35 ᴍᴍ ꜰɪʟᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴄᴏꜰꜰᴇᴇ I 🎀 𝒢𝓇𝒶𝒸𝒾𝑒 𝒜𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓂𝓈 [𝑔𝓍𝑔] 🎀

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟑: 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 [𝐓𝐖]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 33 [ᴛᴡ]

Charlie pushed her chair back from the table, her anger simmering just below the surface. She couldn't take another moment of Kate's twisted justification, her cold, manipulative smile, her casual cruelty. Without a word, she stood, her movements sharp, and stormed down the hall towards their bedroom. She'd had enough. This was it. She was done being afraid. She was done allowing Kate to control her every move, her every breath.

In the bedroom, she grabbed a duffel bag from the closet and began shoving her clothes inside, her hands shaking as she folded and packed, each item a small piece of her independence she was determined to reclaim. Her mind raced, filled with an urgency she hadn't felt before, a need to escape that felt like survival. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, the weight of every argument, every bruise, and every moment of fear pressing down on her like an avalanche.

The bedroom door creaked open, and she didn't have to look up to know that Kate had followed her. She could feel her presence, the tension thickening as Kate crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as she watched Charlie pack.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kate's voice was cold, laced with a quiet threat that made Charlie's stomach twist. She took a step closer, her gaze darkening as she took in the duffel bag, the clothes spilling out onto the bed.

"I'm leaving," Charlie replied, her voice steady but filled with a quiet determination. She didn't look up, refusing to meet Kate's gaze, her hands moving faster as she shoved more clothes into the bag. "I can't... I won't stay here anymore."

Kate let out a low, mocking laugh, her tone dripping with disbelief. "Oh, you think you can just walk out?" She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "After everything I've done for you, after everything I've put up with?"

Charlie zipped the bag, her hands trembling as she slung it over her shoulder, finally meeting Kate's gaze. "You haven't done anything but hurt me," she said, her voice filled with a bitterness she hadn't allowed herself to feel before. "I'm not your possession, Kate. I'm leaving, and you can't stop me."

Kate's face twisted with anger, her hands clenching into fists as she glared at Charlie, her expression cold, almost calculating. "You're making a mistake, Charlie," she said, her voice low and menacing. "You'll regret this."

"Yeah, I don't give a shit." Charlie felt a surge of defiance, a strength that propelled her forward as she pushed past Kate, her footsteps echoing down the hall as she made her way towards the front door. "Charlie-Wren!" She was almost there—just a few more steps, just a few more breaths and she would be free.

But just as she reached the doorway, she felt a sudden force slam her back, Kate's hands gripping her shoulders and shoving her against the kitchen island with a force that knocked the air out of her. She dropped her bag, her hands instinctively reaching up to steady herself as she felt the cool edge of the countertop press into her back.

"You little shit." Kate's voice was cold, devoid of the warmth it once held; her expression twisted with fury as she reached for the drawer beside the island, pulling out a kitchen knife. She held it in front of her, the blade gleaming in the dim light, her eyes fixed on Charlie with a dark, unyielding intensity.

Charlie's heart pounded, her breath hitching as she raised her hands in a gesture of surrender, her body frozen with fear as she stared at the knife, the realisation of her vulnerability settling over her like a suffocating weight.

"Kate," she whispered, her voice trembling as she forced herself to remain calm, her hands still raised in the air. "P-Put it down. This doesn't have to happen. Actually think about what you're doing."