“I’m right here.”
I nodded as I pushed into the bathroom, the sight in front of me almost breaking me.
A tall, stick thin woman in a stupidly short, skin tight red dress stood in front of Charlie, her long, blood red nails unfastening his shirt buttons. I didn’t know what damage her even being here had done to him, but I wouldn’t let her touch him anymore.
Charlie was pinned to the wall, twisted to the side, as if he was trying to crawl through the tiles to get away from her as poisoned words spilled from her lips. “Baby, I’m here now. You don’t have to pretend anymore. I’ll leave your dad. I just want what we had before. No one knows you like I do.”
She leaned in closer as if she was going to kiss his neck, and I lunged at her, wrapping my hand around her high ponytail, yanking her backward. She fell spectacularly, stumbling on her heels, crying out. “Get off me. Charlie, baby. Get her off me.”
Charlie’s eyes twitched, but his face remained expressionless. Pulling her harder, I put some space between them before running to stand in front of him.
“Get the fuck away from him.”
She smoothed her hair before stepping closer, looking to Charlie as if she expected him to stand up for her.
“I said stay away,” I yelled louder this time.
“Aw, the jealous ex. I know it’s hard to have him for a while and then lose him. I had to suffer that pain too, so I get it.” She smiled sweetly, making me want to punch her in her smug face. “But he doesn’t want you. He told me. Too vanilla, isn’t that what you said, baby? That you weren’t me.”
I scoffed. “What? A fucking predator?”
Reaching back, I wrapped my hand in Charlie’s, giving him a reassuring squeeze, but as I went to let go, not wanting to overwhelm him, he held on tighter. I turned slightly.
“Not going anywhere, Myth Maker,” I whispered, feeling the fear and tension ebb from his body. Then I turned my attention back to the woman in front of me.
“You will get the fuck out of here. You will delete Charlie’s number. You will get that twat of a husband to do the same. There will be no more accidental phone calls, no more texts—”
“Ah, is that why you’re upset? You’ve seen our texts recently? You know how much he’s been begging me to take him back.”
I felt his reaction instantly. Turning, I ran my thumb over his knuckles, trying to calm him without saying a word. With his other hand, he pulled out his phone, handing it to me. I unlocked it with his passcode, finding her messages and skimming through them, anger burning through me as I saw the torrent of shit she’d been sending him.
I turned back to her. “What’s the passcode for Charlie’s phone?”
She shook her head.
“What’s his favorite meal? His favorite band? Which songs on the band's last album did he write? What inspired them? What side of the bed does he sleep on?” I asked questions in quick succession and her eyes widened with each one because sheobviously had no clue. I thought she was losing her bravado, but then she closed in on me, her face inches from mine, the stench from her perfume making my nostrils flare.
“I might not know his phone’s passcode, but I know how he likes to be fucked. I know the sounds he makes when he comes. I know that sometimes he cries actual tears and says no again and again, but then he comes so hard it drips out of me for hours.” Her poisonous words hung heavy in the air.
Charlie let out a sound that I swore was him breaking and however much I wanted to let go of him while I kicked the shit out of this sick woman, I knew I couldn’t leave him. “Matt,” I yelled.
Matt appeared instantly, looking bigger and angrier than I’d ever seen him.
Jennifer let out a scream as she took him in.
“Please escort Jennifer from the building. Ask Thomas to track her phone so we know where she is and can one of you get a restraining order so she can’t contact or come anywhere near Charlie again? Also, get Lea to give her dirty money back. The charity doesn’t need it from people like her.”
“Of course.” Matt’s voice sounded menacing as he stepped toward her. I stretched as far as I could without letting go of Charlie, whispering in her ear, “I know what you did. Everything. He told me. And if I have my way, you’ll end up in prison for it.”
She let out a maniacal laugh. “You wouldn’t dare. Who’d believe him?”
I smiled, tilting my head. “Me. I believe him. Everyone who loves him believes him.”
The smile slipped from her face. “It would ruin him.”
This time it was me who smiled. “No, but it would ruin you. Now get the fuck out of here before I forget my manners.” Mattgrabbed her by the elbow and dragged her out of the bathroom, and I let out a long breath as I turned my attention to Charlie.
He was shaking, his skin sweaty and pale, lips colorless, and his chest heaving as if there was no air in the room.
