In another life

25

After talking with Jason, Charlotte did feel a lot better about the situation. Now that someone knew at least some of what was going on, even if it's not all of it.

Charlotte kept going over everything that had happened recently, she let Mia affect her work, her home life, she allowed Mia to get to her and she couldn't keep doing that. She had to find away to heal, to move on. If not for her, for her girls.

She had to move on. And that's what she was going to do. Well, try at least. For now, she was going to fake it until she could actually believe that she was okay.

Her and Carly were in the preschool room doing handover with the first arrivals,
"Hi, how's Lucas today?" Charlotte smiles at the parents and little boy,
"Oh he's fine, I also have this reply slip for the park trip" the woman hands Charlotte the signed slip of paper,
"Oh thank you"
"Well I'm in a little bit of a rush so I need to head off. Bye bye Lucas" they say their goodbyes before the little boy runs to play with the train set.

"Hey Char, we have another reply slip here" Carly comes over with another two slips from the parents she had just spoke to.
"Thanks Carly, I'll take them up to Reece now while your still in ratio"

Charlotte walks into the office but stopped abruptly when she realised who was in there. 'Don't let her get to you Charlotte. You've moved on' she reminded herself,
"Uh, I have these reply slips for the preschool park trip" she smiles at Reece and placed them down on his desk. The air was thick with awkward tension as Reece smiled back at her while also catching the eye of the red head on the other end of the room.

"Thanks Charlotte" Charlotte nodded politely despite also feeling the awkwardness before backing out of the room. She knew Mia was starting at every move she made, and despite the voices pleading in her mind, she never looked back at her.

Once the brunette had left, Reece looks over to his childhood best friend. She didn't notice him at first as she kept her eyes on the door before looking back down at her computer.
"You alright?"
"Mhm"
"Mia?" The woman snapped her head up again,
"I'm fine Reecey" the blond raises a brow, "It doesn't matter Reece"
"I'm not blind Mia"
"So you saw how she can't even look at me? Brilliant. That's soo good for you" the woman scoffed,
"Stop being so sarcastic"
"Stop pestering me! None of it matters anymore because by the end of the week she'll have what she wants. I'll be fine and she won't have to see me again"

"And you're certain that's what she wants?" He asks
"Please, it's what everyone wants. Even you and Autumn"
"That was before we knew the truth"
"The truth I should never have told you. Do you understand how much danger I've put myself, put you and Autumn and Winter in by telling you that?" Reece examined the woman's face, and he saw something he never thought he would. Was Mia actually scared? Mia? Amelia Roberts who wasn't scared of anything.

Reece backed off and looking back down at his computer. If Mia was genuinely scared of Roger, he had no idea what he's got himself into. He knew his father was a dick, but never in the past 32 years had he known Mia to be scared of anything. Maybe he should be scared himself.

...

After a long day, Marjorie walks up the stairs to the office at the sister nursery, she walks in gaining an instant smile from the blond man.
"Hey"
"Hey" she smiles back, "Mia" the woman stated in a more distasteful tone,
"Marj" the woman didn't look up from her phone, knowing the name would piss her off enough.

"Do not call me Marj"
"Alright alright" she laughs "Margie" the woman muttered under her breath, causing Marjorie to get increasing more irritated.
"Mia" Reece warned and she shot him a smirk,
"Fine! I'm sorry. Marjorie" she playfully replied unable to contain her laugh.

"We'll see you later Mia" the man thought it best to just get the two women away from each other and led Marjorie outside.
"Ugh I hate her she always has something to say and she's-"
"Just give her a break yeah?"
"What?!" The woman was shook at his change of attitude towards Mia as they got into the car.

"Look, she's going through a lot"
"Oh yeah being a manipulating selfish cow is sooo tiring"
"Marjorie it's not like that"
"Why have you suddenly changed your tune?"
"It's complicated, I'll explain later, okay?"
"Whatever Reece" the woman rolled her eyes, unaware of what was to come.

"Oh my god" she leaned back on the sofa unable to believe what she had just been told.
"Mia's done a lot of shit. And she does love to enjoy pissing people off, especially you"
"Mhm" the woman agreed
"But her issue isn't personal with you. She just wants to keep me close for Roger. His orders"
"I don't understand why though. And if you know now why is she carrying on?" She questioned,
"Because my dad is still threatening her with things she can't talk about. At least not yet" Reece knew that the other information about Charlotte was something private to Mia. Aswell as the details about Roger's abuse. He wouldn't ever tell anyone that. But he did explain the basics of Roger's manipulation to Marjorie who did, after a long think and explaination, sort of understood.

Marjorie knew what is was like to grow up without a parent, and the need to just know why she couldn't be like all the other kids with both a mum and a dad in a happy home. So she did understand Mia's want for answers. Nothing could truly one hundred percent make Marjorie fully trust Mia or even like her at all. But she did understand, and she hated her a little less.