Chapter 3

CHARLOTTE POV I stood in front of the mirror in my old Miami apartment's bathroom, feeling small. My life had been terrible these past few years. Running from Nacho Alvarez was a constant threat.

Ever since Hudson and I escaped from our 11th foster home, we'd been on the run, changing our names, scamming wealthy people, and getting away with it. But when Hudson messed with the wrong guys, things went downhill fast. Now Julian was after both of us. I had to come up with 14 million or we'd be in serious trouble. I managed to hide Hudson, but he thought I was controlling him too much. He insisted he could take care of himself. But he was only seventeen. He was still a kid, and I had to look out for him. He made a mistake getting involved with those monsters. I knew what we did to survive. We conned people, but we kept our distance to avoid getting attached. However, Hudson once broke the rules by falling for a girl, and it nearly got us into trouble. All Hudson and I had was each other. We managed to stay out of foster care and build a decent life from our illegal activities. But Hudson's drug use was a problem. Sometimes I blame myself. If I had paid more attention to him, maybe this wouldn't have happened. I regret hurting poor Carter. I had to leave Carter suddenly to save my brother. I never planned to marry him, but if Hudson hadn't caused trouble, maybe I would have considered it. I didn't love Carter. I was with him for his money. It was a selfish move, but I had to take care of my brother somehow. I tried to end things, but it didn't work. I was only supposed to con Carter for a few months, but then he proposed, and I felt bad for him. I didn't love him back, but he believed I did. I was good at pretending, too good. It was almost too easy. That's why I was considering the marriage proposal. I knew I could keep up the act forever. I had deceived rich men before, but I had never felt guilty until now. Before I started deceiving Carter Richardson, I researched him. He was wealthy and young, just a bit older than me. He seemed like the perfect target. But when I got to know him, I realized he was genuinely nice. Nicer than I expected. Playing him was easy. I arranged a fake meeting at an airport, purposely mixing up our tickets so he would come find me. He fell for it completely. Now, he hated me, and I didn't know how things would turn out. But I promised to do whatever he wanted without complaint, as long as I got the money and protected my family. Like I said, Carter was really nice and a part of me knew before hand that he wasn't going to call the cops on me. If it were any other man, I'd be dead the moment I stepped into his office. He still looked the same, as charming as he did the first time I actually saw him in person at the airport. His dark eyes was enough to pull you into lust. His eyes were so sexy that I Charlotte Patterson, found it so difficult to put my words together. But it all worked in my favor. I was aiming for the target, and I got it. I got it, claimed it, and then I broke it. I won't lie, I felt so freaking guilty the moment I left, I felt so guilty and sorry that I even felt moisture in my eyes, and when I landed back in Mexico, my reflection in the mirror was something I would never forget. Ever. Then and there, I had decided to stop the stupid job, I had decided to just work hard on my own, and stop the illegal, not so illegal job. But then, Hudson just had to do it again. Ding dong. My attention shifted to the front door. Who could that be? Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong! The person kept pressing the doorbell. I made my way to the door and checked the peephole to see who it was. It was Anaisha Kaif, my Indian neighbor. I sighed. Why was I even wondering again? Taking a deep breath, I unlocked the door and pulled it wide open. Immediately, she pounced on me, hugging me tightly. So, meet Anaisha Kaif, my neighbor. She had long, dark hair and was incredibly caring and thoughtful. Let's just say, everything good. More like everything I'm not. "Oh my God! You're alive! I can't believe you're alive! Praise all the gods who are listening right now!" She exclaimed, breathing into my ear. "Anaisha! Can't breathe - can't breathe," I wheezed out. She let go of me immediately, her eyes wide with awe, shock, anger, surprise, and mostly worry.

"Where did you go? Why did you go? I thought you were going through with the marriage? Carter was a mess. You have no idea how heartbroken he was. God, the media went crazy!" She said, her Indian accent evident in her tone. Oh. I sighed. "Have a seat, Anaisha," I said, motioning to my small couch. Like a child, she flopped down on the couch, looking up at me in anticipation. I settled myself comfortably on the couch, crossing my legs underneath me. "How have you been?" She looked taken aback. "I'm not here to talk about me, you rascal! I'm here to talk about you. What happened, Charlotte?" I let out a shaky breath. "I left." "Why?" She asked. "Because I had to." "Because you had to?" She asked, her confusion evident in her voice. "What does that mean? You left on your wedding day. And you left with his money! It was all over the news, Charlotte! All over the news! Oh, the humiliation poor Carter endured. He had to deal with your sudden disappearance and the stupid stories written by stupid reporters. He changed." Oh, I know that! I experienced his change firsthand! "You know what I do, Anaisha... You know my relationship with Carter was a sham." "I remember you telling me it didn't feel like a sham to you." I suppressed a groan. "That was two years ago, Anaisha. I didn't even know what I was thinking! I'm not the marrying kind of person. My past isn't shiny, and I knew, one day or another, he was going to find out. How was I supposed to go through with the marriage? I didn't love him, and I didn't want to hurt him - besides, Hudson got in trouble, and I had to deal with it," I said. Anaisha shook her head. "I see it in your eyes, Charlotte. You did care about Carter. You had feelings for him, that's why you were going to marry him." "No," I deadpanned. "I was going to marry him because he had money, he was rich, wealthy, and in love with me. It was a perfect life. I wouldn't have to go about conning men to take care of Hudson. I had found a permanent solution, and I was going to stick by it... But then Hudson got mixed up with these crazy cartel guys, and I had no other choice. They would have killed him." "So why didn't you tell Carter?" She asked. "Why didn't you ask him for help? Why did you steal from him? He would have done anything and everything for you, Charlotte. If he could have stopped time, he would have. Why did you leave?" I swallowed. Why was I finding it difficult to answer that question? I always had an answer. I left because of my brother. But right now, that wasn't enough of an answer. She was right. Carter would have done anything for me in a heartbeat. Hernandez Julian wouldn't even stand a chance. So why did I leave? I couldn't answer. Anaisha sighed. "Have you gone to see him since you arrived?" I nodded. "How did it go?" My heart gave a sharp squeezing pain, recalling our not so happy reunion, earlier today. "Not good. He hates me." I said.4 Anaisha's face softened. "Oh dear." She pulled me into her arms. "I'm so sorry. I know you don't want to admit that it hurts you, but I know it does." I rolled my eyes. "I just feel bad about what I did. I deserve his hatred." She pulled away. "So what now? Why did you come back?" "Hudson." I said. "Another debt?" I nodded. "Oh my world. Wait- don't tell me- is that why you went to see Carter?" "Why else?" I asked. "I need money, Anaisha... And I wouldn't have come back but- Carter is the only one who can help. I went to apologize but, he didn't want to hear it, so I offered him a deal. I'd work for him for free, till all my debts are completed." Anaisha shook her head. "What's the problem with you? Do you have any shame or not!!? Have you gone mad?" "No, I'm not crazy, and there is nothing shameful about it and there is nothing wrong with me. I did what I thought was right." She sighed. "Did he agree?" she asked. "Fortunately, yes... He agreed." Her eyes softened. "Oh, more like he couldn't say no." I scoffed. "He could say no. But he didn't, and I know why. If I know that man like I think I do, he's going to make my life a living breathing hell. He's going to want revenge. But guess what Anaisha?" "What?" "My life is already a living breathing hell," I muttered. "There's absolutely nothing he can do that I haven't faced before. I've seen everything there is to see in this life, and I think I can take a couple more challenges. In sum total," I gulped. "I'm ready."__