Chapter 6
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Two years later, at the Royal College of Art.
Charlotte had just finished teaching her classes for the day.
Over the last two years, she’d managed to juggle teaching with a steady stream of photography competitions. She’d picked up a few international awards and built a real name for herself.
But she published everything under the pseudonym “C.B.” Only her inner circle knew the truth.
Walking past a group of students in the hallway, Charlotte caught a familiar name. “Did you hear? The CEO of Castillo Group in San Francisco is doing a global search for his ex-wife. He’s offering a two- million-dollar reward…”
“Yeah, I saw that. I wonder who she is to keep a guy like Castillo hooked for so long. He’s seriously devoted.”
“Not even close,” a girl chimed in, frowning. “My friend’s dad is from San Francisco too. He said Castillo slept with his ex-wife’s best friend and drove her away. The whole thing blew up online.”
“Wait, really? So he feels bad about it now?”
Charlotte frowned, instinctively picking up her pace.
The second she stepped off the elevator at her apartment building, the familiar smell of tobacco hit her.
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She turned to run, but a figure lunged from the shadows, trapping her in a tight embrace.
A deep voice murmured against her ear. “Don’t be scared, Lottie. It’s
me.”
Giovanni.
“Lottie, I missed you so much. You have no idea how long I’ve been searching.”
Charlotte thrashed against him. “You’re hurting me.”
Giovanni let go instantly, his face flashing with panic. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Lottie. I screwed up.”
His eyes were bloodshot, and he spoke with a strained, desperate intensity.
“Lottie, you can hit me. You can scream at me all you want. But you can’t leave me. Not ever again. I can’t live without you.”
Charlotte just stared at him, her eyes dead. “Can’t live without me? Then why aren’t you dead yet, Giovanni?”
Giovanni pulled her right back against his chest. “I just had to find you. I knew I would.
“Lottie, I was so wrong. I see that now. I think about you every single day. I dream about you.”
“Giovanni,” Charlotte said, her voice entirely flat. “Let go of me first. Then we can talk.”
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Surprised and happy, Giovanni quickly let her go.
But a split second later, she whipped out a can of pepper spray, leveled it right at his face, and held down the nozzle.
Giovanni shrieked, the sound tearing down the hallway, and Charlotte used the chance to bolt.
Even after that, he kept looking for ways to get near her.
Stepping out of her building after class, Charlotte spotted him right away. He was standing under a streetlight, looking absolutely haggard -visibly worse than just a few days prior.
He was clearly wrecked, struggling just to hold it together.
The second he saw her, he started walking over.
Charlotte stopped him from a few meters away. “Giovanni, I’m never going to forgive you for what you did. If you feel even an ounce of guilt, stop looking for me.”
A fresh, agonizing kind of pain hit him worse than when she’d first left.
Back then, he was dumb enough to think he could just track her down, give a sincere apology, and she’d come right back.
Now, he had absolutely no clue how to fix things.
While Giovanni stood there helpless, Charlotte gave a tight, small smile. “My life is fine right now, Giovanni. I don’t need your apologies, and I definitely don’t want to see you again. Do you
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understand?”
He just stared back at her, completely frozen.
Without another word, Charlotte turned and walked away.
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