It was like a switch had flipped. Charlotte went on and on, pouring out all her thoughts like she''d finally found rity-even though James hadn''t responded at all.

Across from her, James sat holding a file folder, but his mind was elsewhere. His expression was heavy, conflicted, as if he were caught between two impossible choices.

Though Charlotte was busy justifying her own excitement, she was still watching him out of the corner of her eye, tracking every flicker of emotion on his face.

When she saw that serious look, she thought he must''ve been moved by what she said. Her heart soared, hope swelling in her chest.

She talked herself hoarse, voice going dry, before James finally responded in a low, detached voice. "It''ste. We''ll talk tomorrow."

Charlotte didn''t think much of it. She''d already pushed herself to the limit just staying awake this long.

Her eyelids had been drooping for hours, and exhaustion was written all over her. She barely hit the pillow before falling asleep.

But maybe it was the coffee.

In the middle of the night, Charlotte woke up suddenly, eyes snapping open as full awareness returned in an instant.

Restless and wired, she resisted the urge to toss and turn, not wanting to wake James. She carefully turned over in bed instead.

Moonlight spilled through the curtains, falling across James''s back as he sat hunched at the edge of the bed. His silhouette looked solitary-almost lonely. Charlotte stared at him, and something unshakable stirred in her heart. A feeling she knew she shouldn''t have... but couldn''t stop herself from sinking into.

The more she told herself not to act on it, the stronger the urge became. That''s how it always worked. Once the thought took root, it grew wild.

Quietly, she slipped out of bed, grabbed her phone, and tiptoed into the bathroom. She''d done foolish things like this before-and they''d only ever made James angrier.

Charlotte looked at her reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath.

She looked drained. Worn out.

Like someone even she might not want to love anymore.

Before giving birth, she had promised herself she would never be that kind

of woman. But it had only been two months, and she already felt like she was turning into everything she used to resent.

She thought of James, secretly hiding photos of Sarah in his study. Of him rewatching Sarah''s interviews over and over. Of the picture frame tucked away in his office drawer.

Maybe today was just the breaking point. But even if it hadn''t been this, it wouldve been something else. The pressure on her chest had been building for too long. She couldn''t breathe under the weight of it.  s

And if she didn''t do something-anything-to distract herself, she might fall apart.

Sitting on the toilet, Charlotte finally dialed the number. Her hands trembled as she waited for it to connect.

"Hello? Who is this?" a soft, gentle voice answered.

Charlotte froze for a second, thrown off by the warm tone-then remembered she''d changed numbers after leaving the hospital.

She swallowed hard and snapped, "Why do you keep haunting my life? Why won''t you just disappear? Stay away from James! You disgusting slut!"

The voice on the other end turned sharp. "You''re disgusting, Charlotte. Get a grip."

The call ended with a click.

Charlotte sat frozen, listening to the empty dial tone. When she tried to call back, she realized she''d been blocked.

Still... she felt a little better.fn48ac Updates are released by ?ovelFind/fn48ac

That reaction-angry, disgusted—meant Sarah must really hate James. That had to mean there was nothing between them.

She wiped her tears, crawled back into bed, andy beside James again. She looked at his sleeping face for a moment before finally letting herself drift off, her heart a little more at ease.

Meanwhile, Sarah stared at her phone, utterly speechless. With a sigh, she blocked Charlotte''s number without a second thought.

She looked around the resort, mentally ticking off everything left to finalize. Between work and

earrangements sheet

hadn''t had time to stop by in days. Tomorrow was the big Christmas bash-she needed to make sure everything was in ce.  s

To make the resort''s promotion a sess, Melvin had approved a generous budget. They had

brand-new entertainment equipment flown in including thetest VR setups. Every corner of the ind

had been transformed.

belongs to s

It was going to be a night to remember.