Runaway

The truth

The whole group was stunned. Besides Polly of course. Tommy had wide eyes as he took a step back.
          "I take it by your faces...my sweet wife didn't tell you. Typical Charlotte. She's quite the liar." Noah said.
He looked at Tommy.
          "So you do know Charlotte?" He asked.
Tommy looked up.
          "No...I don't." Tommy said.
Noah smirked because he knew it was a lie.
          "Very well. I can't wait to find her. It's been too long." He said and then walked off.
Tommy noticed the same scorpion tattoo on his neck. He still couldn't believe Charlotte had been lying to everyone this whole time. Tommy turned and looked at the group.
          "There's gotta be some explanation for this." John said.
Tommy shot him a look.
          "Yeah, we don't know everything about her past, Tom." Arthur said.
          "We know nothing about her or her past." Tommy yelled.
He shook his head.
          "She's been lying about who she is this whole fucking time. Just like Grace." He yelled again.
Polly was shaking her head. She knew if he knew the truth he would regret what he just said.
          "You don't look surprised." He said to Polly.
          "She told me today. She was planning on telling you tonight. It's not what you think, Thomas."
          "It is. She lied, just like Grace. I mean damn..I thought she looked like Grace, but I never knew she would be just like her." He said.
          "Be careful what you say before you say something you regret. You have no idea what actually happened to her." Polly scolded.
          "I don't care, Pol. She fucking lied. I'm done." He said and then walked to the other side of the bar.
The whole group looked at Polly.
          "Well? What's the truth?" John asked.
          "I'm only telling you so you don't think different of Charlotte."
They all nodded.
          "Her father is the prime minister of Australia."
          "Fucking bastard. He wouldn't send troops to come and get us in the trenches." Arthur spit.
          "Well, you all know what he did to her. She left with a modeling agency when she turned 18, but he hunted her down and brought her back. Noah Wilson, her husband...is the leader of the Scorpions."
          "That's like the mafia, but in Australia." John said with wide eyes.
Polly nodded.
          "Her father forced her to marry him, so he would have a relationship to do business with them. She was 19 when they were married. She told me one night she was drugged and then woke up in a bed with Noah and she had a ring and that tattoo. She's tried to divorce him multiple times, but because of her father being so high up...she can't without Noah's signature and he's never giving that up."
          "Oh my God." Ada said.
          "That's not even the worst part." Polly said.
          "How does it get worse?" Michael asked.
          "He beat her and obviously touched her against her will. She got pregnant six months ago and Noah found out. He didn't want children so he beat her until she lost their baby."
Arthur was shaking his head. John slammed his hands on the table and stood up.
          "Let's go kill this prick." He yelled.
          "You can't, John. If they're in business with the prime minister....this is all above us. You would hang for it." Ada said.
          "She never said anything to protect us all. She knew he would kill anyone that stood in his way." Polly added.
          "I just wish Tommy would listen." Ada said.
The group sat there for a while as the new information sank in. After an hour or so they all got up and started to walk out. They saw Tommy talking to a familiar woman at the end of the bar.
          "No way that's..." Ada started.
Tommy nodded at the group and then the woman turned around and waved. They just walked out.
          "We have to stop him. This is going to kill CW." John pleaded.
          "Thomas is a big boy. This is a mistake he's going to have to make and learn from it. He won't listen, so this is the only way." Polly said.
___________________________________
Charlotte was growing tired as she sat at the runway. She finished everything she needed to do and now she couldn't wait to go home to Tommy. She was afraid to tell him the truth, but really did think that he would understand. Alfie walked in right as she put her coat on.
          "Noah is in town. I'm taking you home right now."
He grabbed her arm and they got in the car.
          "Are you telling Tommy?"
          "I tried to tell him earlier, but he blew me off. I'll tell him when I get home. He's going to hate me."
          "Not if he knows the whole story, Charlie. All of this was forced on you. You had no choice. You've never had a choice."
She sighed and looked out the window.
          "You love him, don't you?"
          "Yeah, I do, but that probably won't matter soon."
He squeezed her shoulder to comfort her. They got to Charlotte and Tommy's house and Alfie walked her in. There was a woman's purse on the kitchen counter. They looked at it and looked at each other and then they heard someone in the bedroom as Alfie pulled out his gun.
          "Stay here. I'm going to see if that's Tommy." She said.
She had her hand on her gun that was against her back as she walked to her room. Charlotte opened the door and froze when she walked in and saw what was happening. Tommy fucking Grace. Charlotte's heart absolutely shattered. Everything around her just came crashing down. Tommy and Grace stopped once she walked in. Grace smirked and Tommy just looked at Charlotte. Her face said what she couldn't. Charlotte went to say something, but couldn't. She walked out and Alfie saw it on her face. She grabbed at her throat.
          "I can't....I can't breathe." She said.
Tommy had slipped boxers on and was right on her heels as Grace strolled out in his shirt. Alfie's eyes went wide with anger once he saw.
          "Charlotte." Tommy yelled as he pulled her arm.
He pulled her towards him and she punched him in the face. He stepped back and Grace stepped up.
          "Don't fucking touch him." She yelled.
Charlotte didn't hesitate. She punched Grace right in the face too. She turned back to Alfie and he saw her starting to tear up so he started towards Tommy, but Charlotte yelled in Russian as she stood in front of him. He stopped and pointed at Tommy.
          "You're finished, Shelby."
Charlotte and Tommy shared eye contact briefly and then her and Alfie walked out. They got Alfie's house and she went straight for the alcohol, but he stopped her. He lightly held her wrist as he made eye contact.
          "Your biggest fashion show is tomorrow. You've worked too hard to be hungover and not at your best."
She closed her eyes and let him take the bottle because he was right. Charlotte couldn't hold back her sadness anymore. She started to cry and Alfie pulled her into a hug.
          "In our bed." She cried.
Alfie closed his eyes and put his hand on the back of her head.
Neither of them knew that Tommy knew Noah was her husband. Alfie got Charlotte over to the couch and he wrapped a blanket around her. He held her until she fell asleep. Alfie took the rings off of her right hand and then put ice on her hand so it wouldn't swell. He looked at her tear stained cheeks and it ate him alive. Alfie ran his hand over her face.
          "Your whole life." He said quietly.