Chapter 17

Lakyn drives me home to abuela's house in silence. I can feel my heart slowly breaking as the car edges closer and closer to the point where I will have to step out of it, unsure of what the future holds. Red car, green car, lady with a dog, man walking with his child, I follow the ongoings of the streets not knowing where to look or what to say.

The silence becomes deafening between us, like a hollow void that would suck out any sound I tried to make and carry both of us into the abyss of nothing. It holds with it all the unspoken words I wish I could tell him, but nothing I say could make this right at this point. I cannot make a statement. I endure months of torture and making a statement against that man would bring nothing but the fire of his whole family and their connections down on me. There's nothing quite like a scorned, spoiled brat of a child in a wealthy family. He would go to the ends of the Earth to make me pay for what happened.

We finally pull up to my place. I can feel the well of tears in my eyes as I try to hold them back, as I try to contain within me all the hurt at the unknown before me. I look at Lakyn, his hands now gripping and rubbing at the pant material on his thighs; he's anxious. I silently plead with him, waiting for him to look at me, say something, do anything.

"You need to get out Charlie." is all he musters as he maintains the same eye contact out the windshield.

"Can we please talk?" I beg.

"About what Charlie? Charges are dropped. There's nothing more to it."

"What do you mean dropped? Ben doesn't just drop things! He takes and takes until you have nothing left, until he feels like he won!" I scream at him, the tears pouring down my face. I can't take it anymore.

"He won. Don't worry about that. He won. Now I need you to go inside." his demeanour is cold. He continues to rub up and down his legs and I instinctively reach out to grab his hand.

I hold his hand and he stiffens, almost shocked and pauses before pulling his hand away and aggressively rubbing his eyes, as if he could gouge them out and make this situation go away.

"Charlie, please just get out."

There's no winning. Nothing I can do right now. He won't talk to me, look at me, even acknowledge me.

"I'm sorry." I whisper, before opening the door and stepping out of the car.

I slowly make my way up the walkway, putting the key in the door, and turning back to see Lakyn already gone. I walk in to find Stefan and abuela rushing from the other room with the main window, having been watching everything from inside. I take one look at both of them, and begin hysterically laughing and crying.

They both look at each other alarmed.

"Where you two just watching us from the window?!" I laugh, cry and hiccup out.

Stefan looks at me like I have gone crazy, as the hiccups turn into heavy breaths as all air seems to enter and escape my lungs without ever providing any oxygen. I heave and heave as the hole in my chest becomes so big it fills my chest and consumes my lungs. I cry and howl as I collapse into my brothers arms, unable to maintain control anymore.

"Charlie what happened? Talk to me. We're here for you." Stefan tells me, but I can't muster the words.

I can't get out that Ben has taken another thing from me, that he's ruined my life once again, that anything good that enters it he has to destroy.

I cry into him until the void shrinks and I can breathe again, then I leave them, gaping mouths as I shut the door, enter the shower, and sit for what feels like hours in the steaming bathroom.

-----------

White walls, white desk, grey carpet, sliding doors in front of me, all bland, boring, cliche. It's been 4 days since Lakyn left my at the house. I had texted him multiple times, begging him to just talk to me about what happened, but he ignored all of them.

I suppose that's it. It was only two weeks Charlie, you can't fall for someone that hard in two weeks.

But you could. The feeling within me was nothing but a sense of loss, a loss at what could have been. Lakyn felt like a breath of fresh air, like something good was finally coming into my life, and in one night it was taken from me by a man I hated the most.

"How's it going honey?" Ethan says coming down to the reception to see me swinging myself around in my chair, legs out hanging like a small child. In that moment I felt like one, unable to understand or process my emotions, unable to understand why something had been taken from me so abruptly.

"Everything is great. Living the dream." I tell him.

"Come get a coffee with me? I have time." he asks me.

"Can't. I'm the only one here." Still swinging around.

With that the door before me opens, and the unmistakeable swagger of Ben walks in. I stop swinging and stare at him, almost hoping that the hatred from my eyes could possibly make him combust into thin air and I would be free from him.

Ethan looks at me confused, waiting for me to welcome a client but I say nothing.

"Ah, welcome! How can we help you today?" Ethan takes the lead, walking out to greet him and shake his hands.

Ben looks down at his outstretched hand then at me, smirking.

"I want her to welcome me." He says.

"Welcome." I reply back sombrely.

"Is that anyway to welcome a potential client Charlie?" he asks smugly.

"Charlie... who is this?" Ethan turns to me confused as to why the tension between me and this stranger is so high, he obviously doesn't remember Ben's face from the other night. I can't say I blame him, it was dark and he wasn't there for long enough for Ethan to get a truly good look at him.

"Ethan, Ben. Ben, Ethan." I reply.

Ethan's eyes widen realising this is the same Ben from Saturday night, the same Ben that had ruined my potential relationship with Lakyn.

"Do you want your taxes done? If so then I will organise your appointment." Ethan tells him, contempt filled in his voice at the man before him.

"I want to talk to Charlie."

"She's busy."

"She doesn't look busy." he replies slyly.

"What do you want Ben?" I ask, sick of this cat and mouse game.

"I wanted to see how you were." He fakes concern, "I heard your new boyfriend dumped you."

"And how would you know that?"

"I have a buddy in the police force. He had a nice conversation with Lakyn. All charges were dropped of course, I don't want bad blood. But everything comes at a price Charlie." his smile makes me sick, "Anyway, now that your single, we should get together for a drink, catchup on old times."

"I would rather throw myself in a vat of acid." I tell him, with no word of a lie in my sentence.

He smiles at me before turning and walking out. I finally take the breath I was holding and let some tears stream out. Confusion fills my head, everything comes at a price, I have a buddy in the police force.

My mind scrambles to catchup to what he meant as Ethan kneels before me trying to shake me out of my thoughts. It hits me like a lightning bolt. Of course he did. Of course he dropped the charges, at a price; me. The bile in my stomach makes it's way up my throat as I realise what has happened, what he has done and how he has continued to influence my life.

I stand up and hastily pack my stuff. I can vaguely hear Ethan in the background as he asks me what's going on and what am I doing. I tell him there's something I have to do, before racing out.

This is the last time this man ruins my life.