Love You Forever Novel – A couple days had passed, and as I was sitting at my desk, my phone rang, and it was my sister, Jillian. “Hey, sis,” I answered. “Hey, Charlotte. I need to talk to you.” “Okay. I’m just getting ready to go to lunch. What’s up?” I grabbed my purse from the desk drawer and locked my computer. “God, I can’t do this,” she spoke. “Jillian, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Are Mom and Dad okay?” “They’re fine. Charlotte, you know how much I love you. You’re my baby sister and it’s my job to protect you.” “What on earth are you talking about? You’re really starting to freak me out.” “I just sent you a text message.” Before I got out of my chair, I opened up the text message she sent me which contained several images of Alex and another woman. Instantly, I could feel the vomit rise in my throat as my body started to sweat and my heart pounded out of my chest. Tears filled my eyes. I ended the call and sat at my desk. My body shook as I stared at the pictures of my husband holding hands and pecking another woman. I quickly got up out of my seat and ran to the bathroom, locking the stall door and vomiting in the toilet.
Charlotte’s POV I rolled over, opened my eyes, and stared at the empty space next to me while I ran my hand across the perfectly smooth sheet. I sighed as I sat up and grabbed my phone from the nightstand, checking to see if he messaged me back. Disappointment coursed through me and worry started to settle inside. I climbed out of bed and headed to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. As I was waiting for it to brew in my cup, my phone rang, and a smile crossed my lips when I saw it was my husband, Alex. “Alex, I was so worried about you,” I answered. “Good morning, baby. I’m sorry. I passed out early last night. I didn’t see your missed calls and text messages until this morning. Forgive me?” “Of course. I know how tiring your business trips can be. I miss you.” “I miss you too.” “I went on a little shopping spree at Victoria’s Secret yesterday.” “And I bet you bought some really hot things. Didn’t you?” “I did.” I smiled as I bit down on my bottom lip.
“I was thinking we can have a Facetime date tonight and I can model something for you.” “I’d love that. I’ll have to let you know when I get back to the hotel. I’m having dinner with one of the clients.” “Okay. I’ll be waiting.” “I have to go, baby. I have a meeting in ten minutes. I love you.” “I love you too. Have a good day.” I ended the call, took my phone and coffee into the bathroom, and got ready for work. This was exactly how I had planned my life out: married to the love of my life, a great career, and hopefully soon, a baby would fill our happy home. Alex and I had been married for almost seven months, but we’d been together for ten years. I met him when I was sixteen and I instantly knew he was going to be mine forever. He was the only man I’d ever been with and the only man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. For the past eight months, his company had been sending him to New York for two weeks at a time to meet with clients. We were both originally from California, but the day after we got married, we packed up and moved to Seattle with the company he worked for.
I liked Seattle, but I missed my family, especially when he was gone two weeks out of the month, and I was left here alone. I really didn’t have any friends here. Only the few that I worked with at the architect firm. I walked into the building and took the elevator up to the sixth floor. “Good morning, Charlotte.” Jessie, one of my coworkers, smiled. “A few of us are going out for drinks after work and we want you to join us.” “If it was any other night, I would. But tonight, I have a Facetime date with my husband.” I grinned. “When is he due back?” she asked as we walked to my cubicle. “Next week.” I pouted. “You’re still a newlywed. Give it a couple more years and that pout will turn into a smile when he walks out that door.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “That is one thing that will never happen to me. I love him too much.” “You’ll join us next time, right?” she asked. “Definitely.” I smiled. I sat down at my desk and turned on my computer.
Before I knew it, a few hours had passed, and it was lunch time. I still hadn’t heard from Alex about a time for our date tonight, so I picked up my phone and sent him a text message. “Hi, babe. Have you figured out a time for our date tonight?” “Hey, baby. Sorry. I’ve been busy. I should be back to the hotel around 9-9:30 my time. I’ll call you when I get there.” “Sounds good. I’ll be ready and waiting.” I changed into my hot black nighty, ran a brush through my long brown hair, and colored my lips in red. It was six o’clock my time, which meant it was nine o’clock his time. I lay on the bed with my phone in my hand and a glass of drink, waiting for his call. It was six forty-five and I still hadn’t heard from him, so I sent him a text message. “Are you back to the hotel yet?” I intently stared at my phone and waited for the three dots to appear. Nothing. Another fifteen minutes passed and still nothing. “Alex?” Maybe his dinner ran late? This wasn’t the first time he stood me up on a Facetime date.
I sighed as I looked at the time and it was now eight o’clock, eleven o’clock his time. Now I was pissed. The least he could have done was sent me a text message telling me he wouldn’t be able to make our date. I climbed off the bed, changed into my pajamas, and went to the kitchen for another glass of drink. By time I got back to my bedroom, a text message from him came through. “Sorry, baby. My phone died and dinner ran later than I thought it would. I’m exhausted, so we’ll have to reschedule our date. I love you. I would call, but I can’t keep my eyes open. Don’t be mad, baby. I’ll make it up to you.” I stared at his message as I thought about replying. There was no need. I was mad and he was going to know it. I tossed and turned all night, barely sleeping as anger was confined in my mind. A little common courtesy was all I wanted. The next morning, I got ready for work and headed to the office. As I was walking into the building, my phone rang, and it was Alex.
I let it go to voicemail because I wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. Shortly after, a text message came through. “Morning, baby. Again, I’m sorry about last night. Call me when you get a chance.” I sighed as I set my phone down on my desk. It was already hard enough when he wasn’t here, and to just stand me up like that made it even harder. “How did your Facetime date go last night?” Jessie smiled as she walked over to my cubicle. “His dinner ran later than he thought, his phone died, and he apologized via text.” “What?” Her brows furrowed. “He didn’t even call you to say he was sorry?” “He was exhausted.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m sorry, Charlotte.” She placed her hand on my arm. “It’s okay. I’m giving him the cold shoulder right now.” “Good for you. Don’t let him get away with that. It’s disrespectful.” “It’s not the first time he’s done it, and I’ve been really patient and forgiving. But this time, he needs to know that I’m mad.”
I waited all day for Alex to either call or text me asking why I hadn’t called him back, but he didn’t. A couple days had passed, and as I was sitting at my desk, my phone rang, and it was my sister, Jillian. “Hey, sis,” I answered. “Hey, Charlotte. I need to talk to you.” “Okay. I’m just getting ready to go to lunch. What’s up?” I grabbed my purse from the desk drawer and locked my computer. “God, I can’t do this,” she spoke. “Jillian, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Are Mom and Dad okay?” “They’re fine. Charlotte, you know how much I love you. You’re my baby sister and it’s my job to protect you.” “What on earth are you talking about? You’re really starting to freak me out.” “I just sent you a text message.” Before I got out of my chair, I opened up the text message she sent me which contained several images of Alex and another woman. Instantly, I could feel the vomit rise in my throat as my body started to sweat and my heart pounded out of my chest. Tears filled my eyes. “Charlotte?” “What? Jillian!” I yelled. “What is this? Is this some kind of joke?” “I swear to God I wish it was. I’m so sorry. I was in New York for three days at a law conference, and a few of us went out to dinner. That’s where I saw him.” “Did he see you?” “No. He didn’t.” “What night was this?” I asked as the tears streamed down my face.
“A couple of nights ago. I didn’t want to do this but you know how much I hate that man and you deserve so much better.” “I have to go.” I ended the call and sat at my desk. My body shook as I stared at the pictures of my husband holding hands and pecking another woman. I quickly got up out of my seat and ran to the bathroom, locking the stall door and vomiting in the toilet. “Charlotte, are you okay?” Jessie asked as she opened the bathroom door. “I think I’m coming down with the flu. Can you please tell Casey that I need to go home?” “Yes, of course. Do you need me to get you anything?” “No. I’m fine. Please just go tell him.” I wiped my mouth, stood up, and walked out of the bathroom. I was shaking so bad, I could barely make it to the elevator. As soon as the doors opened to the lobby, I walked out of the building with tears flowing from my eyes. As I reached in to grab my sunglasses from my purse, I dropped it and all the contents spilled out onto the sidewalk.
That was when I really lost it. I bent down as I sobbed, trying to collect my things with shaking hands. “Miss, are you all right?” A man knelt down next to me and started grabbing my things. “Let me help you.” I looked up into his dark brown eyes and I was humiliated. “I’ve got this. But thank you.” I sniffled as I wiped my eyes, noticing the mascara that was smeared on the back of my hand. He picked up my keys and handed them to me. “Are you okay to drive?” he asked. “I said I’m fine. Thank you for your help.” I put on my sunglasses, stood up, and unsteadily walked to my car. My head was a mess and I couldn’t think straight. Should I call him? Should I text him? Should I kill him? “UGH!” I screamed as I gripped the steering wheel. I entered the house and went directly to the bedroom and curled up in a fetal position on the bed while I uncontrollably sobbed.
I managed to climb off the bed and change into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. I was sick to my stomach as I could feel the pain of my heart breaking in half. I went into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My face was red and my mascara-stained eyes were swollen. I cleansed my face as the tears kept streaming down. Suddenly, my phone dinged with a text message from him. “Hey, baby. I haven’t heard from you all day. How is everything going?” I could feel the vomit rise in my throat and I ran to the toilet and hugged it. I’d never in my life felt such betrayal. My phone dinged again, and when I looked at it, there was another text message from him. “Charlotte?” If I didn’t respond, he’d keep texting, or worse yet, he’d call. I wiped my mouth, flushed the toilet, and started typing, even though it made me sicker than I already was.
“Everything’s fine. Been tied up at work on a new project. Have a meeting in five. TTYL.” “Maybe we can have our Facetime date tomorrow.” I stared at his last message before throwing my phone down on the bed. I needed a drink to numb the shattering pain I felt. As I looked around our bedroom, it was too much to handle. Everything was him. I needed to get out of here to try and clear my head, if that was even possible. I stepped into the shower and let the warm water shelter me. Once I was finished, I put on some makeup, ran a brush through my brown locks, slipped into my favorite skinny jeans and a tank top, threw on some heels, and called an Uber. I already knew it wasn’t going to be safe for me to drive home.
Jake’s POV I watched her as she crossed the parking lot and climbed into her car. She was beautiful and obviously broken. She was shaking from head to toe and I didn’t think it was a good idea she drove in that condition, but who was I to stop her. When she looked up at me, the first thing I noticed was her beautiful sad brown eyes with the mascara stains underneath them. I looked up at the building she came out of. Croft & Nolan Architecture Firm. I wondered what happened that had her so upset. After my lunch meeting with Jim, I headed back to my hotel and did some work. It was a beautiful day in Seattle, and instead of sitting in my room, I decided to go out and explore the city, even though I’d been here several times.
I walked down the street and ended up at Pike Place Market. I looked around and picked up a beautiful handmade bracelet for my mom with her name on it. She liked stuff like that. I grabbed some dinner and then headed to a bar to have a couple of drinks before heading back to the hotel for the night. Suddenly, someone caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. When I glanced over, I couldn’t believe it. The girl from earlier was standing at the bar a few feet away from me ordering a drink. She ordered a Cosmo, and by the looks of it, she’d already had one too many, judging by the way she was stumbling and the three stamps on her hand. I watched her as she sat down on the stool, took a large gulp of her drink, and then laid her head on the bar for a few moments. I held my finger up and signaled for the bartender.
“Can I get you another?” he asked. “No. I’m good. I don’t think you should serve that girl down there anymore. It looks like she’s had enough.” “I was thinking the same thing, man.” AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” came on, and suddenly, she jumped up from the stool, grabbed her drink, and hit the dance floor, twirling around while singing the words as loud as she could. I sat there and watched her. It appeared she was here alone. I’d assumed this night of drinking had something to do with whatever happened to her today. I narrowed my eye when I saw a man approach her. I didn’t like to judge people, but he looked like trouble. His fingers lightly touched the ends of her hair before making their way to her collarbone. I stood up. He lightly grabbed hold of her arm and she yanked it out of his grip, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer.
I walked over to the dance floor and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around. “She’s with me,” I firmly spoke. “Nice try, buddy, but I don’t think so.” He turned around and tried to grab her arm again. I stepped in between them. “Come on, we need to get back to the hotel,” I spoke as I looked at her. “I call nonsense,” the drunken man spoke. “But, being the nice guy I am, I’ll let you have her all to yourself after I get done with her. It’s a win/win for both of us.” He shot me a disgusting smile. “She’s not going anywhere with you,” I spoke as I stood tall in front of him. “We’ll see about that.” He took a swing at me and I dodged his punch. Grabbing her arm, I began to walk her to the door. She could barely stand. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my upper back, and when I turned around, he threw a punch I didn’t see coming, hitting me square in the face. I stumbled back, shook my head, and threw a punch at him as I knocked his drunk hip to the ground. “I advise you to stay down,” I spoke through gritted teeth as I pointed at him. He lay there, unable to move, but he’d be okay.
I didn’t hit him that hard. I swooped the girl up in my arms and carried her out of the bar and onto the streets of Seattle. She was so out of it and she didn’t know what was going on. I saw a cab parked on the curb a couple of feet away and I carried her to it. “You available?” I asked the driver. “Yeah. Climb in.” I set her down, opened the door, and slid her inside. “I’m not done drinking yet,” she slurred. “You are done drinking for tonight. You’ve had enough.” I climbed in next to her and shut the door. “Where to?” the cab driver asked. “Shi. Hold on a second.” Did I bring her back to my hotel to sleep it off? I looked at the small handbag she had across her body. Opening it, I pulled out her wallet and took out her driver’s license.
Charlotte Foster, a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. I read the address to the cab driver and had him take us there. He pulled up in the driveway and I dug in her purse and took out her keys. “Wait for me. I’m going to need a ride back to my hotel,” I spoke to the driver. “Yeah. Sure. It’s your money,” he said. I opened the door and helped her out, trying to hold her up long enough to make it to the porch. She was practically passed out. She only had two keys on her key ring, and thankfully, I chose the right one. After opening the front door, I helped her inside and looked around. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.” I picked her up and carried her down the long hallway until I saw the master bedroom with the king-size bed.
Before I set her down, she spoke, “I’m going to be sick.” I carried her straight into the bathroom and leaned her over the toilet before she could vomit all over me. She dropped to her knees and hugged the bowl as I took hold of her long brown wavy hair and held it back. “What happened to you today?” I asked in a soft voice. She threw up multiple times in a row and the bathroom reeked of drink. “Are you okay now?” I asked as she just sat there. She slowly nodded her head as she turned and looked at me. Her eyes were red, watery, and once again, mascara stained. I reached for the wash cloth that was sitting on the counter and ran it under warm water. After wringing it out, I knelt down and wiped her mouth. She closed her eyes and passed out. Picking her up, I carried her to the bed, laid her down, and pulled off her shoes.
Grabbing the blanket that was draped over the lounge chair by the window, I covered her with it. She moaned and rolled over. I glanced over at the nightstand, saw a diamond ring lying there, and picked up the framed picture of her and her husband on their wedding day. She looked gorgeous and I wondered where he was. I walked out of the bedroom, opened the front door, and looked around the porch. Going back inside, I went into the kitchen and saw a cube with some paper in it and a pen. Grabbing a piece of paper, I wrote her a note and left it by her purse on the counter. I made sure you got home safe.
Don’t worry, I didn’t take advantage of you. I’m not that type of guy. You needed help and I was there. Anyway, I left your house key under the white pot that’s on the front porch. Take care of yourself. Take some aspirin in the morning and drink plenty of water. ~ Jake. Before I left, I walked back into the bedroom to check on her one last time. “I hope everything works out for you,” I whispered as I stared down at her. I thought we were going to miss each other, but imagined my surprise when she showed up for an interview at my architect firm one month later…