Chapter 2
“Charlotte, that’s fantastic news!” Professor Allen’s voice crackled with excitement through the phone. “The Peace Corps will be lucky to have you.”
His tone shifted to something more cautious. “Just so you know what you’re getting into–the village is pretty remote. We’re talking basic accommodations, limited electricity,
the works.”
A pause. “Have you mentioned this to Elias? He’s always been… protective of your choices.”
Charlotte leaned against the cold hospital wall. “I’m an adult now, Professor. My decisions
are my own.”
After hanging up, she closed her eyes for a moment, suddenly drained. As she stepped back to steady herself, she bumped into something solid.
“Who was that?” Elias’s voice came from directly behind her.
Charlotte spun around, heart racing. He stood there in his expensive suit, arms crossed,
eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“Just Professor Allen,” she said, keeping her voice casual. “Something about a student
committee.”
Elias studied her face a moment too long before seemingly letting it go. “Surgery’s set for Thursday,” he said flatly. “Scarlett’s staying with us until then.”
He paused, his jaw tightening. “And Charlotte? Stop with the notes in my office. They freak
Scarlett out.”
Charlotte looked away, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. “Fine.”
Ever since that night years ago when he’d caught her kissing him, she’d written him letters–pouring her heart out week after week, only to have them tossed in the trash. Now she realized how those earnest–confessions must have appeared to him–desperate, inappropriate, pathetic.
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The Moment I Let Go My Uncle: Escaping the Forbidden Past
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Chapter 2
Elias nodded curtly and walked back toward Scarlett’s room without another word.
An hour later, Charlotte watched from the hospital entrance as Elias pulled up in his Audi. He helped Scarlett into the backseat with gentle care she’d never received herself.
Charlotte hurried down the steps, reaching for the door handle just as the car pulled away, leaving her in a cloud of exhaust.
Her phone buzzed: “Scarlett gets migraines from perfumes. Take an Uber.”
Charlotte stared at the screen, her face carefully blank. She raised her hand to flag down a passing taxi.
As they drove through campus, the driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “That’s
quite a mark on your face. Need to stop for some ice?”
Charlotte shook her head, watching the familiar buildings of the University of Michigan
slide
past. How telling that a stranger showed more concern than her own family.
When the taxi pulled up to the Delaney mansion, Charlotte paid and walked slowly up the
driveway. Inside, she found Scarlett alone in the living room, turning something over in her
manicured hands.
Charlotte froze. It was her St. Michael’s pendant–the silver oval with its cracked blue glass center that her father had given her before his final deployment. It was supposed to be
locked in her bedroom safe.
“Why do you have that?” The words came out sharper than intended.
Scarlett looked up, startled. Before she could respond, Elias’s voice came from the staircase.
“I let her in your room,” he said, descending with casual authority. “Scarlett’s going to be running this house soon. She needs to know where everything is.” His eyes narrowed. “If
that’s a problem for you, remember whose name is on the deed.”
Charlotte felt something cold settle in her stomach as Elias positioned himself beside Scarlett, who now wore a small, satisfied smile.
“It’s just some old trinket,” Scarlett said with a dismissive flick of her wrist. “If it matters that much to you-”
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The Moment I Let Go My Uncle: Escaping the Forbidden Past
Chapter 2
She extended her hand, but as Charlotte reached for it, Scarlett “accidentally” let it slip. The pendant hit the marble floor with a sickening crack, splitting in two.
“No!” The word tore from Charlotte’s throat.
She dropped to her knees, frantically gathering the pieces, trying to fit them back together. The tiny inscription-“To C.W. – Find your way home“-now split between the fragments.
Scarlett stepped back, genuinely surprised by Charlotte’s reaction.
For a moment, something flickered across Elias’s face–recognition, perhaps even concern. In all their years together, he’d never seen Charlotte break down like this.
But seeing Scarlett’s discomfort, he quickly hardened. “Jesus, Charlotte, it’s just a cheap
pendant. Get a grip.”
He sighed, checking his watch. “I’ll buy you another one. What was it, twenty bucks at the
mall?”
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