When Fate Decided to Play its Part

CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT:

CHARLOTTE

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Althea hit her until Charlotte begged and apologize, saying she was just kidding, and she knows Tyler. Althea huffed and squinted her eyes on her; of course, how could she forget about him? Charlotte rubbed her arms that were reddening from her pinches, honestly, Althea felt bad, but she didn’t show it. Serves her right.

Charlotte complained that it stings, she sneered at her. “You want more?”

“No thanks,” she mumbled while flinching away. She continues to rub her arms and look at her. “Is he really with him? Of all people?”

“Hmm.” Althea just hummed in agreement and recounted the events of what happened as how Becca did to her. Charlotte nodded in understanding before turning silent, it was brief, but Althea saw guilt flashing in her eyes.

She pursed her lips and smack her with the pillow. She didn’t dodge and let the soft thing smack her face before saying; “I really need apologize to Kyle, I almost made him motherless.”

“Shut up!” She hit her again, not bothering to correct her.

She frowns, “I don’t want him to be motherless after being grandparent-less-“

“Charlotte- just shut up- never mind that- come here, let me pull your hair out.”

“Don’t, my husband will not like me even more. But- kidding aside,” Charlotte stole the pillow and hugged it. “Why did you let him go with him? Can I safely assume that your over-“

“No.” She answers immediately, not even letting Charlotte to finish her sentence.

The temperature in the room dropped by several degrees again, it was okay after they broke the ice earlier, but the atmosphere changed for the second time. Unlike a couple of minutes ago, it was Charlotte who’s refusing to have an eye contact with Althea, but now, Althea was looking anywhere but her eyes.

She looked at her in silence. Her heart aches every time she sees her like this, like she was trapped in an endless maze. Charlotte thought she was already okay after therapies, but it seems like she was blind enough or pretended to be blind to not notice.

The silence was madly suffocating, Althea begun biting her lips again and holding the ring finger- but the ring that keeps her nerves in check was gone. It made her sunk into a dangerous pit. She started to overthink things in her head, and it got darker and darker. In silence, she began fretting over things. Months ago, she should have stopped it early and not fall into something she wont like, but the past events unearthed memories that accelerated her fall even more.

Lost in the sea of her past memories;

She lost her reasoning.

-

her lips into thin lines before breaking the

“Althea-“

from him later- hear that?” Althea begun to mumble almost incoherently. “I- he- he should not

Charlotte stood up, alarmed. Althea was having an anxiety

she was catching her breath as it becomes ragged and uncontrollably short. Her chest aches and she can feel her head spinning in spiral. Althea wants to

and it was swirling spirals and shapes until a silhouette of a man was standing by the wall. It had no facial features, it was just a hazy, black, smoky silhouette, but Althea

It was him.

hospital, and an old, abandoned factory. The places she saw switches every second, distorting with her vision. The only thing that remained standing there, unmoving;

heard a

“I told you,”

It’s him.

was dry, and she was

stretching his

would come

He’s really here!

felt- or maybe it was just an illusion- her holding her trembling hands and squeeze

or not, Althea

down, but the shadow of that man was walking slowly towards her. She tried calming herself by breathing in and out deeply but her breathing stuck in her throat. It was swirling, it was only a distortion, she knew it was an illusion, because he can’t be here, it was impossible, but her mind still panicked, and she can’t

her and called her name many times.

long and tears were peeking out. She was struggling to

horror as his hands inched closer to her throat. It was about to choke

Slap!

-

delicate hand landed on her face. She was now facing on other side, her neck looking broken. Charlotte panicked, thinking she accidentally killed her with her slap. She placed her hands on either side of her cheeks and forcefully turn them to make

no reaction, she grasped her shoulders and shook her furiously, her one knee is even on

-

that it hurts. She gasped for air, and she realized that she was breathing again. With her heavy breathing, she looked around and saw that the distorted place returns normal. That man was not there anymore, like he never existed in the first

short and fast. Her whole body is cold.

thing that made her slowly calm down was the gentle caresses of Charlotte’s thumb on

she saw her looking at her with concern.

of her voice, after some hesitation, she finally asked what she was meaning to. “So I was right, you’re still hung

tightened her hands on her shoulders. She gently shook her. “I let you stop your therapy just because you said you’re

gripped her arms and tried to pry them away. The other is usually weak but she had a little bit more strength today, she won’t budge. Her grip tightened even more.

Althea spat at her after being silent. The surpassed anger in her made her voice cracked and shaking. “Do you think it is?