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The tension slips from my body at his admission. I’m glad he agrees with me. I was starting to go a little crazy, dealing with my emotions when it comes to Charlotte.
“Have you told your wife you’re in love with her yet?”
I gape at him. “What the hell?”
“You don’t feel that way about a woman unless you’re in love with her. I know, I know, it’s hard to wrap your brain around,” he says when I start to protest. “I’m not one to express my feelings of love.” Winston sneers. Pretty sure he hates admitting he has any emotion that’s not related to anger. “I don’t feel anything most of the time—with the exception of Ash. I think you might be dealing with the same… issues.”
“I’m not in love with her,” I say automatically, turning on my heel and making my escape from my brother’s office.
“Liar!” he calls after me.
But I ignore him.
Chapter Thirteen
Charlotte
It was difficult,convincing my husband to return to the office, but necessary. Perry is not made to work from home.
And Perry is also a hovering, overattentive husband who sort of drove me crazy after a while.
The moment he left for work earlier, I remained in bed for most of the morning, doing a little research on my phone. With Perry now gone all day, I’m going to concentrate on myself and look into taking some college courses online. It’s still hard for me to leave the apartment for any length of time. I get too worked up, too anxious.
I thought about looking into architecture again, but looking over the class requirements, all I could think of was Seamus, so that won’t work.
I’ve decided to look into interior design courses instead.
Once I’ve sent an email to a counselor asking to schedule an appointment, I finally request Jasper to bring me a late breakfast, which he gleefully delivers to me on a tray.
The man was ecstatic I actually requested something to eat, which hasn’t happened in a while. I only wanted bland wheat toast—almost burnt to a crisp and with light butter—and sliced strawberries. That’s all my stomach could take. He tried to convince me to have some Greek yogurt but just thinking of the creamy substance made me want to hurl.
Hard pass on that.
After I finally climbed out of bed, I took a shower. Sat out on the balcony and absorbed the late fall afternoon sun. The weather keeps tricking us. Rain. Sunny. Sunny. Rain. Soon enough it will be winter and nothing but stormy gray skies and snow, so I have to take advantage where I can.
“I must say, you look lovely this afternoon, Miss Charlotte,” Jasper announces when he joins me on the terrace, delivering a cup of tea.
I tip my head back and stare up at the blue sky, noting the dots of fluffy white clouds. “It’s the sunshine. It’s adding color back into my skin.”
“I think someone is feeling a little freer than usual.”
Glancing over at him, I squint my eyes. “Are you onto me, Jasper?”
“I know you’ve grown to care for your husband. I approve of him as well. But he’s been so terribly—worried about you as of late,” Jasper says, as diplomatic as always.
“He worries too much,” I say, leaning my head back once again and closing my eyes. “He needed to go back to the office.”
Yet, I miss him. I can’t wait to tell him I looked into college courses. He’ll be proud of me. Maybe I should try and look into getting a therapist too. I shouldn’t hold on to all of this trauma. It’s not helping me get over it—I need someone to talk to about it, and that can’t be Perry all the time.
My entire life froze after I escaped from Seamus, and I hate it. It shouldn’t be like this. I just got married—yes, to a man I don’t even know, but that’s beside the point—I should be in wedding bliss. Going out and having fun with my husband. Making new friends.
I frown. There’s a problem. I don’t have any friends. Not really. Most of the ones I had in school are busy going to college. I’m the first one of the bunch to get married, and while a few of them were at my wedding, for the most part I don’t stay in contact with anyone besides through social media.
I can think of one person I’d enjoy spending more time with though…
Grabbing my phone from the side table by my chair, I bring up my text messages and scroll until I find her name.
Tinsley. My new sister-in-law.
