He was confident in his words even as an unfamiliar insecurity tried creeping in.
With everything finalized, Charlie was free to do whatever she wanted. Suddenly, Derek couldn’t help but wonder if she’d wake in the morning still wanting him.
****
Chapter 13
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Charlie stood beneaththe showerhead, letting the steamy water wash away eleven years of tears, heartache, and pain.
After her embarrassing breakdown at the beach, she was finally starting to accept what she never thought would happen.
I’m free.
Her emotions were mixed. A combination of elation and feeling a little lost.
According to the papers the judge signed, she could finally live the life she’d always wanted. But what if she wasn’t sure what that was anymore?
Thanks to Caleb and his controlling ways, she had no formal training. Charlie had never gone to college or attended any sort of trade school.
For the past decade, she’d spent her days making sure everything in his life was perfect.
She’d played hostess more times than she could count, planning hundreds of dinner parties and helping with his firm’s charitable events. Besides that and being an expert at keeping a clean house, she really didn’t know how to do much else.
Maybe I can do something with that?
An idea began to form, and the longer she stood beneath the water, the more excited she became. It would be hard starting from nothing, but it was like Derek had said.
She had a support system, now. She had him. His parents. And though they still had yet to reconnect, Charlie knew she’d have his brother, Eric, in her corner, too.
She’d be starting from scratch, but with their support and a lot of hard work, she would get there.
There were a lot of decisions that needed to be made before that could happen. Charlie needed to figure out where she would live and exactly what all owning her own business would entail.
Most likely, she’d need to rely on Derek’s help for a little longer. Just until she could find a place of her own and get back up on her own two feet again.
