Page 131

“Char, let’s take a walk,” Imani warned low, looping an arm around her waist. It was perhaps the only thing that kept Charlotte from spitting in Victoria’s face, or throwing a fist. That reminder that Victoria was the type to sue… and they were in public… on the weekend of Lizzie’s wedding.

Fuck.

This would blow everything apart.

“You manipulated her,” Charlotte said, voice shaking. “You isolated her, threatened her, abused her, and you don’t have the decency to apologize.”

“She’s an adult.”

“You are twenty-two fucking years older than her and you knew exactly what you were doing.”

“I have nothing to apologize for.”

“Really? Not even manipulating her into making out with you while we were still engaged?”

Victoria went pale. Charlotte could see it… the moment she realized Lilah told her everything. She thought she convinced Lilah to keep that part buried.

“You will never touch my family again,” Charlotte growled. “You do not speak to us in public. You do not even look in our direction. And if I ever find out you tried to contact Lilah again, there’s no limit to what I will do to ruin your life.” Charlotte gave her a little shake. “Do I make myself clear?”

Victoria glared back, defiant to the end.

“That’s enough,” Sasha cut in, her voice slicing through the red haze.

She released her with a small shove. Imani hauled her back a step. Her eyes stayed locked on Sasha… a pivotal moment lay before them, all trust hung in the balance. Sasha knew it too. The first few times they met when she and Victoria first started seeing each other, they’d gotten along. Charlotte used to think they could’ve become friends if things hadn’t gone south between her and Victoria.

“You’re not going to let her treat me like this,” Victoria sniffled, reaching for Sasha’s arm, “are you?”

Sasha caught her wrist. Her eyes scanned the room, landing somewhere behind Charlotte where the muffled sounds of Lilah’s panic and pain were coming from. Charlotte didn’t want to look. Instead, she watched dark eyes narrow in assessment, something aching cracked across her stoic expression.

“Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t,” Sasha demanded.

Victoria changed tactics. “It’s a misrepresentation of the facts.” Sasha’s hand tightened in warning. “You know me. Do you really think I would do something like this?”

Sasha’s gaze went hard, flashing with more emotion than was ever allowed to show through her usual mask. “Get your things. You’re done here.”

Charlotte thought maybe she misheard. But Sasha dropped Victoria’s wrist like it was suddenly hot enough to burn. “Jazz,” Sasha murmured, a subtle, barely detectable note of desperation in her tone.

Jasmine rose behind her, stepping up beside Sasha not needing more than that to know what her little sister needed.

“We’ll have a car take you to the airport,” Jasmine said, her tone frigid and unforgiving.

“You can’t be serious. She’s being ridiculous⁠—”

“Don’t say another word,” Jasmine commanded.

Victoria opened her mouth, but Sasha held up her hand. Her tone was sharp, every inch the courtroom legend once again. “You heard my sister,” Sasha said, locking eyes with Charlotte. “Don’t try to contact any of my family again. If you try to speak to Lilah…” her gaze hardened. “Charlotte won’t be the only one who ruins your life.”

“You’re just going to believe her?” Victoria sobbed, chin wobbling. “What happened to innocent until proven guilty?”

“You just pled guilty when you couldn’t look me in the eye and say you didn’t coerce Lilah, and cheat on Charlotte,” Sasha’s tone left no room to second guess with how final it was. “She’s younger than Natasha,” Sasha seethed, disgusted. “I don’t want to see you again. You are nothing and no one to me.”

The words echoed like a thunderclap. Victoria’s tears dried up, her face going furious. But all Charlotte could feel besides the sea of rolling anger was relief. When it came to it, Sasha chose Lizzie without hesitation.

Charlotte needed air.

Imani released her, sensing the shift. Lizzie was gone from the table, Charlotte spotted her across the room, holding a teary Lilah while Natasha and her cousins formed a shield around them.

Charlotte turned for the exit.