Page 26 of Claiming Charlotte

I leaned over the toilet, trying to focus on the feeling of throwing up rather than the feeling of phantom hands on my body. Rowan pulled my hair back as I let loose, spilling what little contents were in my stomach, I was done; but I kept heaving. Maybe if I threw up enough it would make the dirty feeling go away. I just want it to go away.

As I wiped my mouth, Rowan spoke.

“Charlotte, are you okay?”

A tear slid down my cheek as I turned and sat on the floor. He joined me, keeping a safe distance reassuring me that I wasn’t alone.

I choked on my words as I spoke. “I tried to pretend that it was you every time,” I said. “I thought that it would help me rationalize the abuse, but it never worked.”

Rowan reached out with his bandaged hand, withdrawing?it before he could touch me. I imagined that he’d thought better of it, and I moved my hand closer, meeting his halfway and giving it a tight squeeze.

“Rowan, I would have never stabbed you, I’m so sorry.”

I couldn’t hide the sorrow and guilt in my voice. He sighed sadly and leaned into me, holding me as I cried and stroked my back in his own way of comforting me. We sat like that for what seemed like hours.

He never left.

12

SIX WEEKS LATER….

Istood in the small bathroom inside my father’s study and mentally prepared myself for the meeting. Everyone expected me to assume my role as head of the family. People were counting on me to lead, but they didn’t know what I’d been through. It seemed as though everyone had already moved on from the events that happened, and I wondered why I couldn’t.

I hadn’t even thought about taking the reins since my captivity, and after the torture I? endured, I didn’t know if I was worthy. How could I protect my people if I couldn’t protect myself? A heavy sadness weighed on my heart, and it wouldn’t go away. Accompanied with the stabbing pain in my abdomen I suffered for most of the morning, I just wanted to crawl into bed alone to deal with it. It started in my core and seemed to be spreading, like knives cutting into me, and I started to think I may have caught something from one of my rapists.

I think I’d done a good job of pretending I was okay. I knew that above all else, they needed a leader who could rise above, taking the negative and spinning it into a positive.

Nicole's words echoed in my head. Women in this world are forced to make sacrifices for the sake of the family…

How could I do that if I felt dead inside? Entombed within myself, allowing thoughts of what was done to me to run rampant in my head and torture me mentally.

I took a deep breath and straightened, ignoring the pain that wrapped around my body attacking my lower back.

Time to fake it again… Joining everyone in my father’s study— my study. As the door clicked shut behind me, I could audibly hear everyone’s heads turn to stare at me.

Most of the men in the room were survivors of Walker's attack, but there were a few new ones that Thomas and Arthur swore were trustworthy. They probably didn’t know what had happened or had heard whispered rumors about it and wanted the truth which I wouldn’t give.

The sight of them spoke to my anxiety and I began shaking, rubbing my sweaty palms on my skirt every so often. Taking a few steps forward I found I couldn’t go any further. My legs wouldn't allow me to continue, so I'd have to speak to my people from a distance. I glanced at Thomas, and his face held a look of understanding. I hoped others felt the same and knew I was trying my best.

“First off, thank you to those who remained loyal and helped with cleanup.”

Somebody had to dispose of the bodies and replace the furniture, broken windows, and bullet-riddled wallpaper. I could hear the nervousness laced within my voice, and the longer I stood there, the more pronounced my shaking became. I swallowed past the lump in my throat and kept going.

“The real reason for this meeting is to discuss a plan going forward. Due to recent…events, we’re going to have to plan and calculate how to hit them harder, where it hurts; like they did to us. We need to show them their mediocre attempt at a takeover did not phase us. We need to show them what happens when they mess with the Bennetts. Every Walker head on a spike lined along the walkway of this house. They wanted a war gentlemen. They have one.”

Thomas and Arthur smiled proudly as they stood up and flanked me, facing the room. Their presence and unspoken loyalty gave me courage to continue speaking. I smiled at the brothers, grateful that they supported me, and a man stood up approaching me with a vase in his hands.

“Miss. Bennett, this is for you,” and he handed it to me.

I turned it over in my hands and gasped, realizing it was an urn. I gazed at the man in confusion. “What is this?”

He looked uncomfortable. “It’s your father. I was tasked with taking care of him,” he said.

I studied him in all his embarrassment. I had the feeling that he truly meant well. I held out my hand to him and he took it.

“Thank you for helping,” I said. He nodded and returned to his seat. Sadly, my father’s wishes were unknown to me, I never got the chance to ask.

I set the urn gently on my desk and turned to Thomas and Arthur. “We’ve already deployed a few men to infiltrate and attempt to take them down from the inside. They will bring us intel and we will use those findings to our advantage. For safety, those involved will not be named, but you know who you are.”

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