Page 21 of Shadowing Charlotte

Chapter twenty-one

Charlotte

W alking away from Alexander was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do. The pain and betrayal Adam had put me through couldn't compare to the ache growing in my heart. Alexander might as well have ripped my chest open with his bare hands and let me bleed out.

I had to be strong, had to battle against the overwhelming desire to throw myself into his arms and make him promise to never hurt me again.

Instead, I walked calmly back to my rental, put the car in drive, and tossed the vape he'd gotten me out the window.

I didn't want to have any more reminders of him, no matter how small.

When I got home, I threw the bottle of bourbon into the trash, along with the dead roses and the tiny cards he'd left me.

Our "relationship" had never been healthy, not from the start.

I should have known that it would end in disaster.

It was both agonizing and relieving to throw the trash bag into the garbage bin and haul it out to the curb.

Changing into leggings and a t-shirt, I redid my hair and put on my running shoes.

I needed to do something with my spare time.

Something that didn't revolve around Lex.

Sticking in my ear buds, I locked the door and began to run, following the turns of the neighborhood as music blasted in my ears.

I wrapped around the block multiple times, running until my chest burned and my mouth had gone dry.

The Camaro was sitting across the street when I reached the corner. I glared pointedly at him. Fucking take a hint!

But Lex wasn't watching me; he was staring at the house. I followed his gaze, a lump forming in my throat and my pulse quickening .

SLUT had been spraypainted across the garage door—and both sides of my rental. I was reacting before I'd thought it through, dialing the number I'd remembered by heart months ago.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Adam?!" I yelled into the phone the moment it connected. "My Jeep wasn't enough for you?!"

"Oh, little Lottie..." Adam replied, his tone sickly sweet, poison disguised as rich wine. "You think you can just fuck around behind my back, and I'll simply let it go?"

"Adam, you're not even my boyfriend! You are the one who said we weren't official! And I wasn't fucking around!" I shouted into the phone, my hands shaking with anger.

"So, you're not only a slut, but a liar, as well.

That's great. You're going to regret screwing me over.

" Without another word, the line disconnected, leaving me lost for words and completely terrified.

I'd thought that night he hit me would have been the end of it, but Adam didn't sound like he had any plans for this to be over anytime soon.

"Fuck…" I sighed, shoving the phone into my pocket.

I had no clue what to do. From across the street, Lex met my eyes, his gaze burning through my skin like hot coals, melting me into nothing but ash and bone.

There was no thought, no conscience, no hindsight.

I was in the Camaro before I knew what the fuck I was even doing. "Adam came back…" I croaked out.

"I can see that…" he replied, his tone measured, as if he was trying not to set me off again.

"What the fuck am I going to do?" I asked, cradling my head in his hands, a small sob escaping. This was all too much for me to handle.