Page 49 of Merciless

She pinned me with a scathing glare. “You vomited all over mine. It’s only fair you provide recompense, is it not?”

My lips thinned, physically holding back from saying something I’d regret. I had been in survival mode for so long that I was wired to attack first, yet I knew that my attitude had no place there, with her.

And just like that, all my pent-up fight just evaporated.

What the fuck am I doing?

Charlotte had stayed cooped up inside for days to solely care for me. Even I had to read the situation for what it was, there was no room for my dangerous games. People only got hurt, and she was the last person on earth who deserved my ire.

There was that fear again. To say I wasn’t her first choice was an unfair comparison. Because I had never made her mine. Once upon a time, I had had my chance, and I passed that up for a darker path, one of revenge.

I was now looking at the aftermath of that decision: my dream walking away with a man who was truly deserving of her. And I had no one to blame but myself.

“You’re right,” I said, pushing those negative feelings all the way down into hell. “I cannot thank you enough for what you’ve done for me, Charlotte,” I said, with full sincerity. “Can I give you anything in return? The least I can do is pay you for your time.”

Her features softened as she swung her packed bag over her shoulder. “I don’t need anything, Colt.”

“Please, I insist. Ask for anything, and it’s yours.” Anything.

She bit into her lower lip, taking a second to contemplate. “You know what? Fine. My only request is that you focus on yourself. Heal, move on and live. Live how your mother would have wanted you to… free.”

Charlotte smiled then, a beaming, genuine grin that had me mirroring the same. “I’ll see you around?”

“Probably not.” Then she left.

A dormant fire ignited within. A challenge was laid before me—one I had no intention of losing. I was stubborn, determined, and downright tenacious when I found something I wanted.

And Charlotte? I wanted her.

Chapter 30

COLTON

“You didn’t tell me she was engaged,” I said, closing in on Annette’s back. She flipped a glance over her shoulder before returning to her mindless gazing over the vast gardens, which irked me.

It had taken an additional forty-eight hours for my body to recover enough so I could make the trip to Serenity Residential Care Home.

By that time, I was well and truly brimming with impatience. Avery and Thomas both refused to help me. Which meant I had to source my own recon on Charlotte.

Coming to a halt beside Annette, I took an equalising breath, then softened my tone before repeating, “You didn’t tell me she was engaged.”

“Was I supposed to?”

I bristled. “You know I ask after her every time I visit.”

“So? Does that suddenly make you eligible for intel on her?” She looked up at me then, direct and clear. “If I had told you about Charlotte’s engagement, would that have changed anything for you, Colton?”

I knew what she meant, though I didn’t want to dissect all of that, so instead, I gave her my deepest vulnerability, my most treasured confession.

“I care for her. I love her,” I blurted.

“Why?”

Huh? What a stupid question. “What do you mean, why? You should know how magnificent she is. She is your daughter.”

“Exactly. Charlotte is my daughter, which means I know her both inside and out. But do you know her, Colton? Truly know her?”

I pursed my lips, getting pissed at her reasoning. But nothing ever stopped Annette.