The Secret (Watty Award Winner) | ✔️

Forty Six - Charlie

Ch46 - Charlie

Charlie held Talia's face in his hands and regarded her with confusion. He had only seen her a few minutes earlier and she had seemed happy and content. But now, a look of fear covered her delicate features.

"What?" he asked, unsure if he had heard her correctly. "Who's found you?"

Talia's expression was stressed and her breaths labored. When he looked into her pale blue eyes, he felt panic grip his stomach. Something was very wrong, he could tell.

"Steven," she said, her voice a hoarse whisper.

Charlie tried to remain composed as realization slowly dawned. "And who is Steven?"

Talia looked away, avoiding his eyes. "He's my husband," she said, finally.

"Your husband?" Charlie repeated, taking a deep breath. He wasn't as shocked as he should have been. Instinctively, he had known from the beginning Talia had secrets she'd been hiding. All of his unanswered questions were right there in front of him all long. She was running away from the man she married.

"Why don't we have a seat?" he suggested with a calm voice.

"No! I don't want to sit—I can't. I have to leave town. Right now." Talia turned away from him and started toward the door.

"Wait—what? Why?" he asked, grabbing her arm.

"Charlie, please! Don't make this harder than it already is." Tears spilled over her eyes and ran down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I know I should have told you a long time ago, but I was afraid."

Charlie reached out and gathered her into his arms. "I can't let you leave like this—I won't. I'm in love with you," he whispered fiercely into her ear.

Talia let out a bitter laugh, "You can't possibly love me! You don't even know who I am."

Charlie pulled away, "Then tell me who you are."

"You're going to hate me," she cried. "I don't deserve you, I'll never deserve you."

"You let me be the judge of that. Talia—please—what is going on?" Charlie pleaded.

Crumbling to the floor, Talia covered her face with her hands. Charlie followed, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"My name is not Talia," she breathed into his chest. "It's Sarah. Sarah Carter-Austin."

Charlie fought hard to remain calm. Everything he thought he knew about the woman he had fallen in love with was about to change—he could feel it. Taking a deep breath, he peeled her away from him so he could look into her eyes. He needed to see every movement, every expression, that crossed her face. He needed to believe what she was saying. As shocked as he felt about her revelation, he was determined not to let it show.

"Okay, Sarah," he said slowly. "Let's start from the beginning."

Sarah confessed everything. About how she'd grown up in Washington—not Michigan, and about the murder of both of her parents when she was a teenager. It had left her feeling lost and afraid. She told him about meeting Steven her senior year of college, and how he'd convinced her to drop out of school and marry him—so he could protect and take care of her, and how she had fallen for all of his lies. She told him about Steven's wealth and authoritative nature, and finally about the abuse that started shortly after their wedding three years earlier.

"I'm so sorry for lying, Charlie," Sarah whimpered. "But I was so afraid. I didn't want to scare you away. And then, I was in too deep..." her voice trailed off. "I really believed Steven would have killed me if I hadn't run away. I need you to know that." She wiped away the tears that trailed down her swollen cheeks and looked away, ashamed at herself .

"So, how did you manage to leave him if he's that dangerous?" Charlie questioned. "I can't believe he didn't put up a fight."

Sarah raised a shaky hand to her forehead and refused to make eye contact.

"Tal—Sarah," he corrected himself, clearing his throat. "Please don't shut me out anymore. I want to help you, but I can't do that if you don't tell me everything." He brushed the hair away from her tear soaked cheeks and gave her an encouraging nod.

Turning away again, Sarah took a jagged breath and whispered, "I faked my own death." She finally looked up at Charlie with an expression he did not recognize in her eyes.

"One morning, after Steven left for work, I cut off my hair and colored it—I needed to change the way I looked. I couldn't let anyone recognize me," she explained. "Then...I set the house on fire. I wanted everyone to believe I had been killed."

Sarah buried her face in her hands and began to cry. "I had a bag packed with a few of my belongings and I ran into the woods behind our home. I followed it until it took me to the other side of town, and then I walked to a bus station. Then, I slowly made my way here, the farthest place I could run to without leaving the country."

Charlie stared at the floor and inhaled, letting the air out slowly—there was so much information to take in! He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and watched Sarah out of the corner of his eye, studying him closely. He tried to hide the anxiety he felt flitting across his face, knowing that Sarah was searching for a response to the story she just told.

"And what makes you think that he's here now—in Florida?" he asked finally, looking back at her.

"Because I just found my father's antique compass, lying on the counter in my kitchen. I haven't seen it since I left Washington, when I used it to find my way out of the woods."

Charlie stared at her, trying to wrap his brain around everything he had just heard.

"It all makes sense, don't you see?" she implored. "The flowers that were sent to me at The Ivy House, the compass—and Winston..." she paused. "Steven is afraid of dogs, he always has been."

Suddenly, Charlie's eyes lit up with panic as a new thought dawned on him. "If Steven sent you flowers at The Ivy House, that means he knows you spend time there. My mother is home right now, and she has no idea what's going on." He reached for his cell phone and called his mom, anxious for her to pick up the phone. On the fourth ring, she finally answered.

"Mom," he began, anxiety growing in the pit of his stomach. "I know this is a weird question, but is everything okay? Have you had any strange visitors today?" he asked into the phone. "Yes, I'm home now and Winston is doing much better, thanks. Please—I need to know if you've noticed anything weird going on? If any one strange has stopped by?" He attempted to remain calm, trying not to panic her.

Charlie listened intently as his mother spoke. "There's a new guest?" he repeated, looking at Sarah. "Why does he make you uncomfortable? Has he done anything?"

He felt a chill pass through him as his mother described the condescending man staying at the bed & breakfast.

"Mom—can you please tell me what his name is?"

Charlie felt the panic rise in his throat. "His name is Steven Austin—are you sure?" he repeated back, his eyes finding Sarah's. He watched as her face paled at the sound of his name. "I'm on my way," he said into the phone and hung up, not even waiting for a response.

"We have to go," she urged, as they stood up from the floor.

"No," Charlie insisted, grabbing her shoulders firmly. "If Steven is at The Ivy House, you'll be safer here. He doesn't know where you are, and we don't need him seeing you—who knows how he'll react. I'll go check on my mother, you stay put. Do not go home," he stressed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

So Sarah finally came clean, do you think Charlie's angry? Maybe he doesn't even know what to think at this point, he's focused on making sure his mother is safe! And do you think Charlie will find Steven...or will Steven find him first?

This chapter is dedicated to a very special reader who has given such helpful insight to more than one of my stories. I really value her opinion. Thank you @Stillwatersrundeep!