Total pages in book: 266
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
Silence fills the large foyer, and I finally look away from Saint and down at Ashtyn. I give her a soft smile, and she licks her lips, her eyes filling with tears. She understands I’m not staying. She thought I was officially living back here at Carnage, but that’s just not the case.
With that, I turn and walk out of Carnage, knowing what I need to do.
SIXTY
CHARLOTTE
Ispent the day shopping with the girls. The ones who know who I really am. I’m struggling to know the real me. I like who I am with Haidyn—Charlotte—but I like the life that Annabelle gets to live. She’s not a fake. She’s part of a secret society, but she knows where she belongs.
Charlotte is the lie. She has a fake life and fake friends, but she has Haidyn. He’s the realest thing I’ve ever had in my life.
It’s getting complicated and harder to differentiate between the two people I’m supposed to be. Why can’t I have both?
Then the text. I’ve been trying to decide who I want to be for the rest of my life because I have to choose at ten o’clock tonight.
Give him up or myself.
I needed to clear my head and buy myself some time, so I went shopping. I spent all day blowing money, thinking it would help me. It’s by far the dumbest thing I’ve ever done, but I needed to try something.
Pulling my SUV into the garage, I get out and pop the hatch. It takes both hands to grab all the bags, and even then, it’s a struggle. I even leave the back open and garage up as I get them into the house. I place them all on the kitchen island and turn on the light.
I pull a bottle of wine from the fridge and open it before pouring it into a glass. Checking my cell, I see that I have two hours before Haidyn will be here. He was the only thing on my mind while shopping today. I bought outfits for him, which sounds so stupid in the long run. Not because he doesn’t care what I wear, but because I’ll never see him again after ten o'clock.
I’m trying to convince myself that they just want to talk to him. But even I laugh at that thought. But what if it’s just a test for me? I show up, and they say they just wanted to see if I’d do it?
I take my previous statement back. That was the dumbest idea I’ve ever had.
Tossing back the wine, I swallow the cold liquid, hoping it will drown me and make the decision for me. I feel like turning Haidyn in is betraying me now. But can I live with myself, not knowing what will happen to him? I’ve seen the videos and how he stood up for Ashtyn. What he’s been through. What if he’s just misunderstood?
I can be that woman for him, right? I’ve handled him so far. I want him to see me differently. Again, so fucking stupid.
Making my way to my bedroom, I pass the living room and come to a stop when I see someone sitting on my couch. The lights are off, but I can see the shadowy figure. I want to be afraid, but instead, I smile that he’s here. I flip the switch on the wall. “You’re early…”
My words trail off when the light illuminates the room, and the man who I thought was sitting on my couch, isn’t. “Wesley?” I ask, my heart is now racing. “What are you doing here?” I look around the room and see he’s alone. Not like I expected him to be with someone else. It’s just become a habit.
He’s sitting on the couch, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, looking down at the coffee table. My eyes follow his, and I take a step back when I see the small jewelry box sitting on the glass. The same one that Haidyn tied me to weeks ago, and I came all over. Back when I thought he was my biggest threat and now I’m his.
My mind always goes to him. He’s consuming my life. It’ll be over tonight. I immediately stop that train of thought.
“Where have you been?” He looks up, and his eyes glare at me.
I straighten my shoulders, not liking the accusation in his tone. The Lords made me date him. I didn’t want a boyfriend. “I was shopping,” I answer honestly. The last time we texted was three days ago. I had sent him a Photoshopped picture of me. He never responded, and I never gave him another thought.
“You can’t answer your phone.” He arches a brow.
“It died earlier.” Lie. I turned it off, needing to clear my mind. I know that Haidyn is tracking my every move with the tracker in my neck, but I didn’t want him to be able to reach me because of how I acted during our phone call earlier. I couldn’t let him know that something was going on.