A/N: For some reason, this chapter didn't show up even after I posted this last night. It also showed it got some votes but it's not showing up properly, just on the total. Please vote again if you did before and it's still letting you because the last ones may have gotten deleted. Thank you!

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"Jake, I love you forever and ever."

He smiled and rolled his eyes at me just as I stole a couple more gummy bears from the small pack he'd snuck into the wedding rehearsal two days later.

It was late in the morning and Shelly had been making us run through the ceremony sequence in the past hour and a half. The wedding entourage of about twelve people were there at the small private chapel, including the groom of course who only talked to me when necessary.

It was fine by me. I still wasn't happy with Brandon since our fight at his father's house but I was determined to fulfill my role as the perfect wife diligently doing her duties, including bearing the rehearsal with him with civility and a smile on my face. I was sure that the people close to us like Martin and Jake wouldn't miss the strain between us but Martin was very subdued while Jake did his best to keep me company and lighten up my mood. Hence, the gummy bears. 

"Do you love me enough to ditch this fancy wedding and run away with me?" Jake asked with a mock-serious expression on his face.

I choked on the candy and he gently clapped my back. 

"Don't blurt that out to random girls, Jake," I said with a laugh after I caught my breath and cleared my throat. "Someone might actually take you up on it."

He grinned. "I only ask it from girls I actually want answers from."

"Did you get a yes each time?" I asked, playing along and popping another gummy bear into my mouth.

He shrugged. "I don't know. You're the only one and you haven't given me an answer yet."

Warmth crept on my cheeks and I was about to respond when someone cleared their throat loudly behind us.

Brandon was standing there without expression, barely acknowledging his friend. I tensed up.

We had been given a fifteen-minute break and Jake plied me with gummy bears. Not too long ago, I saw Brandon taking a phone call and pacing away at the front steps of the chapel. I hoped to God he hadn't been standing there for too long because I didn't want to get into another fight with him about Jake who despite his flirtations, was relatively harmless.

Less harmless to my heart anyway.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked gamely, giving him a slight smile. 

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he said, gesturing to the side entrance of the chapel. 

I opened my mouth to ask what for but quickly realized that Jake was standing there, watching our exchange. It would be awfully confusing if my fiance needed a whole whack of reasons to just talk to me for a minute. I was marrying the guy after all. I should at least be able to talk to him.

"The break will soon be over though," I said, stalling just a little bit, glancing at the wedding planner who was busy giving directions to the choir director. 

One of Brandon's brows arched. "I'm sure she won't start without the bride and the groom. We won't be long."

"Okay, sure." I nodded and thrust Jake the half-empty pack of candy. "I'll see you in a little bit, Jake. Guard my loot for me."

"With my life," he assured me with a grin, pressing the pack to his chest. 

I laughed and turned to Brandon whose eyes narrowed just a tiny bit. I sobered up, bracing for a scolding but he said nothing. He just pressed a hand on the small of my back which I fought hard not to react to, steering me to the door.

The small, white chapel looked like it was plucked out of a countryside painting. It was in a small but wide stretch of agricultural land just an hour outside of Boston, landscaped with a sloping meadow and a row of old, large trees with low-hanging branches that lined the property. 

I picked it out myself for the more remote location and the pastoral beauty of it. It also happened to be the chapel where I attended my first wedding ever as a child—one of my Mom's friends who asked me to be a flower girl. The chapel looked exactly like it did all those years ago and although this wedding wasn't for true love or anything like that, I still got a thrill from the idea of getting married here.

"So..." I started, letting my voice trail off in hope of prompting Brandon who said nothing since we stepped out on the grassy side yard of the chapel a minute ago. 

Brandon looked up at me and I nearly sucked in a breath. The late morning sun streaked through his hair, catching rare glints of red and gold among the thick, dark locks and sculpted his already chiseled features into perfection.

Damn. I missed him. I missed the smile on his face and the warmth in his hazel eyes.

And this is why you avoided spending time alone with him in the last couple of days. Distance, my friend, is your only defense.

Apart from not wanting to lay eyes on him, I also didn't want him laying eyes on me with the same kind of intensity he was doing so right now, as if he could pick through the layers and find me if he stared hard enough.

I tried hard not to squirm. I was in sneakers, jeans, a black shirt and a ponytail—not my most polished look especially in comparison to the sleek and ever-fashionable Simone Clarke if her pictures on the internet were any proof. I told myself it was useless and unhealthy to attempt to measure up to the woman but it was hard not to think about it. Not when I see Brandon who looked sharp and sophisticated as usual, unchanged from how he looked in those pictures with her in some events they attended to how he looked right now, standing in front of me.

And that's why they belong together. You and Brandon are like a mismatched pair of shoes. You'll never look right together.

I inwardly sighed. Before meeting Brandon, I never had any real confidence issues. I was too busy working and dealing with the crap in my life to worry about it. Now I felt inadequate which was another reason as to why we would never work—not even one year together. I'd eventually hate myself for letting my insecurities fester like this.

"Felicity said your stuff is being moved to the penthouse today and tomorrow," he finally said, drawing me out of my thoughts. "Your room is ready but I thought maybe you'd want to check it out yourself and see if there's anything else you need. I don't think you'd really want others to know we have separate bedrooms."

Why not? We're already pretty estranged for a couple who's still three days away from the altar.

"I'm sure it's fine," I said with a shrug. "It can't be any worse than my room now."

He looked at me before letting out a long sigh. "Alright. You'll see it anyway when we arrive there from the wedding. If anything needs to be changed, we can have it done while we're away for the honeymoon for a week."

I swallowed hard at the mention of the honeymoon. Oh, we'd mentioned it so casually before but it just seemed like a theory in my head. After the wedding, I'd actually be off somewhere alone with Brandon in what was most probably a very romantic, private setting.

My stomach churned. Going off on a romantic getaway was not the way to go in avoiding a man you want far away from your heart.

"Um, is the honeymoon necessary?" I asked quietly, biting my lower lip. 

Brandon's eyes narrowed. "If we're going to make people believe that we're so crazy about each other we had to get married right away, then yes, it's absolutely necessary. We're already pushing it by only going for a week."

I nodded, reluctant but resigned to his point. "Where are we going anyway?"

Brandon had said before that he was taking care of all of that. Now I wondered if he was making arrangements to bring his mistress with him as well and meet up with her there when he wasn't with me.

For the love of God, Charlotte. Stop. Thinking. About. Them.

"Somewhere you'll like, I hope," he said, cracking the first smile I've seen on him since we saw each other this morning when he picked me up for the drive here. It wasn't even a full smile but it sharpened the ache in my heart.

"You still won't tell me?" I asked in disbelief. "I'm about to start packing and I have no idea what to bring because I have no clue where we're going."

He shrugged. "Bring whatever you'd like. We can always buy you whatever you need when we get there."

"Hmm. That means it'll be somewhere within civilization," I said, rubbing my chin. "Somewhere with electricity and potable water, I assume."

He laughed and I smiled reluctantly despite myself. "We're not going to the middle of a wilderness somewhere, if that's what you're thinking. Yes, there will be water and electricity and comfortable accommodations. Don't pack as if you're preparing for the zombie apocalypse."

I feigned disappointment. "No? I was going to bring my combat boots out and my go-bag."

Brandon's smile deepened. "You can still bring them if you want to. I doubt you'll need them but if it makes you happy, then do it."

"Nah," I said, waving a hand in the air. "Felicity might kill me if I do. Do you know that she and Armina ordered me an entire wedding trousseau? Can you imagine that? It's the twenty-first century but she insists it's making a comeback to those who can afford it—you being among them. She told me they've supplied it with the most luxurious lingerie on earth—silks, satins, lace! God! Those two are crazy!"

It wasn't after several heartbeats that I noticed Brandon had fallen quiet and I glanced at him and saw his jaw clenched, his eyes hooded.

"Silks, satins and lace?" he repeated in a distinctly raspy voice. 

I flushed, realizing the impact of my words. "Uh, well, yeah. They're lingerie, silly, not underwear. I was assured there was a huge difference and I agreed only on the basis of price. One's affordable and the other's heinously expensive."

 "I don't care how expensive they are," was Brandon's quick, almost-stubborn response. 

I bit my lip, squeezing my eyes shut in embarrassment and the unwelcome awareness of just how this conversation about lingerie had gotten my imagination roaring—or purring.

"You know you won't get to see me wearing them, right?" I asked gently, rubbing my temple. "It's not worth your expense."

The light in his eyes dimmed but he took a breath as if to steel himself back into our reality. "It's alright. I'll know you're wearing them."

My cheeks continued to burn hot but since I couldn't come up with a discouraging response, I stuck my tongue out at him and he just laughed, his eyes crinkling in the corners.

"Yes. Real sexy, Charlotte," he said with an amused shake of his head before sobering up from what was surely a consistent glare from me.

"Speaking of sexy, I heard Aimee is throwing you a bachelorette party tonight," Brandon said. "Gilles told me you gave him the night off. Who exactly is going to look after you?"

I shook my head. "No one because I don't need it. I mean it, Brand. It's Wednesday night, for God's sakes.  We're going to splash around the private pool lounge on the hotel rooftop. Maybe do a little dancing. And maybe the other girls will get sloshed. Who knows? Aimee assured me she didn't hire male strippers or anything pervy like that."

"Good to know you're safe from anything pervy like that," was Brandon's dry remark as he smiled. "I, on the other hand, am being hounded by some buddies to let them throw me a stag party so they could have pervy things such as female strippers."

I wrinkled my nose. "Typical. Why don't you let them?"

Brandon shrugged. "Because I already have enough problems with you about other women. The last thing I want is to give you more reason to punish me."

My mouth dropped open. "I'm punishing you?"

As much as hated to admit it, I was glad that Brandon wasn't having a stag party and acquainting himself with more female bodies. The fact though that he saw himself being punished by me for the whole squabble about Simone caught me off guard.

He raised a brow at me in challenge. "Aren't you? Cozying up with Jake? Ignoring me? Holding me at arm's length? Pushing me away at every possible opportunity?"

"I recall explaining this to you when we talked at your father's house," I said in a surly tone, crossing my arms over my chest. "This isn't punishment, Brand. It's called self-preservation. Just because you don't care to protect me, doesn't mean I can't protect myself."

His face hardened. "I'm not going to hurt you, Charlotte. I may have been a certified villian coming to you with this ridiculous idea to get married but I would never hurt you."

The look on his face mellowed my temper. He clearly meant what he said about not intending to hurt me but Brandon was most likely not well-acquainted with hurt and didn't know all the forms it could come as.

"There's no singular way of hurting somebody, Brand," I said quietly, making no move when he squatted down in front of me and started tying the laces on one of my sneakers that had come undone.

Unable to help myself when a warm, tender weight settled in my chest, I reached out and touched his hair ever so lightly with my fingers. "I just can't be the person you discover those other ways with."

He rose to his feet, now closer to me than he'd been a minute ago, and his hazel eyes were gazing down at me searchingly. "There's no singular way to show someone you care, Charlotte. I just have to make sure I'm the person you discover those other ways with."

And with that, he pressed a soft kiss on my forehead. "Have fun at your party."

"I will," I breathed, fighting the pounding of my heart as Brandon turned to walk back inside the chapel.

Half an hour later, the rehearsals wrapped up. I said goodbye to Aimee, Rose and Felicity who were being driven back by Gilles, and stayed for a few minutes to see off all the other members of our wedding entourage including the Maxfield sisters who were driving back with Martin and Mattie.

Once most of them had left, I snatched the brand new camera the Schuberts gave me as a wedding present (which I'd offered to Brandon as it's technically half his but he just told me I could have it) and started for the door.

"Where are you sneaking off to?" Jake said as he appeared beside me. 

"I'm going to take some photos around the chapel," I told him, slipping the camera strap over my neck as I jogged down the stairs. "Brandon said I have half an hour—"

"Charlotte."

I halted at Brandon's voice and turned around, raising the camera to take a snapshot of him.

He was just slipping his phone back into his pocket as he approached us. "I'll be as quick as possible—"

"I have a small crisis to avert at work and I need to get going now," he said, his expression remorseful. "Can we come back another time so you can take your photos?"

I bit my lip, torn. "Sure. We can go now if you'd like."

"I can drive her back home, Brand," Jake said. "She can stay behind and take pictures and I'll stay with her and make sure she gets back okay."

Brandon swivelled his gaze to his best friend. "Do I trust you?"

Jake gave him a cocky smile. "With everything else but her. But you know I'd never harm her."

"But you're going to try to steal her from me," Brandon said with a scowl.

"You can bet your life on it," Jake confirmed, showing no sign of wavering under Brandon's near-murderous glare. "I normally wouldn't compete except that I have a strong suspicion I can make her happier and she has to know that before she walks down the aisle with you."

I rolled my eyes in disbelief at the sheer lunacy of their conversation. I held up my hands and wedged myself between them. "Alright, alpha males. Let's stop talking about me like I'm not here or like I'm some toy you guys are fighting about."

Brandon's nostrils flared, his gaze never leaving Jake who was shooting him the same look of challenge. "I'll stay."

"Brandon, no!" I protested, turning to face him. "If you're needed at work, go. I'll stay and Jake can drive me home. You have my promise that my virtue will remain intact."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, babe," Jake said casually and I suspected it was more so intended to rile up Brandon rather than actually warn me. 

Nevertheless, I turned to the man and smacked him in the chest—which was as hard as a tree trunk but I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from letting out a loud ouch. "Jake, behave yourself. I will not be subjected to yours and Brandon's pissing match. If you don't stop teasing, I won't stay here with you."

Jake clutched a hand to his heart in feigned hurt. "Charlotte, why do you ask me these impossible things?"

I laughed and shook my head at him before grabbing Brandon by the wrist and pulling him aside. "I'm really going to be okay. Just go. Don't worry about Jake. He's harmless."

Brandon raised a brow. "I recall a conversation with him a few nights ago telling him the same thing about Simone. That didn't hold much weight to him, did it?"

I rolled my eyes in irritation. "It might have something to do with the fact that you were already sleeping with her before. Jake and I are as non-sexual as a pair of tombstones, really."

Brandon grinned despite himself. "Ah, Charlotte. You just have no idea of what you're capable of, do you?"

"Many things, I assume," I answered with a dismissive snort. "But I don't sit around and tally up all my awesome attributes. They come up when I need them. I try not to shove them in people's faces like a second nose."

He laughed. "Alright, I'll leave. But should Jake do anything stupid, I'm on your speed-dial."

I gave him an impatient sigh. "Yes. On number twelve, I believe. Oh, wait, there's no button for that. You must be the one on six labeled nagging mother."

"Cheeky little brat," he said as he tapped a finger on my nose and turned toward the door. "I'll see you later, Charlotte."

Then to Jake who stood a few feet away from us patiently waiting, he said, "Hey, Jake. Remember second grade when I broke all your fingers? Yeah? Just keep thinking about that."

"Sure, barbarian," Jake called back out with a grin. "I remember when I kicked you in the balls right after that. Did Charlotte want babies? 'Coz I'm pretty sure I caused you permanent damage."

I elbowed Jake in the stomach. "Boys, take it down a notch, will you? I don't want to suddenly get struck by lightning here with all your filthy talk."

"Just remember, Jake," was Brandon's parting shot before he jogged down the front steps of the chapel and into his waiting car.

Twenty minutes later, Jake and I were sitting on one of the sturdier low branches of a white oak tree, sharing a lone bottle of water we dug up in the backseat of his Range Rover and a chocolate bar.

"Are you excited about the wedding?" he asked, passing me the chocolate bar for my turn at a bite. 

I shrugged. "Isn't every girl?"

He gave me a meaningful look. "I think we've established since the night we met that you're not like any girl."

You're right. Not every girl gets to marry Brandon Maxfield, live a lie for a year and get paid a million dollars for it. I'm definitely not your average girl.

Not everything had to be a lie though. I knew I could be a good daughter-in-law to Martin, be a good sibling-in-law to the entire Maxfield brood, provide all the support Brandon could use from a wife, and also be a friend to Jake. 

"I've dreamed of marrying Brandon, you know?" I said, not quite lying with that statement. "I've dreamed that he was the prince who will sweep me off my feet and carry me to his castle where we would live happily ever after."

I glanced at Jake with a smile. "It's almost a dream come true—just sorely lacking the white horse, a real castle and magic pumpkins."

Jake chuckled. "I'm sure that if Brandon set his mind to it, he can probably arrange something for that."

"Not the magic pumpkins," I said with a resigned sigh. "He's a mere human after all. He's not perfect."

"No, he isn't," Jake confirmed, his tone more serious now. "Despite everything, he's a good guy, once he's let you in. But most of the time he'll be stubborn and difficult. He's not the most sensitive person either. But he'll always have your back and he's relentless when it comes to someone he cares about."

"Are you trying to convince me to marry Brandon, Jake?" I asked teasingly. "'Coz I can assure you, I'm already doing that."

A strange emotion flickered in Jake's bright green eyes. "I can hardly miss that fact. Brandon's a smart guy. He found you and snatched you up before you could slip through his hands."

I snorted, passing him the chocolate bar. "You give me way too much credit, Jake. Has it ever occured to you that I was the one who didn't want him to slip through my hands?"

"Actually, it didn't because although Brandon's a great catch, I think you can have any man you want, Charlotte," he said, taking a bite before giving me the last piece, a tender smile on his face. "The only reason you're marrying Brandon is because you love him."

A strange pounding started in my chest at Jake's last statement.

I knew that I had a longtime crush on Brandon when I was much younger but I doubted that it was love because no one could really love a dream—especially not one as far-fetched as Brandon Maxfield. The reality was a stark contrast to that dream but my chances at finding love with him were just as impossible.

No.  I couldn't possibly love Brandon. It would devastate me. 

"You do love him, don't you?" Jake prompted and I realized I haven't said anything in the last few minutes. 

I put a bright smile on for him. "You're really asking me that? If you were a girl, you wouldn't need to. You'd be so in love with him yourself it would be ridiculous to imagine an alternate reality."

Jake sighed and shifted on the branch to face me fully. "You're right. Any girl would fall for his good looks, wealth and status. Having known Brandon most of my life, that's hardly news. That's the same reason he's managed to avoid marrying any of those women—because that was all they loved. I doubt you're prone to the same influences."

My heart squeezed at Jake's words and the realization that the very things that made men like him and Brandon extremely attractive were the same ones that left them vulnerable to the claws of selfish, opportunistic women. Of course, I was no better except that I didn't go hunting for Brandon. I merely took what he offered at the right price but the crime was all the same. 

Jake didn't know all that though and it was better that it stayed that way. I didn't get an angel's reputation often and I didn't mind it right now when I was getting random attacks of shame.

"Of course I am," I told Jake airily, tossing my hair back for an added effect. "I love a rich, hot guy as much as the next girl."

Jake laughed and tossed me a piece of bark he'd scraped up from the trunk. "Be serious, Charlotte. What do you love the most about Brandon?"

I pursed my lips, wondering how to get away from this particular topic.

I didn't like lying no matter how much of it I'd been doing lately. I didn't love Brandon. How could I love someone I've known two weeks, not counting the number of years I'd spent listening to Martin talk about him? How could I marry a guy who was paying me a fortune to play Mrs. Brandon Maxfield for a year while he remained in love with the perfect Simone Clark?

Well, you don't exactly hate him—at least not as much as you probably should. Even if you don't love him, there must be something you love about him. That will do.

"I love that he rescued me from the douchebag harrassing me at Marlow's," I started, feeling encouraged when Jake's eyes lit up wtih interest. "I love that he randomly grabs my hand for a squeeze in reassurance. I love that he's actually funny when he's not being his usual starchy self. I love that he randomly sends me emails or answers mine at like two in the morning when he's away. I love that he easily gets along with children—Mattie, Rose. I love that he has a good relationship with his Dad even if they clash sometimes given their very similar domineering personalities. I love that he makes me feel beautiful just by the way he looks at me sometimes, when I can see how affected he is by me. I love that even though he thinks I'm a little crazy, he doesn't really do much to change that about me, even when he'd be so much better off with me as the perfect lady."

I finally stopped when I realized I was rambling and glanced at Jake in embarrassment.

He was just smiling.

"Well, you did ask me," I said with a roll of my eyes, tossing him the balled up wrapper of the chocolate bar. He caught it easily before the wind could.

"I did and I'm not sure whether I'm relieved or regretting that I did," he answered with a loud sigh. "I'm happy that you see a lot more in Brandon than other women do but I'm crushed that I'll have a much harder time convincing you to leave him for me."

I burst out laughing. "Jake, stop it. At some point I'll believe you and that'll just be weird."

He grinned and put his hand over mine briefly. "Think of it as an open invitation. Anytime he does something as stupid as break your heart, I'll be there."

When I realized that he could be serious, I narrowed my eyes at him. "Is it because you truly care or are you just competitive with Brandon?"

"I don't compete with Brandon, especially not over women," Jake protested with an oh-please look on his face. "We don't even like the same type."

I arched a brow at him. "Oh, yeah? Then why do you like me?"

Jake pressed his lips together as if debating what he was about to say next. "You're not really Brandon's type which I realized the moment I saw you. You didn't stand so primly or poise the smile on your face to be a specific size and look, or only laugh up to a certain octave. You were tapping one foot impatiently as if you'd rather be somewhere else. You made a lot of funny faces with your brows and your nose. You grinned and laughed without holding anything back. It was at that moment that I worried whether my friend had finally found the right woman who was nothing like the others he dabbled with before or he had frontal lobotomy."

I flushed but smiled. "I think there was a compliment in there somewhere."

He grinned. "It's all of it. You just have to realize, Charlotte, that there's absolutely nothing wrong in being who you are even if it doesn't quite fit the mold. You have to stop second-guessing your worth just because you're uncomfortable with the change."

"Thanks, Jake," I told him, putting my other hand on top of his which was already covering my other one. "I know exactly what you mean but it's nice to be reminded sometimes."

He nodded and patted my shoulder. "Good. Now, come on and let's get you home before Brandon sends out a search party."

                         ******

"You look like a pocket-sized Venus."

"That's a little bit better than the pin-up girl compliment I got earlier so I'll take it," I told Tessa with a grin as I gave her a quick hug.  She had just shown up at the private rooftop bar lounge we rented for the night in the poshest hotel in town.

"You sure know how to sex it up," Anna said dryly, appearing behind her sister.

I laughed and stepped aside to let them through the door. "Yes, well, the girls seemed to have mixed up tonight as my honeymoon and forced me to wear this on the threat of tickling and spiders."

"The virgin needs to be initiated before her wedding night and the first step is to make her aware of just how hot and sexy she is!" Becca bellowed from the hot tub where she was already sprawled with a bunch of the girls from Marlow's, all clad in bikinis and clinking cocktail glasses with each other. Marlow's was well-known for its young, nubile waitresses besides the food and atmosphere. Sexist, I know, but such was the world and those who couldn't afford its luxuries such as female indignation sucked it up.

My cheeks burned with mortification as the sisters turned to me with identical looks of surprise.

"You're a virgin?"

"My brother restrained himself?"

Great. Just great. Now you're an even greater oddity than you were ten seconds ago.

I glowered at the girls in the hot tub and then rolled my eyes at the Maxfield sisters who were staring at me like I'd sprouted two horns and a third breast. "Yes, I'm a virgin. I decided to sell my virginity to the highest bidder—your brother—and offer it on my wedding night. Satisfied?"

Tessa smiled. "I'm actually not surprised at all."

Even Anna, who had arrived looking like she hated the world, gave a reluctant nod. "You're not at all what I expected, Charlotte."

I snorted. "I get that a lot. Now, go get changed into your swimsuits and join us at the pool. Aimee arranged for karaoke and we're doing it while half-submerged in water. Yes. Silly, I know, but I didn't plan this so don't look at me."

"I'll go change," Anna announced. "I hope you have something strong in your bar because I'm going to need it tonight."

Tessa eyed her in irritation. "We talked about this. You're not drinking, Anna."

"You said coming here was a good idea to distract myself and I'm doing just that." Anna glared at her sister. "Besides, I've gotten pretty good at breaking the rules. Why stop now?"

"Because you don't have to compound your mistakes," Tessa argued in exasperation. "Besides, we'll all get into trouble with Dad if he finds out any of us went drinking because we're not legally allowed yet."

Anna thrust her chin up stubbornly. "I'm already in trouble with him. I might as well earn all my colors and be the black sheep among his children. One of us has to do it. We're all too darn perfect."

I watched the sisters' exchange in silent interest.

Obviously, there was a lot of tension going on between the two. Tessa was being a lot more outspoken than usual and Anna was as cranky as a girl with a period on steroids. Reading between the lines, I figured it had something to do with Anna's illicit love affair but this wasn't the place to wash her linen in public.

"Hey, Tess. Felicity wanted your opinion on the thesis draft she outlined," I blurted out, putting an arm around the younger sister and steering her toward the food bar where Felicity was talking with Macy. Both girls were sporting bikinis—Macy in a blue and white striped number and Felicity in a yellow and pink bandeau set. 

Both girls looked up at our arrival and I beamed at my assistant. "Fel, tell Tessa about your thesis. She's majoring in sociology. You mentioned something about women's movement or something like that. I'm sure Tessa can talk to you about it."

And before any of them could protest, I turned on my heel and headed for Anna who was scowling at her cellphone. 

"Anna, come on. I'll show you the change room." I grabbed her by the elbow with no warning and dragged her to the small hall that led to the shower and change room. "I want to see what you're wearing. I need swimsuit ideas for my honeymoon trip with Brandon."

Anna eyed me warily. "I don't think you need help in that department. That set you have on will have his blood running hot."

I turned to the wall-sized mirror to check myself out. 

It was quite a sexy number.

The halter top was red with white polka dots and small ruffles outlining the inner edges of the triangles that covered my sizeable cups.

The tiny bottom was bright red and cut high enough to show a good lower half of my bum, only subtly made decent by the small, lightly ruffled skirt that wrapped around it from the waistband down.

The design definitely played up my curves and the cut of the waistband was kind to my not so flat abdomen that for a moment, I could actually believe I worked out quite a lot. I'd gotten into the routine of running and dancing but I wore down Felicity on her insistence that I go to the gym. Still, what work out I did paid off by the look of my toned legs and tight butt. They didn't look like they were made of steel but at least they didn't jiggle, probably more in thanks to being on my feet all day, waiting tables at Marlow's.

"I can't believe you're still a virgin." Anna's bemused comment drew my attention back to her. She was sitting on a plush armchair, unstrapping her high-heeled sandals. "Who comes out of high school nowadays without having lost it?"

I gave her a meaningful look. "Those who didn't feel like giving it away. Many of the guys in high school were selfish, immature jerks who would screw a post if it had the appropriate receptacle. I just couldn't deal with that."

Anna laughed although it sounded hollow and pained. "I have a feeling the restraint was all on your side now. I'm just amazed that brother is marrying a girl he couldn't sleep with first considering he's slept with dozens of women all these years without taking any of them to the altar."

Oh, we're a special case. You have no idea.

I made a face. "Do you really want to discuss your older brother's sex life with me?"

Anna wrinkled her nose. "Not really. I'm just... surprised, that's all, considering things looked hot and heavy between you two in the backseat of his car when you showed up at brunch."

I grinned although I could feel my cheeks warm up. "The hot part was just the summer heat. The heavy part was me crushing the life out of your brother by sitting on him."

Anna smiled and shook her head before rising to her now-bare feet and picking up her beach tote. "Hmm. Well, I hope you get to do more... sitting on him on your honeymoon. I'll go change. I'll see you outside in a few minutes."

The party was actually a real blast throughout the barbecue dinner, the pool-side karaoke and some of the games we played like Pin The Cherry On Top where we all took turns placing the paper cut-out of a cherry on certain body parts of a nearly-nude, life-sized Ryan Gosling covered up in printed swirls of whipped cream in strategic locations.

After the games, we all sat down around the pool ledge and unwrapped the presents the girls brought me. Since they were all decidedly naughty, I was slightly horrified especially when the girls started giving me tips on how to best use the toys and other kinky items which I decided not to name out loud.

The only not-so-fun part of our night was the obvious elephant sitting between the two Maxfield sisters who avoided looking or speaking at each other. Anna was getting wasted despite my attempts to water down her drinks when she wasn't looking and Tessa was starting to look like she was plotting an assassination.

Jake rang my phone so I stepped inside the lounge, trying to get away from the noise.

"I know I shouldn't call and ask but how's your bachelorette party so far?" he asked and I could hear the grin on his voice. "Have any of the girls made out? Will you take a video and send it to me?"

I laughed as I tiptoed toward the change room. I'd already gotten out of my wet swimsuit and was now wearing denim cut-offs, a halter top and flip-flops. "Whether they have or not, I'm not sending you a video. Don't be a cad. It's all innocent fun."

He snorted. "I doubt it. Otherwise, why would women ban men from their bachelorette party? It's because they all want to get freaky with each other and they don't want us to watch. It's a psychological form of torture."

"Then write a paper on it," I said with a smirk. "Meanwhile, you're just going to have to continue wondering about it because that's all—"

I stopped talking when I heard the raised voices coming out of the change room. They couldn't be by anyone else but the sisters.

"Hey, Jake. I'll call you later, okay? Bye." I turned off my phone and hurried to the change room, walking right into the progressing screaming match between Anna and Tessa.

"—if you want him to think you're so pathetic that you'll do—"

"—don't pretend to understand... I have to know! I can't just—"

"Hey, hey!" I loudly chimed in and put myself between them. 

Anna was swaying slightly and Tessa was already dressed and clutching her bag. 

"What's going on here, ladies?" I demanded. "And don't say nothing because you resemble a pair of kittens trying to scratch each other's eyes out. Spill."

Neither of them spoke—just kept glaring at each other.

I sighed loudly and held up my phone. "Let me just find Martin's number here—"

"Charlotte!" Anna lunged for my phone and snatched it away, staggering straight for the floor if I hadn't caught her and pushed her back so she found her footing, as wobbly as it was.

"Jason's celebrating his fifth wedding anniversary with his wife tonight and Anna lost it," Tessa finally said, shaking her head. "She keeps forgetting she's the other woman."

"That's enough, Tess!" Anna hissed at her sister. "Don't judge me and Jason because you, of all people, have no idea what it's like to be in love! You don't understand! He loves me! Not her."

"What does that matter? It's not your name on the marriage certificate," Tessa retorted. "Until he actually mans up and puts your name on it instead of hers, I won't believe that whole love-crap he's selling you."

Anna's expression contorted into a mask of anger and hurt and I did my best to hold her back so she didn't decapitate her sister. "Of course you won't because no man has ever loved you! You know why, Tess? It's because you're a freaking saint! No one's good enough for you! No one can do anything right! And you know what? You're going to become your own prediction because you will have no one! You're going to wake up one day and you'll find yourself old and lonely and when you do, remember that you did it to yourself!"

Whoa! Where's the third sister? Isn't this the Kardashians' reality show? No?

My humor fled though when I got a good look at Tessa and saw the pain flash in her eyes as her lips trembled with the effort not to burst into tears.

"Tessa..." I said slowly, wondering how I was going to get to her without letting go of Anna who would most likely make out with the floor without my support. 

"I'm fine, Charlotte," she said stiffly as she squared her shoulders and sniffed back her tears. "Don't worry about me. If there's anyone who needs worrying, it's my hot mess of a sister who can't even see that she deserves so much more than the scraps she's settling for with a guy who will never love her like she loves him."

I winced and glanced at Anna who was furiously dabbing the tears from her eyes. "Why don't we just maybe sit and—"

"I'm sorry but I have to go," Tessa said in a small voice hardened with finality. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your party."

"Tessa, wait!"

But she was gone in seconds, leaving me with a gasping and muttering Anna who didn't look a bit like her usual glamorous self with her hair matted on her forehead and her eyes glazed with a drunken look.

"What the hell is wrong witih you, Anna?" I said with a sigh as I settled her into the armchair where she'd sat earlier unstrapping her shoe. "Where is the cool and confident Anna Maxfield everyone in Worthington Prep knew?"

Her face crumpled into tears and I swore under my breath. Apparently it was the wrong thing to say to a woman having an emotional breakdown.

"Just leave me alone, Charlotte," she said, sniffling loudly. "You don't have to pretend you care about me. Whether I like you or not has no influence on Brandon's decision to marry you. He and Tessa are like that—as cold and unaffected as a statue."

I opened my mouth to say something but she let out a brittle and ironic laugh that grated at my ears. 

"And to think Tessa would preach to me about love, of all people!" Anna continued. "She won't know what it is if it hit her in the face."

"And you know better," I said simply.

It wasn't really a question but Anna frowned and regarded it as if it were one and I was impertinent to ask it.

"If you know better, then why are sitting here, crying your eyes out?" I asked. "If you know better, then why are you not happy? Or is it because you don't actually know better and you're just crossing your fingers, hoping that you are, so there's some justification to your suffering other than plain stupidity?"

Anna narrowed her eyes at me. "Don't preach to me as if you know better."

I shook my head. "I'm not because I don't know better and you know what? That's alright because I don't want to be so convinced in my philosophy that I wouldn't look at what's right there for me to see.   Sometimes you so desperately want to see that it's love, you'll insist on labeling what's in front of you as that even when it's not."

Anna bit her lip and looked away, both of us falling into silence.

"Not everyone understands what's between me and Jason," she finally said in a small voice. "I know it looks bad but things couldn't be more right when we're together. We just met too late but it doesn't mean we can't make it right. We will make it right."

"And you might be right and we could be all dead wrong," I agreed with a solemn nod. "But until that happens, you're going to have to figure something out for yourself  because you're hurting too much."

She said nothing, her misery clear on her face, and I took pity on her. "Anna, do you have any security we can call tonight?"

She shook her head, snorting, "No. I haven't had anyone tailing me around since I was sixteen. It's my hard-won victory from Dad."

"Okay, then stay here and let me just tell the other girls we're heading out," I told her gently, touching her knee. "I think we should get you home so you can rest and sleep it off."

She barely nodded and I wasted no time in heading right back out to the pool to talk to Felicity. I assigned to wrap up the party and make sure everyone got driven home safely.

I slipped on an oversized, light gray sweatshirt, pulled my hair up into a messy top-knot and was just heading for the change room when I saw Becca coming out.

I tensed, worried that she ran into Anna who, given her current mood, might have mouthed off at her rudely. "Is Anna still there, holding up in one piece?"

"Anna?" she asked. "She stormed off a few minutes ago saying something about going to the bar. I thought she meant out here. Isn't she around?"

My heart sank. "No. Crap! She bailed on me."

"Char, what's wrong?" Becca called out as I dashed toward the door.

"Nothing! Thanks for coming, Becs!" I hollered back at her before slamming the door shut behind me.

I jumped into the elevator and practically punched the button for the lobby into the panel, praying with all my might that Anna just went downstairs to the bar where they would hopefully be more discerning and ID her and refuse her more alcohol. She had enough drinks she could power a small engine.

The host manning the door gingerly stepped in front of me just as I was about to bolt through the entrance of the swanky hotel bar, his eyes appraising my unkempt appearance.

Oh, right. You look like you've been scrubbing the toilet.

I spotted a flash of dark pink beyond his shoulder and my gaze zeroed in on Anna draped over the bar, practically sitting on a guy's lap, her sun dress about to unravel with a sneeze from either of them.

"I just need to get to my friend over there so I can get her home," I told the host, trying my best to wave at Anna who wasn't even looking my way. "I'll just be thirty seconds, I promise."

"Are you a hotel guest, ma'am?" he asked in a bored tone, not budging one bit from his spot. 

"Yes! We just rented the rooftop pool lounge for my bachelorette party tonight," I said impatiently. "It's booked under Aimee Compton."

He made a ceremony out of going over his logs on the computer without one hint of urgency while I watched Anna pour herself over the guy like a cocktail drink.

"And are you Aimee Compton?" the host asked, looking up from his computer. 

I blinked and returned my attention to him. "No, no. My name is Charlotte Samuels. Aimee's my best friend."

He didn't look like he believed me either way and he just cleared his throat. "Well, Ms. Samuels, see, we have a dress code for guests coming into the bar and it doesn't allow for—"

"I am Mr. Brandon Maxfield's fiancee and that girl with her tongue down some guy's throat over at the  bar is his sister and if you don't let me in so I can take her home before she throws up all over your fancy counter, we will all be in serious trouble," I finally snapped. I hated bandying Brandon's name about but desperate times called for desperate measures. "Capish?"

The man's brows shot up in surprise but his eyes immediately narrowed. "Five minutes ago someone tried to come in claiming to be Paris Hilton's sister."

I groaned and stepped around his little desk and shoving his hands away from the keyboard.

"Hey, hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"Just a sec!" I chided loudly, exiting out of their booking system and clicking on a browser until I could get to a search engine. I typed mine and Brandon's name in it and clicked on the first image that showed up in the results. It was a photo of us arriving at the engagement party, smiling at the camera. Given I was a little bit more done up in the photo than I currently looked but the face was the same.

"There! Is that good enough?" I stepped aside so the man could crane his head at the screen. Before he could answer, I jumped around him and ran into the bar, heading straight for Anna.

I ignored the mutterings of the people I passed and grabbed Anna by the wrist, trying to wrench her away from this oily-faced guy who was frisking her like he worked for TSA. 

"Anna, let's go!" 

She turned to me and giggled, wrapping her arms around the guy's neck. "Charlotte! Look! This is Ted!"

Ted glanced at me, appreciation lighting up his eyes as he looked me up and down. I suddenly wished I did have those two horns I mentioned earlier. 

"Hey, baby," he said in a nauseatingly smooth voice as slick as the grease on his nose. "Why don't you join me and your friend for a little private party at my suite upstairs? I have the best view in this hotel, you know? You may not notice it though because I'll blow your minds away."

I gave him a tight smile, gripping Anna's arm more tightly. For a staggering drunk, she was suprisingly strong. 

"If you're the standard to judge the results by, I'll take a pass," I said pertly. "I like my brain where it is. You've clearly splattered yours into oblivion some time ago."

Anna burst into more giggles. "Charlotte, you're so funny! Ted, isn't Charlotte funny?"

Ted's brains must have really been blown up into pieces because my sarcasm didn't register on him. He just grinned and licked his flabby lower lip. "She's funny but I bet she's a screamer."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I'll scream like a banshee and twist your balls off. Then you'll be a soprano."

I turned to Anna and tugged at her arm again. "Come on, Anna. Let's go."

She stubbornly stomped her feet. "No! I'll stay here with Ted. Everyone will be happy now. He's my one true love."

I took a deep breath and summoned all my restraint as I turned to Ted who was smiling smugly. "Listen. While I'm sure you're some unfortunate girl's one true love, this, sadly, isn't her."

"Says who?"

"Says the gods of fate and the only sober and rational person in this conversation they could entrust that wisdom with!" I retorted, clenching my free fist. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Romeo, we've got something better to do like get the hell away from you as fast as we can. Goodnight."

And before Anna could protest, I yanked her away until she stumbled off his lap. She didn't offer more resistance as I started dragging her with me.

The host I snuck from suddenly came up in front of me and I glowered at him. "What? Did my ID pass or what?"

I could tell he didn't seem happy but that he nodded stiffly anyway. "I apologize, Ms. Samuels—"

"It's all good," I said with a sigh, waving my hand dismissively. "You were doing your job. I'm sorry to have been so rude about it but as you can see, I've got a crisis on my hands—literally. Thank you for understanding but we've got to go now."

He wordlessly stepped aside and let us continue on our way out. 

"Charlooootte. Can't go home yet," Anna wailed behind me as we stepped out into the lobby. "Can't be aloooone."

I sighed. "If you'd like you can stay with me tonight. It's nothing luxurious, mind you, but I doubt that in your condition, you'd care. You're clearly wasted."

"I'm not wasted!" Anna argued just as we came out to the front steps of the hotel entrance. "I am broken-hearted! There's a difference."

I raised my brow at her, fighting my irritation just as my own memories started to surface. "Of course there is. Getting wasted is usually the idiot's solution to being broken-hearted or just being simply broken. People shouldn't get drunk. They should take their heads out of their cups and do something about their situation whether it's to try to fix things or get on with their lives."

Anna grunted, about to reply, when the doorman approached us. "Can I assist you in some way, Ms. Samuels? Ms. Maxfield?"

Ah, thank God. Here's someone who wouldn't yell at you to get your grubby self off their doorway.

"Yes, please," I said, flashing him a grateful smile. "If you don't mind, we need a cab—"

I nearly stumbled forward when Anna suddenly bolted from me and scrambled down the front steps, her heels clicking unsteadily as she reached for the cab that just pulled up on the curb to let its passengers out.

"Anna!" 

I dashed after her as she practically elbowed her way into the backseat of the cab. I gave the woman Anna just brushed past an apologetic smile as I jumped into the backseat. Anna was shaking the head rest of the driver's seat, spurring him on.

"Where are we going?" I demanded at Anna as the taxi pulled out into the street, the sudden motion throwing us back into our seats. I groped for my seatbelt and strapped in on before reaching over Anna's lap to do the same for her.

"Nowhere—"

"21 Cooke St., ma'am. Paragon Towers."

I glanced at Anna, recognizing the address as an upscale high-rise condo. "Is that your place? Anna?"

She didn't answer. She turned away instead and curled into herself. I could see her pale complexion in the low light filtering through the window on her side of the taxi. Her skin was shiny with perspiration and when I reached out to to her arm, her skin was breaking out in cold sweat.

"Anna, hey," I said softly, brushing her damp hair off her forehead and touching her cheek. "You okay? You're suddenly quiet. What is it?"

"I don't feel so well," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her belly and closing her eyes. "The motion of the cab... Charlotte. I don't—"

And with little warning, she lurched forward and tossed her cookies all over her feet and the taxi floor. 

The strong, rancid smell of alcohol and stomach acids filled the taxi and I groaned in disbelief just as the driver shrieked in fury.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? You can't just throw up in my cab! You lousy drunk—"

I kept one hand rubbing circles on Anna's back as she continued to empty her gut and reached into the pocket of my shorts where I kept my small wallet. "I'm so sorry but just get us to the address and I'll pay you to get it all cleaned up."

The driver was still muttering as he pulled up in front of the twenty-story building and grumpily took the small wad of about six-hundred dollars I handed him. It was cash Felicity had handed me almost two weeks ago when we went over my sudden financial access to the generous allowance Brandon provided me. I barely touched it and just carried it with me for emergency because it didn't really feel like it was my money. I figured spending it as compensation for cleaning up after Brandon's sister was reasonable. The guy needed to get this cleaned and he would probably be out of commission for the rest of the night.

I just got Anna out on the sidewalk before the taxi sped away. I looked at her soiled feet and shook off my sweatshirt. Despite it being a summer night, the hour was late and there was a nip in the air that made me shiver slightly but I ignored it.

"Hold still, will you?" I said impatiently as I crouched on my knees and started wiping her feet down with the sweatshirt. I never thought that the skillset I developed looking after my alcoholic father would ever come handy again but I stopped myself from saying so. Anna was in no shape for my grim philosophies about drinking in excess.

"Jason!" She started screaming, swaying toward the entrance of the building. "Jason, come out here!"

"You've got to be kidding me," I groaned at the realization of where we were as I dropped the sweatshirt and shot up to my feet, grabbing Anna by the arm before she could alert the building security. "Really, Anna? Of all friggin' places, you brought us here? Have you lost your mind?"

If I didn't lower my voice, I'd be the one alerting building security. I took a deep breath and dragged her away from the entrance as she twisted and tried to break free from me. 

"Charlotte, I have to see him!" Anna wailed. Thank God the streets were mostly empty now. This was a nice part of town but it didn't mean it was safe. Thugs knew where to prowl for their prey. 

"Not like this, you can bet your ass on it!" I snapped, growing increasingly frustrated with her. "I'm not going to let you scandalize everyone in the building at one in the morning and get us both thrown into jail!"

Tears shone brightly in her eyes. "But you said yourself that a person has to do something with her situation—to try to fix things or move on with their lives."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, don't take my advice. Only crazy people do and you're not, are you? So come on, let's get you—"

"Charlotte, no!" Anna protested stubbornly, trying to pull her arm out of my grasp. She was way taller than me but she wasn't exactly clear-headed. I just grabbed another arm when she managed to loosen my grip on the other. "I have to see Jason. He has to decide once and for all whether he wants to be with me or her! If he loves me, he'll choose me no matter what the odds are. I should've done this a long time ago!"

I groaned out loud, exhaling sharply. "For God's sakes, Anna, now is not the time to have an epiphany. Try it first thing tomorrow morning."

"But Charlooootte..."

"That's it! We're taking you home," I declared as sternly as possible, reaching for her bag. "Now, where's your cell? I'm going to have to call Gilles and have him pick us up because I'm out of cash to pay cab drivers if you decide to toss your cookies all over their floor again."

"No cell," she answered weakly, shaking her head.

"What do you mean no cell?"

She burst into tears. "I tossed it in the toilet and flushed it down! I called him and... and I could hear her voice in the background. He was home with her, doing God knows what! I just... I couldn't stand it! That's when Tessa walked in on me."

I stared at Anna in disbelief. "Well, we're completely screwed now because I don't have my cell either. I remember you grabbed it from me and I have no idea where it is now."

My eyes squeezed shut briefly and I rubbed my throbbing temple. 

Brandon and Martin are going to kill me if anything happens to Anna. I might attend both my wedding and funeral in three days. 

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and opened my eyes so I could look around the street.

I wasn't going to risk trying to get into Jason's condo building to try to use the phone because I had no desire to chase Anna up the elevators. Everything else seemed closed in the area. It was Wednesday night after all. There was not a single soul around.

I gasped out in relief when I saw a telephone booth at the end of the block, just by a pharmacy that was now closed. 

"Anna, come on," I said, pulling her along with me. "It's time to call reinforcements."

"But Charloooootte..."

I whirled around and glared at her. "Listen. If you show up like this at Jason's door, I won't be surprised if he washes his hands of you. Is this the kind of woman he should leave his wife for? One who's completely sauced and reeking of her own vomit?"

I knew it was harsh and I normally wouldn't have said anything like that but I'd let this go on long enough tonight. Anna was going to get us into serious trouble if she didn't pull it together.

To my everlasting relief, my statement seemed to have sobered her up.

She paled further than I thought possible and nodded slowly, biting her lip. "You're right. I shouldn't have come. I'm... I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," I said with a sigh, tugging her forward again. "We all screw up at some point. Now, come on."

I had no trouble getting her to follow me into the telelphone booth. I dug out some change from my pocket and was trying to find enough quarters when someone slammed into the side of the booth.

My arm shot out to grab Anna as two figures loomed over the door. They reeked of weed and alcohol. 

My chest tightened in terror but I said nothing as Anna whimpered next to me.

"Hello, pretties," one of them slurred and tilted his head that a shaft of light coming from the street lamp overhead caught his face. It was scruffy and pock-marked, the eyes slightly bloodshot.

"What are the two of you doing out here? Looking for some action?" the shorter figure said, switching the beer bottle he was holding from one hand to another before reaching out to touch my breast. I instinctively swatted his hand away. 

"Get away or we'll scream until the whole neighborhood wakes up," I warned in as steady a voice I could manage, my fingers gripping Anna's arms tightly. 

The taller guy cackled out a laugh. "I doubt you could if both your mouths are stuffed with something that will please both me and my buddy here. What d'ya say, pretties?"

I narrowed my eyes at them despite the severe pounding of my heart against my ribcage. "I say, fuck you."

"You're a mouthy bitch." The shorter guy grabbed me by the chin, his fingers digging into my skin as I tried to twist my head away. "If you don't want to give us a good time, how about you give us all your cash and goodies, yeah? Your friend here looks like she's from around here. She must be loaded."

I really wish she were loaded with more vomit so she can throw up all over you dirtbags.

"I'll give you my stuff," Anna finally piped up in a trembling voice, handing her bag to them just as the bigger guy snatched it away. "Just please, let us go."

"I want those blings on your ears, missy," the shorter guy said, reaching forward to flick his fingers against the diamond studs I was wearing—another part of my jewelry collection that Brandon provided.

Suddenly afraid the man was just going to tear them off my ears, I raised my hands and quickly unfastened the earrings. That's when I realized my mistake. 

The shorter guy sucked in a breath as his hand grabbed my left one and pulled me out of the booth. He raised my hand to the light to further admire the glittering diamond.

"Now, there's a rock, Tony," he said to the big guy in a breathy voice. "Think of what that will buy us."

"Loads, Vic," Tony answered in almost childish excitement. "We'll be good for a while."

I bit the inside of my cheek, slyly glancing at Anna who had quietly slipped out of the booth and stood behind me as the two men bent over my hand.

I knew it was a huge risk but I suddenly reared my right leg back and swung my shin forward until it came into contact with Vic's crotch. He howled in pain and bowed over, dropping his beer bottle to the grassy patch of the sidewalk.

"Anna, run!" I screamed at her as I whipped around to take off.

I yelled out in pain when a thick arm caught me over my rib and sent me slamming against Tony's large, burly body. "You're going to pay for that!"

Vic, still groaning and bouncing around in his toes, came over to me and sent a fist straight into my stomach. All of my breath left me in one great whoosh to be replaced shortly by an excruciating pain.

"You fuckin' little bitch!" he hissed furiously, his spit spraying all over my face.

"Charlotte!" Anna shouted in horror.

I gasped in pain further when Tony's arm tightened around my crushed midsection, my vision dimming. "R-run, Anna! Go!"

She hesitated and Vic glanced over his shoulder, his gaze landing on the wide-eyed Anna.

Since Tony's lock on me was practically holding up my entire body, I pushed both my feet up until they were up in the air, forcing all my weight down on Tony's arms around my midsection and ignoring the vicious pain as I folded up my legs up and stretched them forward on a swinging motion, landing both my feet at Vic's chest with enough force to send him sprawling on the ground.

Caught off guard by my attack, Tony's hold loosened as he tried to get to his partner and I crouched down and grabbed the beer bottle by its neck, turning around fast and smashing it on the side on his head.

I hissed a string of curse words as a couple pieces of sharp glass embedded themselves in my palm as I pushed a wailing Tony back, blood coursing down the side of his face.

I turned around and saw Vic crawling back up on his knees, lunging forward and grabbing one of Anna's ankles. She screamed at the top of her lungs and tried to kick him off but he regained his footing and came up to her, backhanding her on the side of her face.

"Anna!" I started to come after them but Tony caught the back of my tank top and used it to propel me toward the concrete bench next to the telephone booth. The momentum of his throw flung me against the sharp and hard edge of the bench seat which I first caught with my left hand that immediately slipped and twisted, sending a jolt of pain along my wrist. When my body met the ledge of the bench seat, a bruising force slammed into my already battered midsection. The rough surface of the concrete path along the sidewalk scraped my knees raw.

My vision was blurry with pain and consciousness threatened to drift away but I took a deep, punishingly painful breath and forced myself back up on my feet, holding my weight against the bench.

Suddenly, there were voices shouting as footsteps thumped on the sidewalk. Through my spinning vision, I saw a small group of men heading toward us, most of them wearing pajamas, a couple of them carrying baseball bats. I could hear our attackers cuss out loud just as the sound of a police car siren started getting louder.

"Hey, miss. Are you okay?"

The next half hour was a blur.

I remembered the police arriving and arresting the pair of thugs who were detained by the guys who lived in the apartment across the street. One of them saw me and Anna arguing at first from his window. He rounded up a few of his buddies to come help when he saw Vic and Tony approach us.

Anna and I were taken to the hospital in an ambulance after we gave our statements to the police.  When we got there, I waited until Anna was sent away to be looked after, as she may have suffered a concussion from the impact when Vic backhanded her on the side of her face. Once she was gone, I pulled a nurse aside to speak with. I told her I only had very basic health insurance that would charge an arm and leg for co-pay for any of the medical exam bills and that since nothing felt seriously broken or injured, I could do with just a little patching up and some rest. I barely had enough money in my personal checking account to afford a grocery bill and I didn't want to dip my hands into any of Brandon's money.

She didn't look convinced about letting me skip the exams but my disheveled look with the dirty cut-offs and ratty tank top must've helped. She eventually seated me in one of the empty gurneys lined up by the hallway outside of the emergency ward and bound my left wrist before applying antiseptic to my cuts and bandaging them up.

"Thank you, Mercel," I told the motherly woman softly as I stretched my leg forward, wincing at the sting on my knee and the pain on my midsection as I straightened my back a little. "I probably should go home though."

"You're going to have to ice those ribs," she said. "I can't tell if they're cracked or just bruised but breathing, talking and eating are going to be difficult in the next few days. You'll have to take some painkillers for that but you'll need prescription for anything stronger than the average over-the-counter stuff."

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll have to—"

"Charlotte!"

We both jumped at the thunderous voice resonating throughout the hallway. I bit my lip to keep myself from crying out at the pain that hit my rib area again after bouncing up in my position.

That man can't do subtle. Really.

"Who's that?" Mercel asked as she warily eyed a furious Brandon stalking down the hall with an anxious-looking Jake right behind him.

"I got a call from the police about you and Anna getting rushed to the hospital after being attacked by a pair of muggers," he snarled, his hazel eyes dark and flashing. "I drove like a mad man here and rushed to  the room filed under Maxfield, expecting to find you in there with my sister or at least in another private suite. When you weren't there, I terrorized the staff until they finally told me where the other girl who was brought in with Anna went to. Finally, at the billings desk, after more menacing threats from me, I found out that you're only listed for the ambulance expense and that you've opted out on all medical aid."

My ears were starting to turn red and blister especially since Brandon's voice was picking up in volume and drawing the attention of other people loitering around the hall.

"Can you explain to me why my fiancee is sitting out here in the hall, unexamined and untreated, when I can buy this hospital ten times over?" he growled, his fists clenching as he finally stood in front of me, growing more angry as he inspected my appearance.

Mercel gave me a nervous, accusing glance and I gave her a weak, reassuring smile.

"You can but I can't," I muttered under my breath, looking away as my cheeks burned in embarrassment. "Do you know how my Dad's medical bills sunk him so low into debt after he got into that accident and died?"

You should know. They're one of the many reasons I'm motivated to marry you, remember?

"Didn't it occur to you to let me take care of it?" he fairly yelled at me, only backing off slightly when Jake put a warning hand on his shoulder. 

Tears burned my eyes but I hastily blinked them back. 

I was tired, in pain, hungry, and still rattled—I was hanging on by a thread and Brandon's indignation was pushing me to the edge.

"I swear, Charlotte, you will succeed in driving me absolutely insane someday," Brandon finally said with an exasperated sigh before scooping me into his arms.

My midsection protested at the sudden move and I shrieked in pain that had Brandon gasping. 

"Baby, are you okay?" he asked, his voice shaky with fear. "Charlotte?"

"It's too late to ask that now, you brute!" I snapped at him, squeezing my eyes shut and shifting ever so slightly until I could find a comfortable angle again although my antagonized speech just added to the pain.

"You can take her back to the emergency room if you'd like the doctor to examine her," Mercel cautiously said, gesturing Brandon toward the wide door. "She didn't want medical assistance. I took a risk in patching her up. I hope you can understand that."

Brandon simply nodded to the nurse and followed her into one of the vacant beds where he gently set me down.

"You're fussing too much, you know?" I said faintly, grateful for the sudden comfort on stretching out on a bed that didn't require me to hold myself up and strain my midsection. "I'm sure I'm fine."

"You're not a medical expert and you occasionally downplay your own suffering so forgive me if I don't listen to your opinion on this," he said sternly as he stood next to me after Mercel left to get a doctor.

"As if you're any better," I grumbled, closing my eyes. "How's Anna? Is she okay? Did she really get a concussion? Is she—"

I stopped talking abruptly when my midsection thrummed with pain again and I bit my lip in an effort to ease my breathing.

"Don't worry about her now, Char," Jake finally spoke up somewhere on the other side of my bed. "She's fine. You have to concentrate on getting better yourself."

"And then we're going to talk about what happened tonight and what the devil possessed the two of you to go carousing unprotected around town in such an ungodly hour—wearing that! " Brandon started ranting off in a voice straining with bitter fury. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel it rolling off of him in waves. 

"You assured me you didn't need looking after. Now look at you! You're like a doll who'd been tossed around and dragged through the dirt. And those men had their filthy hands on you, my God!" I imagined him pulling at his hair but I didn't dare open my eyes because I might cry if I saw his face. "Have you any idea what they could've done to you if help didn't come? I can just imagine the—no, I don't want to think about it!"

"I think Brandon is falling into pieces," Jake murmured into my ear, a smile in his voice.

I still kept my eyes shut but I couldn't help smiling back. I attempted to sit up but the movement shifted my sore muscles that I groaned and fell back into the bed.

"Jake, what is it now?" Brandon demanded. "What did you do to her? Don't distress—"

"You're the one distressing her, Brand," Jake said coolly. "Do you think it's helping her having you yell at her ear after the hell she's been through? Why don't you step out for some fresh air and—"

"I'm not leaving her!"

"Then shut up and just stay with her, for God's sakes," Jake snapped and I could hear the scrape of his chair as he got up. "Hold her hand and just keep close. I'm going to go check on Anna."

Once Jake was gone, our little curtained area became enveloped in silence, the sounds of the hospital still surrounding us but seeming detached somehow.

I tentatively felt the warmth and weight of Brandon's hand as he covered mine, interlacing our fingers together. My hand instinctively curled around his as he raised it up and pressed it against his lips.

"Charlotte," he said, his voice low and gentle this time. He didn't say anything else that I wondered if he was waiting for some kind of response from me.

"Yeah?" I asked softly, slowly opening my eyes.

He was gazing at me, his hazel eyes intense with worry.

"I was so scared," he whispered, his eyes closing briefly, his long lashes brushing the skin on the back of my hand which he held. 

Despite the riot of my thoughts and emotions in the last three hours, I strangely felt instantly better, the sweet, soft ache somewhere in my chest unrelated to my injuries.

"Me too, Brand," I said with a smile. "Me too."

                   *****

"I may be doped up but I'm not going home with you to your condo, Brand."

"It's either that or I stay at your house," Brandon said as he draped his jacket over my shoulders an hour later. I was sitting on my bed at the emergency ward after going through a couple of X-rays and tests with the doctor who finally declared that my only real signifcant injuries were a couple of bruised ribs and a sprained wrist.

He'd given me the greenlight to rest at home and a prescription for some of the best painkillers he already had me sample earlier. It had an incredible numbing effect on everything that ached a while ago and gave me a floaty feeling that Brandon was keen to take advantage of in convincing me to stay in his condo.

Well, he wasn't convincing me from the sound of our conversation in the last ten minutes. He was commanding me to do it and the weak protests I made were for mere pride only.

In truth, I didn't want to be alone right now—the memories of tonight too fresh and vivid in my mind.

"Do you have chicken noodles?" I asked as he stood back and leaned down to slide my rubber flip-flops back on my feet. "The instant cup ones that just need hot water. If you do, I'll go with you. Those are my favorite."

He looked at me with a wry smile. "I'll make sure to stock up. I won't have any tonight, though. Will oatmeal do for now?"

"Okay," I said sleepily, pressing my face against his chest, his hands resting on each side of my hips. "Can we go now, please?"

"Someone escaped her room to see you," Jake's voice came around the corner as he pushed Anna's wheelchair forward. "We have about five minutes before I have to run her back."

Anna was dressed in the same light blue hospital gown which I still wore, her hair pulled back into a low ponytail, her face scrubbed clean and beautiful except for the bruise swelling on her right cheek.

"Anna! Are you okay?" I exclaimed, attempting to slip off the bed but failing when Brandon easily kept me in place with his hands on my hips. 

She smiled weakly at me, her blue eyes swimming with tears. "I'll be fine, Charlotte. Just a little banged up like you. I don't have a concussion but they're keeping me overnight just for observation because I did get hit pretty hard in the head."

I smiled back at her in relief. "That's good news." Then I remembered the exact moment I watched Anna's head snap back with the force of Vic's blow. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop him. I was... I thought..."

My voice trailed off as tears started to clog in my throat.

"It's alright, baby," Brandon murmured in my ear, rubbing my arm in soothing strokes. "It's not your fault."

"Brandon's right, Char," Anna said, shaking her head gently. "It was my fault, actually. I shouldn't have gotten so drunk. You and Tessa... You were just trying to look after me. If it weren't for me and my stupidity, we wouldn't have..."

I watched with a heavy heart as she took a deep breath and dabbed at tears on her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Charlotte. I should've listened to you."'

"It's okay, Anna," I told her softly. "I totally understand why you were in such a dark place. I did what I could to help. I'm just glad we got off lightly."

"Those scumbags wouldn't," Jake said, his handsome face dark with disdain. "They're already wanted for several counts of theft and assault but once we're done with them, they won't be walking free for a long time."

I winced inspite of my sense of justice. "Does Martin know?"

"He will tomorrow," Brandon said, eyeing his sister sternly. "I know you intentionally gave the police my name and number to keep him out of this, Anna, but he needs to know what happened. He won't be happy but he'll understand."

Anna bit her lip, her guilt plain on her face. "I know, Brand. Thank you for coming and waiting at least tomorrow to tell Dad."

"I called Tessa five minutes ago. She'll be here any minute."

Anna grimaced and I remembered her nasty conversation with her sister earlier. Tessa may still be mad and hurting about that but she had a good heart and clearly cared about her sister. She wouldn't be kept away.

"There's someone else you might want to tell, Anna," Brandon added softly, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder. "But I'll leave that to you to decide on."

I gave Brandon a grateful smile, knowing he meant Jason and seeing that he offered his sister no harsh judgement despite his opinion of the matter.

"Alright, time's running out," Jake declared. "I'll take her back to her room and maybe I'll stay with her and Tessa."

"Thanks, Jake." Brandon nodded before gently tilting Anna's chin so she could look up at him. "Sis, call me if you need anything, okay? Anything."

"Thank you, Brand."

Half an hour later, Brandon and I arrived at a magnificent high-rise building I couldn't quite appreciate in my drugged state. All I remembered was him pulling up by the entrance, dropping off his keys to a valet, and scooping me up in his arms.

He carefully carried me throughout the whole elevator ride and the short walk to his suite. 

My eyes were drifting close when he laid me on a big, soft bed, tucking some pillows underneath me so I could sit comfortably while he went away with the promise of some hot, comforting oatmeal.

Eating, even slurping down food, wasn't easy despite the painkillers but Brandon patiently held up a spoonful to my mouth each time, waiting without complaint as I took nearly half an hour to finish the small bowl.

"I need to shower," I croaked to him after he set aside the tray. "I need to... I have to wash it all away, Brand. I have to."

I wasn't sure what I was explaining since I could barely hold my end of the conversation but he looked at me and nodded as if he understood perfectly.

Lifting me in his arms, he carried me into a giant bathroom. He set me down on my feet slowly before darting into the shower stall to turn the water on.

"Let me," he said just as I reached up to undo my bun, his fingers combing gently through the knots until the heavy waves fell unbound around my shoulders and back.

I gasped softly when his hand slipped down from my hair and trailed a narrow path along my exposed spine, his fingers nimbly untying the pair of strings that held my hospital gown together. Even in my woozy state, I was distinctly aware of my nipples hardening beneath the thin fabric as I braced myself against suddenly getting stripped naked before Brandon.

He made no move to push off the gown though. He simply walked up behind me, the heat of his body chasing away the chill from my exposed back, his hand gathering my hair and draping it over one shoulder.

"I'll find you something to wear," he whispered, his lips brushing the side of my neck. "If you need help with anything, I'll be outside. Don't hesitate to call me."

He stepped in front of me and pressed a kiss on my forehead before moving away and quietly closing the door behind him, leaving me alone and shivering not from the cold or remnants of my fear but from the heat that Brandon's proximity stirred in the deepest, most intimate parts of me.

It's just for tonight, Charlotte. Tonight, you just can't be alone. 

Despite my reassurances though, I knew that while I was safe from harm in Brandon's care, I was in a different kind of peril at the same time—the kind that will bruise and break my heart.

Sighing, I shrugged the gown off and stepped into the shower, refusing to look at the mirror until I washed off the grime and memories of tonight's events.

The warm water helped with my aching, exhausted muscles and cleared the fog in my head a little.

I couldn't find any regular soap so I poured a dollop of some kind of men's shampoo directly on my head and let the water lather it up to wash down the rest of my body because my one hand was sprained and bound while the other was bandaged from the cuts I got from the beer bottle.

A clean sandalwood scent rose with the steam in the shower and I smiled. It smelled the way Brandon did all the time. 

Satisfied with how clean I felt, I turned off the water and reached for the thick white towel that hung on the wall, wrapping it around myself. 

A soft knock came on the door.

"Come in."

Brandon stepped halfway through the door, already dressed in a white cotton shirt and dark blue pajamas, pausing to make sure I was covered up although he didn't look away quickly enough to disguise the flare of interest that lit up his eyes when he saw the towel wrapped around my dripping form. 

"I found you some underwear in the bags Felicity had delivered here earlier but I couldn't find your regular clothes without going through each bag so you can just use one of my shirts for now," he said, walking in and setting down a folded, plain white shirt on the leather bench tucked in the corner of the massive bathroom. A pair of white lace panties was on top of it.

My cheeks warmed at the thought of Brandon rifling through my underwear but I didn't say anything. 

He walked up to the vanity and pulled open a bottom drawer where he took out a new toothbrush from a set. He slipped it in the slate cup that held a near identical which I assumed was his.

"Come on, let's get you dressed and ready for bed," he said gently, grabbing a smaller towel and wrapping it around my hair, squeezing the water out. "You don't look like you'll last much longer on your feet."

I let him dry my hair, enjoying the soft presses of the towel against my face every now and then. 

"It's going to hurt lifting your arms to put a shirt on so I found you a button-up one," he explained, picking up the shirt and undoing each of the button. "You can, er, cover up, if you'd like but I'll have to slip each sleeve through your arm so you don't strain yourself too much, okay?"

"Okay." I slowly extended my left arm and let him slide it through the sleeve while my right clutched the towel tightly in place. I switched and did the same thing with my right arm.

He started doing up the top buttons, the oversized fit of the shirt allowing room for the towel to stay wrapped around my body.

"I'll turn around so you can put your undies on," he said, a faint smile curving on one corner of his mouth.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I asked, only managing a weak glare and no heat in my words.

His own smile broadened. "I like taking care of you."

I rolled my eyes. "Just close your eyes, Brand. No peeking though."

I let the towel slip down to the floor but bending over to step into my underwear proved more challenging. The muscles in my midsection smarted despite being nearly numb and my sprained wrist couldn't apply much force without some pain.

"Need help?" he asked, his eyes still closed.

"I thought you're an expert at getting panties off, not putting them on," I said wryly as I pulled the underwear all the way up over my bum. 

"I'm flexible." He shrugged but kept smiling.

"You can open your eyes now," I said as I straightened, wincing slightly.

"You okay?" he asked when he noticed my expression. 

I took a shallow breath. "Yeah. I will be."

My hands reached down to finish buttoning the shirt up but Brandon grasped my wrists, moving them away. He widened the gap of the shirt and I opened up my mouth to protest but whatever I had to say died in my throat when his fingers slipped under the shirt and carefully traced the area where I was injured.

"I want to see." He swallowed hard and gently tugged the shirt up, revealing my thighs, underwear and belly.

I made no move to stop him as he revealed the still-red bruises that formed a clustered band just below my breasts. Some were a darker red and tinged with purple.

The hand that was touching my skin curled into a fist as Brandon stiffened, barely restraining his anger.

"I wish... I wish I could've been there," he said hoarsely, his jaw clenching.

I pushed his hand away and let the shirt's hem fall. "I'm glad you weren't because I'd hate to have to explain to your father why I'm bailing you out of jail."

His expression softened with a smile. "No matter what happens, the light in you just never goes out, does it?"

His comment tugged at something inside of me but I masked it with a shrug. "Self-sustaining inner sunshine. I should patent this and get rich."

He laughed and brushed a lock of hair off my cheek. "No. I want to keep it all to myself."

And will I burn brighter or eventually die out?

Before we could say more, he grabbed both our toothbrushes and put some toothpaste on them. It was hard for me to do it properly with my bandaged palm but Brandon waited patiently, dabbing my mouth with a towel once we were done.

Once that was done, he swept me up in his arms again and carried me to the bed, pulling the covers over my bare legs and tucking them under my chin.

"I'll sleep in the couch," he said, grabbing a spare pillow and pointing to the long, plush sofa that extended along the length of his glass wall where I could already spy the soft pastel glow of the dawn outside.

"No, stay here," I said, surprising myself but quickly realizing that I meant it. "The bed's big enough."

He hesitated for all of five seconds before he tossed the pillow back on the bed and slipped under the covers, turning to face me. He reached up and turned the lamps off, shrouding the room in shadows.

"Thank you for taking care of me," I said as my eyes drifted close, feeling his fingers gently comb through my slightly damp hair. "It's been so long I've forgotten how it feels like."

"You're going to have to get used to it now," he said and I could hear the smile in his voice. "I'll do it all the time."

I smiled and snuggled up closer to him, drawn to the warmth and protection of his body. 

After a long stretch of silence, he said, "Thank you, Charlotte."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for what you did for Anna," he explained. "She told me what happened and what you did for her."

I bit my lip. "She's in love, Brand, with a man she can't have. A man who belongs to someone else. It's destroying her."

"Love is pretty terrifying," he murmured, slowly slipping an arm over my hip, careful not to touch anywhere I was injured. "To have someone hold that much power over you. They can either make you really happy or rip you to shreds."

"It sounds scary if you put it that way," I agreed before letting out a big, long yawn.

The sound of Brandon's voice, the motion of his fingers through my hair, and the protective arm he had over my hips made for a perfect combination that lulled me deeper into sleep.

"Will you do it?" I heard him asking. "Even if it's scary, will you do it?"

"If he's worth it, I will," I mumbled absently. "Will you?"

"If she's worth it, I will."

Fragments of my earlier conversation with Anna flitted through my consciousness as I pressed my cheek against Brandon's hard chest where his heart pounded steadily—a heart that beat for another woman. I felt the sense of loss but immediately quelled it.

If tonight was the only night I get to have with Brandon, I wouldn't waste it regretting what couldn't be. Even if it hurt, I owed it to him, after everything I said to his sister, to allow him to make the choice while he still could.

"You can still cancel the wedding, you know?" I murmured. "I'll understand. I want you to be happy."

"Canceling the wedding isn't going to make me happy."

"If she owns your heart, Brand, you have to choose her or live a life of regret with someone else. Choose her."

Even if it isn't me. Choose her if it will make you happy.

I felt Brandon's lips brush my cheek as my last conscious thought seeped out of my mind. 

The last thing I remembered was him whispering, "I am choosing her, Charlotte. I'm choosing her forever."

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So... long one, huh? LOL.

If I were to base it on the voting trend, you guys like longer chapters. I wrote this one because the scenes felt they needed to stick together and also because I wanted to give you something substantial to stay with while I take a week-long hiatus to prepare for a very important exam. Wish me luck!

I hope you like this chapter. The book has been getting so many reads now and finally showing up in the What's Hot List for Non-Fiction and Romance, all thanks to you who took interest and read it.

Please keep voting so we can keep this story going. Comment if there's anything you'd like to say...

Will miss you all till next week! 

XOXO! Ninya

♪♪♪ Chapter Soundtrack: Breathe In Breathe Out by Mat Kearney♪♪♪

Hold on hold tight,

From out of your sight,
If everything keeps moving on, moving on,
Hold on hold tight,
Make it through another night,
And everyday there comes a song with the dawn,
We push and pull and I fall down sometimes,
I'm not letting go,
You hold the other line.

Cause there is a light, in your eyes, in your eyes.
There is a light, in your eyes, in your eyes.

Breathe in, and breathe out.

==================