City Of Dreams

Fifty-Four

Alex pokes her head into the back.

"Hey Charlotte?"

I click off my steamer and turn around to face her.

She nods toward the front of the building.

"I got a kinda strange email."

I raise an eyebrow.

"It's for you."

I involuntarily follow her to the counter at the front of the shop.

She points to the computer screen.

I hesitate before reading it.

Charlotte Bara,

Hey. Hi? I don't know how to start this and I apologize.
I am aware that you will probably disregard this, but I need to talk to you.
Everything has well, gone to shit since you left.

Addie.

I know it's her.

I'll start with the first thing that happened.
So the day after you left, child services took away the kids. I won't get them back for a year if it's calm, but the way things are looking, I'll probably never see them again.

How did she figure this out?!

Next came the jealousy. Oak was practicing for Great Comet and there was a bitch that clung to him like a fucking koala. And I know, I'm from Australia for Pete's sake!

I chuckled, trying to stop the inevitable tears.

Then came the fight.
Oak and I fought for a long while and still are, but that fight triggered this next thing.
The kiss.
You probably have already guessed who this is from but I'm going to tell you anyways.

I know who it is.

Who else would be jealous of someone clinging onto Oak?

Besides Angel.

I snort.

I kissed Chris.

I stopped.

Those three words.

They cleared up every suspicion in my head for the past two weeks.

Those three words made me dizzy to the point where Alex dragged a chair in.

I forced myself to keep reading.

You owe it to her.

And at first I felt terrible. Now it seems normal.
So after the kiss came the affair.

Thoughts of Chris's wife and kids flood my brain.

The media is going to destroy Addie and Chris.

They are going to get torn to shreds.

Yeah, an affair. I am telling you and only you that I confirm that I am having an affair with Christopher Jackson.

I feel vomit in the back of my throat.

She wouldn't.

This is fake.

Someone is emailing me pretending to be Addie.

This is a lie.

She wouldn't do it.

Would she?

And I don't feel bad.
So this affair took me to Miami.
On the 11th of July, 2017.
Charlotte, I missed Oak's opening night.
So we came back yesterday and we had that In The Heights reunion we always talked about.
And to be honest.
I punched your husband.

I slammed the laptop shut.

Alex put a hand on my shoulder.

"This isn't real. Don't answer anything from here again."

She opened it back up.

"In case you want to finish."

And she silently crept back to the salon for her 3:30 appointment.

My eyes crept back to the open laptop.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to look at it.

I have to finish it.

I got pissed.
But I know why I did it.
He told me the truth.
And I didn't like it.
He hit Lin too.

I remembered my dream on the beach yesterday.

My hormones kicked in, and I punched him for hitting Lin.
I punched him really hard.
Really hard, Charlotte.

I suck in a breath and force my eyes to keep scanning the screen.

So hard I fractured my hand.
I went to the hospital for it.
But want to know what else I found out at the hospital?
I'm pregnant.
Go ahead, scoff.
Again.
It's Chris's baby.
I'm sorry.
For everything.
I miss you so much.
We all do.
Sincerely, Me
~Addie Blue

I carefully closed the lid of the laptop.

I know all I needed to know now.

That's everything.

Everything I was wondering about.

Tears threaten to spill in buckets from my eyes.

I stand up and walk to open the door.

It dings as I do so.

I stare at the open road in front of the shop, numb and heavy.

The world seems quiet today.

I think about how much Darren would like California.

I think about him on the ground, holding his nose while people launch harsh words at him.

My entire body shudders and I let the tears fall.

I'm so selfish.

I left him all alone.

But I did it for a good reason.

He may not think so, but it's better for him this way.

I sniffle and start walking.

I don't know where I'm walking, but instead I let fate take me where it wants me.

And if fate wants me all the way back in New York...

So be it.