by C. C. Wood
“If you’re truly sorry,” Charlotte said, “you will sign the divorce papers. Now. Today. Before you turn yourself into the FBI.” She glanced at Greg, who was standing still as a statue. “And you will reimburse the company with all the money you stole.”
Derek nodded, looking relieved, but Charlotte had a feeling it was all an act. Something else other than Danielle’s pregnancy must have brought him back from the states. Something big. And she was certain she knew what it was. Charlotte turned to Greg.
“Would you please call Brandy and have her call Nora? I’d have some things to discuss with Derek,” Charlotte said.
Greg shook his head. “No way in hell am I leaving you alone with him.”
Charlotte gestured to the rapidly forming bruises under Derek’s eyes and the bag of frozen food still resting on his lap. “Does it look like I need help handling him?”
Derek made an offended noise, but was smart enough not to say anything out loud.
She saw a small smirk form on Greg’s face. “I guess not.” Greg’s face hardened once again and he looked at Derek. “I won’t be gone long. If you try to sneak away, I will tie you to that fucking chair until the cops get here.”
When Greg left the room, his phone to his ear, Charlotte walked over to the kitchen table and sat in the chair facing her husband. She tapped her nails on the table-top and stared at him in silence for a few moments. It wasn’t until he began to fidget slightly that she spoke.
“You can’t fool me anymore, Derek. I know exactly who you are. This false contrition will get you nowhere with me.” She smiled slightly. “I also know why you’re really back in the country.”
Derek sat up straighter and winced. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Charlotte continued to tap her nails on the table as she studied the man that would soon be her ex-husband.
“You know, I just realized I hadn’t wished you a happy birthday, Derek. It’s tomorrow.” She paused. “Let’s see. You’ll be thirty-five.”
He paled as he realized that she might actually know why he came back to Dallas.
“You know, it’s funny,” she said, “the things you can discover when your attorney is properly motivated and has contacts in all the right places. Things like the trust fund that your husband didn’t know about. The one his great-uncle left him, to be made available when he is thirty-five.” She leaned forward. “Fifty million dollars is a lot of money when you compare it to the measly ten million your father left you when he died. Or the two million dollar salary you made from your company every year, but lied to me about.”
Derek was silent as she finished her speech. Charlotte said nothing, merely waited for him to realize that she knew everything.
“How did you find out?” he asked. “I didn’t even know about the trust until my mother got in touch with me a few weeks ago.”
Charlotte shrugged. “You’d be surprised what I can find out. I realize you always thought I wasn’t very intelligent, but you always did underestimate me.”
“So what now?” Derek asked.
“Nothing,” Charlotte answered. “Absolutely nothing. The money is yours and so is the bad karma that goes along with it. I want no part of you, other than your signature on divorce papers and for you to return the money you stole from the company.” Something occurred to her. “Oh, and one other thing.”
Derek’s face tightened, probably because he thought she had changed her mind about the money.
“You sign over your part of the company to Greg. You nearly ruined it with your greed and stupidity. And, now that you have all that money in a trust, you don’t really need your shares any longer, do you?”
Derek eyed her suspiciously. “I suppose I could sell them to him for a good price.”
Charlotte shook her head. “No. You will give them to Greg, free and clear, or I will drag your ass to court and make sure that you have to account for every cent you made while we were married. And I’ll pursue half your trust, since you will inherit it before the divorce if finalized and, as your wife, I am entitled to it.”
He stared at her in shock. It was then that Charlotte realized then how much a doormat she had been during their marriage. Every time they had disagreed, she’d given in. His wants and needs had taken first place. Well, she wasn’t that woman any more. The trial by fire that Derek had left her to face had forged her into steel, solid, strong, and honed into the sharpest blade. She met his eyes without flinching or backing down.
“Fine,” Derek agreed.
“Then I guess we won’t be getting divorced today after all,” she said.
“What?” Derek’s voice was loud and angry.
Charlotte smiled, but she knew it was probably more of a snarl. “You don’t think I’m stupid enough to give you what you want before I make sure you follow through on what you just promised, do you?”
“So, what’s to stop you from going after my trust after all this is done?” he asked.
“I guess you’ll just have to trust me,” Charlotte said calmly. “Though, unlike you, I don’t have a history of lying and screwing people over, so I imagine my word is worth a little more.”
Greg reappeared, looking enraged. When he saw that Charlotte and Derek were still sitting at the table, facing one another, he stopped just inside the door.
Looking at Charlotte, he asked, “Are you okay, Charlie? I heard yelling.”
Charlotte gave Derek a hard stare for a moment until he relented and nodded. “I’m fine,” she answered. “Just discussing the terms of the divorce with Derek.”
She rose from the table. “Now, Derek needs to tell you something very important and call Agent Bray so he can arrange to turn himself in. I’m going to shower.”
She walked to the kitchen door, stopping briefly to place her lips on Greg’s cheek. “It will all be over soon,” she whispered. “Then it will be just you and me.”
The tension in his jaw and shoulders disappeared almost immediately and he gave her a half-smile.
“You are amazing,” he said softly.
Charlotte returned his smile. “I think I’m finally beginning to believe that,” she returned.
Then she walked out of the kitchen to shower and prepare for Brandy, Nora, and possibly the FBI to descend on her home.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Derek’s unexpected return to the U.S. created chaos in Charlotte’s life for the next two weeks. She had to take most of the first week off of work due to the meetings with Agent Bray with the FBI, then appointments her attorney and Derek to discuss divorce terms.
Because he had turned himself in and returned the money he had stolen, Derek was allowed bail, though the prosecution argued vehemently against it, claiming that he had already left the country once. He’d had to turn over his passport to the court. Charlotte didn’t doubt that it was only because of the prominence of the Fallon family among Dallas society that Derek had been granted bail. Leah, Derek’s mother, was a close, personal friend of many of the government officials in Dallas, as well as several state representatives and also the governor.
She attended the hearing with Greg. Danielle had not been there. Charlotte heard that she was on strict bed rest and unable to come. She wasn’t sure how she felt about her husband’s mistress. Part of her was too angry to care that the woman was having difficulties, but another part of her, the more compassionate part, felt for the younger woman. She had been there. She was also sure that, considering Danielle had begun her affair with Derek while Charlotte was on bed rest before Adam’s birth, the woman was probably freaking out about Derek’s every move while she was confined to bed. Though the harsher side of Charlotte felt that the woman deserved the worry.
After everything she had been through that year, Charlotte was just ready for it all to be over. She wanted to be free of her marriage and all the baggage that came along with it. Nora, her attorney, was confident that the divorce would be finalized shortly after the New Year, since Derek had ret
urned to the country and was willing to sign the papers per the terms of their agreement.
Charlotte also hadn’t realized how stressed Greg was upon Derek’s return until a few days after her husband arrived on her doorstep. After that horrible morning, Greg had rarely left her side except to go to work. He seemed to be worried about her state of mind, almost hovering. Every night he held her, but wouldn’t make love to her.
He treated her like she was made of crystal, much like he had right after Adam died. During that time, she needed the coddling. She’d barely been able to function. Now, however, she was more than functioning. She wanted to get on with her life. Being rid of Derek wasn’t a loss, it was an opportunity for her to have real love and real happiness.
Finally, after days of Greg holding her close without letting her in, Charlotte had enough. For the first time in her life, she was going to initiate a confrontation. While married to Derek, she would have done whatever it took to avoid a fight. She would not do that with Greg.
It all came down to trust. Time and again, Greg had proven that she could trust him to be there, through the worst of everything. He’d seen her at rock bottom and had never given up. Now she had to trust that he wouldn’t walk away just because they might fight. And she had to show him that he could trust her not to shut him out if he became upset with her or if he needed her for a change.
She waited until after dinner on Wednesday. Greg seemed tense and antsy all evening. After they ate and the dishes were washed, Charlotte poured them each a glass of wine.
“Can we talk?” she asked him.
“Sure.”
They went into the living room. Earlier in the evening, Greg had built a fire because he knew how much Charlotte enjoyed it. Charlotte handed him the wine and sat down next to him.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
She sipped her wine before she set the glass on the table. Her mouth was suddenly dry and she was having second thoughts about saying anything to Greg about how she felt.
“I want you to talk to me,” she said.
Greg looked confused. “What? I don’t understand. We talked at dinner.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, that didn’t come out right. I want you to talk to me about whatever is bothering you,” she said. “I can tell that you are stressed and you seem so restless.” She took a deep breath. “Will you tell me about it?” she asked.
“There’s nothing going on. I’m fine,” Greg lied. Unlike Derek, Greg was a terrible liar. It was obvious that something had been eating at him for days and she would not give up until her talked to her.
“Don’t lie to me,” she said evenly. “I deserve better than that.”
“I’m not,” he denied.
Charlotte just raised her eyebrows. “You do realize that you can’t lie, right? You’re horrible at it.” Annoyance was clear in her voice. She felt a little childish, calling him out like that, but something was going on.
Greg gave her a slightly scornful look. “I’m not even going to respond to that. It’s juvenile. If I tell you everything is fine, then that’s the truth.”
Charlotte resisted flinching. She knew he was retaliating because she was getting under his skin. After being friends for so long, they had argued before, but nothing like this.
“I just want you to talk to me about your worries, Greg. I don’t want you to shut me out.”
“I’m not,” he snapped.
Charlotte felt her own temper rising. He was such a stubborn ass. Why couldn’t he let her help him when he needed it, just as he had done for her?
“Then why haven’t you made love to me? Why haven’t you talked about how things are going with Derek turning over the business to you? You stay here with me every night, Greg, but you’re not present.”
He winced, but didn’t say anything.
“Tell me what’s going on, Greg. Talk to me.”
“Nothing is going on,” he argued.
Charlotte drained the last of her wine before she continued. This next part of the conversation would be hard for her.
“I want you to trust me, Greg, the way I trust you.”
“I do,” he said.
Charlotte shook her head. “No, you don’t. If you did, you would know that I would happily help you carry your burdens the way you have helped me carry mine. This has to be a two way street, Greg. I don’t want our relationship to be unbalanced. I’ve had that once before. I won’t go back. I can’t.”
His face paled when he realized what she was saying. Though she didn’t want him to think she was belittling what they had together, Charlotte did want him to understand how serious she was.
“Talk to me, Greg,” she entreated, cupping one of her hands over his. “Let me in.”
He sighed. “I haven’t been myself this week, I know, but it’s not what you think, Charlotte.”
She sensed he wasn’t finished, so she waited.
“Before Derek showed up, things were going so well with us. I…well, I just thought everything was perfect. Then he came back and we found out Danielle is pregnant. You seemed different. I was afraid that I was losing you. You didn’t turn to me like you had before and I knew you were hurting. You were so fragile for so many months, I hated the idea that he might have broken you. I only wanted to give you whatever you needed.”
Charlotte was surprised. She did feel different, but not in a bad way. After her confrontation with Derek and the satisfaction of breaking his perfect nose, she felt stronger than ever before. She was no longer his doormat. Apparently, Greg mistook her newfound confidence for withdrawal.
“Oh, Greg, that’s not an issue.” She cleared her throat. “After I saw Derek again, I realized that he has no power over me any more. For the first time since college, I feel confident and strong. I didn’t turn to you because I wasn’t hurting. He can’t hurt me unless I let him. It makes me sad that he’s having another baby as though he can just replace Adam, but that’s not in my control. If I let it, it could drive me crazy, so I let it go.”
Greg studied her. He must have seen that she was sincere because he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. After a several minutes, he lifted his head and they were both breathing hard.
“I’m so sorry, Charlie. I should have said something, but I’ve been so afraid of pushing you too far, too fast that I forget what an amazing person you are.”
“I’m not amazing, Greg. I’m human and so are you. I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been and that’s because of you. Please don’t be afraid to talk to me. You’re entitled to feel stressed out, depressed, angry, or any other emotion that you can think of and you can always share that with me. You have told me so many times that I’m safe with you, well, I want you to feel safe with me.”
Greg smiled. “That was quite a speech,” he murmured.
Feeling better, Charlotte couldn’t resist responding, “Yeah, I practiced it in the mirror.”
She squealed as he pushed her down on the sofa and started tickling her mercilessly as punishment, the serious mood dispelled. Soon, their wrestling became groping and they were both breathing heavily. Greg started stripping her out of her sweater and jeans and Charlotte did the same to him. They made love on her couch in the dim light of the fire and twinkling Christmas lights.
When they were both sated, Greg carried her upstairs, both of them still nude, and they cuddled in the center of the bed. For the first time in days, Charlotte actually slept soundly.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
That weekend, Charlotte and Brandy went Christmas shopping. It was a bittersweet event for Charlotte because she wouldn’t be getting presents for what would have been Adam’s second Christmas. Still, she went. Now, more than ever, she wanted to show her loved ones just how important they were to her. She knew too well that a single day could take them away.
However, she was glad her Christmas list was short. She needed to buy gifts for Greg, Brandy, and her assistant, Laura. She also had to find a nice gift for her bos
s because they had taken a collection up at the office and it was usually the office manager who took care of obtaining the gift. Laura had offered to do it, but Charlotte told her not to worry about it. She had a nice gift in mind. Brandon had been understanding and compassionate the last few months, and she wanted to show her appreciation.
The mall was full of exhausted people and cranky children. She and Brandy started out at Nordstrom. Charlotte bought a sweater for Greg. It was cashmere and it was expensive, but it was the same grey-blue as his eyes. She knew that it would wonderful on him and that it would be worth every penny. She saw Brandy eye-balling a Kate Spade tote in the handbag department and made a mental note to get online and see if she could order it when she got home. It would also be expensive, but she wanted to do something special for her friend and she could spend her money on whatever she wanted.
Then they headed to Crate and Barrel. Laura was engaged and would be getting married in the spring, so Charlotte thought a gift card to Crate and Barrel would not only be appropriate but help her assistant set up house. Charlotte planned to buy Brandon’s gift online since it would have to be special ordered anyway.
After she purchased the gift card, Charlotte turned to Brandy. “I’m done.”
Her friend gave her a nasty look. “No, you’re not.”
Charlotte nodded. “Yes, I am. I bought presents for Greg and Laura. I’m buying Brandon’s gift online and I can’t buy your gift while I’m with you. Therefore, I’m done.” If her voice was a tad smug, she couldn’t be faulted.
“Well, maybe you’re done with your list, but I’m not done with mine. I have to buy something for my parents, my sister, and get Greg a present,” Brandy complained.
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Fine, but I’m not shopping until the stores close. If we can’t find those presents within two hours, you’re on your own.”
“Some friend you are,” Brandy muttered under her breath.
“You know I would do anything for you, Brandy, but shop. I’d rather give you one of my kidneys than shop for an entire day.”
