When the emailcame across Charlotte’s phone, I didn’t think twice about clicking on it. It saidHR INVESTIGATION UPDATE.
I didn’t want to wake her, but I didn’t know if they would require any more information from her, so I opened it up.
The email said HR was looking into claims by Damon that Charlotte had been pursuing him and that he had proof their relationship was not over nine months ago. They were sharing the video with Charlotte so she could respond to the allegation and update her form appropriately.
I clicked on the video, and my gut flipped.
There was no audio. The date and time stamp showed two months ago. Charlotte was drinking something clear. She cringes every time she takes a sip then she and Damon are talking.
I don’t like the fact that he is sitting on her couch next to her, but then he helps her stand up, and she strips. My pulse is beating in my neck when she’s naked and crawls to him, before he pulls her up like a rag doll to straddle his lap.
The recording ends. I watch it several times, and it’s clear to me Charlotte was drunk. Damon makes her drink several times, too.
I’m staring at Charlotte, who’s asleep next to me, full of anger, when “NYSurgeon is waiting for you to make the next move” pops up on her phone.
The hair on my neck stands up. I click on the notification, and our last Words with Friends board pops up. It’s the same game I stared at wondering why the game and conversation had stopped and if the player I had been talking to was okay.
I’d reached out several times over the last few months, asking if they were okay, but heard nothing.
Scrolling through our messages, I bang my head quietly against the headboard. The torture I must have put Charlotte through, always talking about Billie and my love for her. I cringe inside.
When I get back to the bottom of our messages, I read the date and time stamp of the last message.
Why is it bugging me?
Then, I realize it’s the same date as the video. Charlotte’s last message to me, “I did something really stupid,” makes sense.
For hours, Charlotte sleeps on my arm. I think about how she was the only thing I looked forward to, all the months we playedand talked on messenger. Guilt runs through me about how much pain I must have put her through, but she continued to be there for me, sacrificing her own feelings to make sure I was okay.
As much as I hate the visual of her being with Damon, I know that I caused her falling into his arms. And I decide the only thing I’m going to do is love and support her through this. She unselfishly did that for me without me even knowing it, and I’m going to be the man she needs me to be.
About twenty minutes pass, I figure she’s had enough time to review the video, and I walk into the bedroom. Charlotte is sitting on the bed, looking shocked. I sit next to her and put my arm around her. Slowly, she looks over at me.
“I’m sorry.”
“Shh. It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize.” I kiss her on her forehead.
“This video. It’s not what you think.”
I pull her tighter to me. “Charlotte, it’s okay.”
She angrily pushes me away. “No, it’s not okay.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“What do you mean, Xander? Let’s get clear on this.”
“I know you’re upset, but I’m on your side. And this is my fault. You slept with him because of me and my messages. I drove you to it. I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
She gapes at me and says nothing for a minute. “You’re right, and you’re wrong, Xander.”
I tilt my head at her. “Fill me in, then.”
“It’s not okay he recorded me without my consent. It’s not okay he stripped the audio from it and made it appear like we slept together. He cut off the part where I kicked him out. And it’s not okay I lied to you all those months and kept talking to you. These were my choices, not yours.”
I have no right to feel relieved she didn’t sleep with him two months ago, but I do. I still don’t have a clear picture of what happened that night. The only thing I can speak to is what’s happened between us. “No, it isn’t okay. And we will get to the bottom of this. But I’m glad you lied to me, or I wouldn’t be standing here.”
Charlotte’s face scrunches. “What do you mean?”
