Charlotte closed her eyes, knowing this would be harder. She needed to make him believe, and there was only one way to do that. She knew Landon was enjoying every minute of her turmoil and she wished he would just hit her and get it over with rather than this pain festering inside of her. "No, Chase, you listen to me. It's done, it's over. I will never pick you. You will always be the side piece I come to when I'm lonely or bored. Landon is who I want to be with and I will marry him and you have no say. It was fun while it lasted, but I could never pick you. How could you, a lowly writer, compared to a man like Landon who owns the world? What could you offer me that he couldn't? It's done, Chase." The other end was quiet as Charlotte's eyes filled with unshed tears. "Wow, say how you really feel Charlotte. I know one thing I could offer that he can't, but I guess you don't care about love when you can have money. I don't know what going on, but I am not playing these games with you. You may enjoy them with him, but I refuse to play. Until you figure things out, I think it's best we part ways like you said, after all, I am a lowly writer. Goodbye Charlotte, I wish you all the best." She heard the line cut off, and she fell to the floor and started crying. She didn't care if Landon was watching her. She didn't care if he knew how much she cared about Chase. She just didn't care because her fragile heart had just snapped. "There, there Charlotte, it will be okay. Do you now understand, there will only ever be me?" Landon had crouched down to her height on the floor and she looked up at him with tears running down her face. She nodded her head, and he tsked. "I do." She gritted out and watched as he smiled once again. "See it's not so hard to say is it. Now listen here, you little slut. If I get word that you have been seeing him, talking to him or anyone in that family not only will I punish you but I'll punish the whole goddam fucking family do you understand." He had gripped her face between his fingers and she nodded his head causing him to squeeze tighter. "I said do you understand?" He growled as he squeezed her face so tight she knew it would bruise. "I do." He let go of her face and she reached up to rub the soreness that he had left behind. "Good girl. Now I would love to stay, but I have things that I must do. I'll see you in September. Also, keep planning our wedding. I am sure it will be beautiful. Oh, and try to not sleep with the bodyguards." He kissed the top of her forehead and walk out of the kitchen area and out the front door. When he left, that's when Charlotte broke. Her body shook with sobs as she screamed out in emotional pain. Her body and mind felt broken as she sat there in her kitchen crying. Eventually, she pulled herself up from the floor and stumbled over to the alcohol cabinet and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, cracked the lid open and took a long sip hoping to dull the pain she was feeling inside. "Miss Jones, Mr Keating has requested you don't drink so I will have to take that bottle off you." Charlotte looked towards the blonde bodyguard who was holding out his hand with a stern look on his face. Charlotte looked at the bottle, knowing she wanted to be drunk. She wanted to numb her pain. She wanted to be drunk for the rest of her miserable life if it meant not feeling like she was breaking. She knew her words hurt Chase, but she expected more fight from him instead he hung up and now she couldn't undo what she had done. "Of course, he did." Charlotte slammed the bottle on the counter and watched as Aaron came over and put the lid back on, taking it off her. Exhausted, Charlotte knew this was another way to control her, so she did the only thing that seemed reasonable. She walked up to her room and went to bed. **** A month had passed and the cooler months were warming up to give way to spring in a few weeks. Charlotte stared out the window of her bedroom and watched as the sun rose. Having gotten little sleep again, she craved for the darkness sleep bought. She wrapped her robe tighter around herself and didn't fail the notice the way the silk slide off her bony shoulder. She could see her bodyguards Aaron and Damien talking by the pool, most likely discussing the day planned, which wasn't much. She saw as Aaron raised his head to her window and she turned around and ventured into the bathroom to shower. She stripped herself of her robe and strode into the shower, ignoring her thin body in the mirror. Landon had called yesterday afternoon yelling at her for something she supposedly did. Sighing, she stepped into the shower and felt the scorching water warm her bones, but she still felt cold. The coldness Charlotte felt was embedded deep within her bones and nothing helped. She was barely allowed out of the house as each day Landon put more restrictions on what she could or could not do. She hadn't spoken to Chase since the wedding, even though he tried calling at least once a week. She knew he tried to come over, but was quickly sent away by Damien. She was alone, left in a gigantic house with the only people she could talk to were her mother, Rose and her bodyguards who had been told to keep their distance. Charlotte finished her shower and wrapped the navy towel around herself and ventured into the bedroom. The sleeping pills sat on her bedside table and it tempted her to take one now just she could sleep the day away. She got dressed into some tights and a shirt and made her way downstairs where she knew Rose was cooking breakfast she wouldn't eat again. As she made her way around the giant, lonely, cold house she started counting down the days until Landon came home. She didn't care what he did to her as long as she wasn't alone. Sighing to herself and tucked her hands into the jacket she was wearing as the smell of her coffee filled the room. Charlotte took a seat at the island bench and flicked through the newspaper, not reading what was on the pages.