Abandon Deadly Betrayal, Embrace New Life

ronger than any guilt he felt toward Charlotte. He hired a private nurse and made sure Charlotte' s e

. Without a word to the staff, she began to purge her life of him. She took down their photos, packing them into a box she labeled "Mistakes." She threw out the gard

vie stubs they' d saved since their first date when the

k robe, and her hair was artfully tousled. When she saw Charlotte surrounded by boxes and

ow furrowed in confusion as he looked at the

her voice flat. "Getting rid

ging to his arm. "Hayley needs a quiet place to recover," he announced, not asked. "Th

yley looked up at Charlotte, her expression a perfect blend of apology and helplessness, but her e

ed out, leaving behind a frozen calm. "Fine," she

ew you'd understand." He then turned to the housekeeper. "Maria, please

ally erasing her own existence from its walls. The next few days were a special kind of torture. She became an

d for Charlotte' s sleepless nights. He monitored her medication, fussed over her meals, and held her when she feigned a moment of weakness. The tenderness that ha

A gift from her grandmother. She held it for a moment, then tossed it i

o. He was her shadow, a warm, purring presence in the cold, empty house. When she cried, he would butt his

ng his familiar face, hearing his happy meow, was the first genuine warmth Charlotte had felt in weeks. She scooped

arms, she ran into Hayley, who was on her way to the

," Hayley cooed, her voice si

holding Marmalade tighter.

laced by a pout. "Oh, please? I'm so lonely and sad. A little

k a step back

harlotte's arms. Marmalade, startled and scared, hissed and swiped a paw, catching H

she'd been shot. She clutched her hand, her

sound of her cry. "What hap

ere a tiny pinprick of blood was welling up. "It

lotte exclaimed. "Yo

s tear-streaked face to Charlotte's defiant one. Hi

omised. Any infection could be fatal." He gently took Hayley' s hand, examining the minu

ovoked him!" Charlotte pl

t... I thought maybe he could be my friend since I don't have much time l

s all i

being is more important. She wants the cat. It will be her companion for the time she has

e screamed, lu

Hayley. "There, there, little guy," Hayley cooed, her vo

klin! He's mine!" Charlott

tween her and Hayley. "It's for the best. Fulfilli

tightly, a cruel, victorious smirk on her face that only Charlotte co

waited until Franklin was in the shower that evening. The house was quiet.

he peered inside, and what sh