Next to Me

Chapter Thirty: Held Hostage

Charlotte glared at the woman that she once thought of as her best friend, she couldn’t believe that she had ever trusted Layla Gomez especially now that she knew her former friend had been the one that had set her up.

The blonde turned her attention back to her son and tried to calm him down, she didn’t know how Layla had convinced Victor to allow her to come with her; she was furious and it was only the presence of the man with the gun that stopped her from punching Layla.

“He’s adorable,” the brunette cooed as she stepped closer to her friend, she knew that she shouldn’t have expected a warm welcome especially when she relieved that she was the reason that Charlotte had nearly died a year before.

The blonde shifted her hold on Mateo as she held her son close to him, she didn’t know who the hell Victor thought he was but she knew that Sergio was going to be far from pleased to hear what had happened; Charlotte had a feeling that José María had planned this.

“Don’t be like that Lottie,” Layla said as she stepped closer to Charlotte, her eyes locked on the little boy in the blonde’s arms; she smirked knowing that when the blonde had been dealt with that she would be able to have the little boy.

Victor had promised her that she could have Mateo as her own, he wanted it to be the ultimate kick in the face for Sergio; the Sevillian had lost his brother and then would lose his wife, before he would be forced to watch his son being raised by his rival.

“Leave before I do something I regret,” Charlotte spat at the brunette, she moved away knowing that she wasn’t going to allow Layla anywhere near her son; she would protect him until her dying breath and she knew that Victor wouldn’t want her hostage forever.

***

“It’s a shame really Charlotte,” Victor mused as he watched the blonde with her son, he smirked knowing that this would be the last time that she would see Mateo; he knew that he would make sure that she suffered.

Sergio had been a pain in his arse since he had been a teenager and now he had the perfect way to get his revenge and it was all thanks to the Sevillian’s parents who were completely unaware he’d already murdered their eldest son.

“You would have made me the perfect wife… if I hadn’t of met Layla first of course,” Victor said as he ignored his fiancée, he still hadn’t married her even though they had been together for seven years now.

Layla pouted as she watched Charlotte settle her son down to sleep, she couldn’t believe that she was going to be a mother soon and she was going to brainwash him against his real parents; she couldn’t wait to get started.

Charlotte ignored what was being said as she pressed a kiss to Mateo’s head, she knew what was going to happen when she left this room; her stomach churned knowing that she was going to die.

“I love you,” the blonde whispered to the three week old, he would never know that she was his mother and Sergio was his father; she doubted that Victor would reveal the truth to him until his evil plan had unfolded and Mateo had killed Sergio in revenge.

Charlotte was wearing a grey sleeveless blouse with detail front and drop neck and dark blue low rise skinny jeans paired with black leather boots; she had been preparing to meet with Vania when she had been abducted with Mateo and she doubted that it really mattered what she was wearing now.

“Let’s get this over with,” Charlotte said as she turned to look at Victor, there was no point dragging this out when she knew there was no escaping; she just hoped her son would be okay, she glanced at Layla who was preparing to take over as her son’s mother when she was gone.

Victor smirked as he nodded his head, he knew that this was going to be interesting especially when Sergio learnt that he had lost not only his older brother but his wife as well; the Sevillian’s working rang in his ears making Victor chuckle knowing that there was nothing that Sergio could stop him.

“Have fun,” the Spaniard said to his fiancée as he signalled Charlotte to follow him, he glanced at Layla who seemed excited to get her hands on Mateo; he wondered what they would rename the three week old when his mother was gone.

Layla stepped closer to Mateo when Charlotte grabbed a hold of her, her blue eyes widened a little in fright as she looked at her former friend; she didn’t know what the blonde was doing.

“I hope every time you look at my son that you remember how much you betrayed me… don’t for a second fool yourself into thinking he will forgive you when he learns you helped murder his madre and steal him away from his family,” Charlotte warned Layla before she gave a sharp squeeze to the brunette’s arm before she pulled back.

She knew there was nothing that she could do now and she was going to haunt Layla when she was gone.

The brunette watched as her former friend walked out of the room, she swallowed as the door closed; her attention quickly turning to the infant knowing that Charlotte was right.

***

Charlotte sank to her knees in the dirt as Victor pressed a hand to her shoulder and applied some pressure, the blonde swallowed hard as she closed her eyes; her hands were bound with a cable tie behind her back.

“Any last words?” Victor asked as he moved to produce his hand gun, he was going to finish this once and for all and he wished that he had done it the first time; he smirked as he loaded the weapon knowing that he would take the two things that Sergio loved more than his own life.

Charlotte didn’t say a word, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of tormenting Sergio with her words; she doubted that he would give them to the Sevillian anyway.

“Have it your way,” Victor said annoyed that the blonde wasn’t breaking, she wasn’t the same person that he had tortured a year before and he was surprised how strong she had become.

Charlotte took a deep breath as she felt the gun press against the back of her head, she knew that there would be no surviving this shot and it made tears prick in her eyes that she would leave her son without a mother and her husband without a wife; she hated that Victor had no compassion even after killing René.

Victor’s finger shakily rested on the trigger, he smirked to himself knowing that this was it, in a matter of seconds he was going to end the blonde’s life; he couldn’t wait to see Sergio’s face when he informed the Sevillian that his wife was dead.

Victor already had plans to deprive Sergio of the chance to bury his wife, he would make sure that the blonde’s body would be destroyed once he had murdered her; something that would hurt Sergio even more.

Charlotte took a shaky breath as her hands shook, the blonde knew that this was it and there was no way that Sergio was coming to save her; even if he did know what was going on.

“I love you Sese,” the blonde whispered as she felt Victor prepare to put a bullet through her head, a single tear trailed down her face as gun shot rang out through the yard where the execution was taking place.