Don't Give Up On Me - Unedited

Chapter 28

Charley stood rigid, her breathing in rapid pants and a chill enveloping her body. The colour of her skin turned ghostly white and she trembled uncontrollably

Mia called her repeatedly receiving no response. Slightly panicked, she opened the door of the diner once again and the sound of the bell alerted her too her surroundings.

"Get Hunter Mia, please get Hunter." She puffed out shakily.

Mia called the duo who ran to her aid. Hunter shook her shoulders as Owen called her name repeatedly trying to grasp her attention.

One call of her name from Hunter and she snapped out of it.

"Paul."

"Paul what Charley?"

"He's here."

"Here? Where?" He cups her face in his hands. "Where is he Charley."

"Remember when we arrived earlier?" Hunters nods his head for Charley to continue. "I took that funny turn and I blamed it on the sugar, it wasn't. I thought I had seen him but then I thought I was losing my mind. Turns out I wasn't as insane as I think I am because I'm pretty sure Paul is stalking us. I just seen him across the street."

"Just now?"

Charley nods her head in answer

"Fuck! I'm going to kill him! Stay with Owen." He kisses her on the forehead and instructs Owen to take them back to the cottage in his car.

Hunter runs across the street trying to find the brother that destroyed his girlfriends life. Not once but twice.

Owen accepting the orders Aidan threw at him, strapped both girls in the car and like a bat out of hell took out of there and straight to the cottage.

When they pulled up, Owen made sure to quickly usher them in. Charley trying take a grasp on her nerves walks straight to the fridge, pops the cork and knocks half the bottle back without the use of a glass.

Mia looks between her boyfriends pacing and Charleys drinking confused.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

Charley lifts her head to the sound of Mia's exasperated voice. She turns to Owen.

"You can tell her, I'm away for a bath." Charley leaves still clutching the wine bottle.

She sighs sitting on the bed to remove her shoes. So much for the peaceful weekend. Turns out Paul is not only a rapist but a stalker. The anxiety and wine twist painfully in her gut, her throat gags uncomfortably signalling one thing. A need to vomit.

She sprints to the toilet in time and wretches the lunch and wine up. Not a good mix. Her throat burns painfully, her stomach contracts and tears burn her vision from the force of the vomiting.

Swiping at her mouth, Charley stands and makes way to the sink running the cold water to rinse her face. Her thoughts buried on why it always has to be her. No matter where she goes will she ever be rid of her past when it's following its way into her present as future. Like a magnet it clings to her.

And poor Hunter. It's his family bond that has screwed up in all of this mess. Yes Paul may be a hateful bastard but the last thing she wanted was to fuck up someone else's life. Especially Hunters. He didn't deserve any of this, he's been her rock through it all but for how much longer? She still hadn't told anyone about her and Chloe's intriguing conversation on their last shopping trip. How much more could she dump on Hunter? To break the news his sister was helping hisbrother.

Charley turned to the bath and ran the water on hot till the room filled with steam and the scent of the heather bath salts she threw in. The need to rid herself of the sickly cold sweat her skin was soaked in. The cloud of steam was not helping. She stripped of her clothing and sat in the bath lying back and staring at the ceiling.