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Chapter 54

*C H A R L O T T E*

The blood in my veins turns to ice immediately. I get goosebumps all over my body. It's the voice I've heard so many times in my nightmares. It's also a voice I hoped I wouldn't hear ever again. This cannot be true! This cannot be happening! For a second I don't know how to respond.

"What's up, Charlotte? Didn't Hero teach you any manners?" Melany adds.

"Melany."

"Yes, well, I'm glad you remember me," she says. "Listen, I don't have much time. Just remind Hero of his flight on Saturday and tell him I'm looking forward to see him again. I've missed him. I enjoyed talking to him yesterday."

She hangs up.

I feel the world shatter around me. Again. How did I end up here again?! Now everything makes sense. She called him yesterday and after the call he was so distant. Why didn't he tell me? And a flight on Saturday?! That's three days away! Is he really leaving without telling me?! We just agreed no secrets and now this! He can't be trusted!

I'm still next to the bed with his phone in my hands when Hero walks in. He immediately senses something is wrong. With tears in my eyes I look up to him.

"Charlotte, what's wrong?!" he asks. I can hear he's worried. He walks over to me and puts his hands on my shoulders. I look away. He doesn't know what has happened yet. He obviously thought he could get away with this. What was he planning to do anyway? Play house with me for the next three days and then vanish?!

The anger takes over and when I look up again my eyes are blazing. He stumbles backwards.

"When were you going to tell me?" is all I ask him.

He knows what I'm talking about right away.

"Charlotte, I..." He's searching for words. For the first time I can read his face. He feels caught, ashamed.

"Don't insult me with your silence, Hero," I warn him.

He sighs.

"Melany and Scott called me yesterday. They need me back in the States as soon as possible for some interviews before Melany takes some maternity leave. Apparently the pregnancy isn't going too well and she needs rest so they're changing things a bit."

"I thought you were done with this. With them. With the film."

"I honestly thought so too, I swear! I had no idea!"

"You can't go."

"Charlotte, I have to, you know that. It is my job and I have a contract, a career."

"Hero, how can I ever trust you with her again? It's very simple, if you don't go that means you love me and you choose to be with me for once. If you go I know for sure I was a fool to let you in and trust you again."

"Oh come on, Charlotte," Hero says with despair. "Not this again! I'm so sick of this discussion! You said you trusted me! You promised you could get over it and forget about the past and here you are, bringing it up again first chance you get. Here we go again."

That's it. The final straw. Something inside me snaps.

"And you promised no more secrets and here we are again." My voice sounds dangerous.

Here we are again indeed. We look at each other with a huge distance between us, literally and figuratively. We find ourselves at a crossroads once more and what we decide now will define the rest of our lives. This is it. For real. Whatever we say next or decide next will haunt us for the rest of our lives. There is no going back. But these past few days have taught me I can't live without Hero. I don't live a full life without him. It's like I've been sleepwalking through my life these past months and I'm finally awake and alive again. So just like a few months ago, I decide to fight for us. For one last time. I don't want any regrets, I don't want any what if's. If this ends badly, at least I know that I've done everything in my power to fight for him. So instead of yelling at him or fighting with him I beg him.

"Stay," I whisper with tears in my eyes. "Pick me, choose me and stay."

Hero doesn't say anything. He just looks at me.

"Please," I plead.

When Hero doesn't say anything and doesn't try to come near me it dawns on me. His eyes are filled with pain and regret. I know he's sorry.

"I can't," his voice breaks and he looks away.

I can't take this any longer and I rush past him through the door and past a baffled Lizzie. I open the front door and keep running. I don't have a plan, I don't have a direction, I just keep running. Away from that house, away from Hero and if I'm honest, I'm trying to run away from the pain.