Page 35 of A New Love

"Ugh, why is this so hard?" Charlotte sighed, setting the blouse back on the rack. She knew that her indecisiveness wasn't solely about clothing – it was a symptom of her deep-rooted people-pleasing tendencies. And now, more than ever, she wanted to make the right impression on Simon and fit in with the locals.

As she debated her outfit options, a sudden ringing broke through her thoughts. Her phone lit up with Daniel's name, and her stomach clenched with anxiety. She hesitated, unsure whether to answer or let it go to voicemail. But the familiar pull of pleasing others won out, and she reluctantly pressed the green button.

"Hello?" she said tentatively, her voice betraying her unease.

"Charlotte," Daniel's clipped tone came through the speaker, sending shivers down her spine. "We need to talk."

"Daniel, I'm kind of busy right now," she replied, attempting to regain control of the conversation. The thought of dealing with him while also stressing over her date with Simon felt overwhelming.

"Too busy for your husband?" Daniel scoffed, the edge in his voice cutting through her defenses. "It's important, Charlotte."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reminding herself that she had every right to prioritize her own needs. And that he didn’t want to be her husband anymore. But as she opened her mouth to tell him that, the words caught in her throat – old habits were hard to break.

"Fine," she said, her voice wavering. "What's so important? I’m visiting Chesham Cove for a while, so there’s a big time difference. It’s getting late here."

It was just a little white lie.

As Daniel began to speak, Charlotte glanced back at the mirror, torn between two worlds. One where she would continue to cater to others' desires and one where she could finally live for herself. And as her husband's demands echoed through the phone, she knew that only one could lead to true happiness.

"Wait, you're in England?" Daniel's voice was full of shock and disbelief. "What the hell are you doing there, Charlotte? We have unfinished business here, and you just up and leave?"

The surprise in his tone made her wince. She should have known that he would find out sooner or later, but she hadn't expected it to be this soon. As much as she wanted to assert herself and tell him that she needed a fresh start, she couldn't bring herself to do so.

"Daniel, I... I'm sorry," she stammered, her heart pounding in her chest. "I just needed some time to think, to figure things out."

"Figure things out?" He scoffed. "This is not the time for you to run away on some wild adventure. We need to finalize our divorce, Charlotte."

The mention of their impending divorce sent a wave of conflicting emotions through her. Though she knew that their marriage had been crumbling for years, the finality of it all still left her feeling vulnerable and lost. But at the same time, her experiences in England – the people she'd met, the new joy she'd discovered – filled her with a sense of hope and excitement that she hadn't felt in a long time.

"Daniel, I know we need to deal with the divorce, but I also need to deal with myself," Charlotte said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I can't keep living my life for everyone else. I need to find who I am again."

"Who you are?" Daniel's voice was cold and unyielding. "You're my wife, Charlotte. And as your husband, I expect you to come home and take care of what needs to be done."

Charlotte looked down at her hands, clenched together in her lap. She could feel the weight of her old life bearing down on her, the pressure to conform and please others threatening to crush her newfound dreams. She thought of Simon and the kindness he'd shown her, the way his eyes had lit up when they talked about art and books. Could she really give all that up to return to a life that had left her so unfulfilled?

"Daniel," she began, her voice trembling with the effort to stand her ground, "I need this time for myself. I promise I'll come back when I'm ready, but for now, please –" Her voice broke, tears welling up in her eyes. "Please let me have this."

There was a tense silence on the other end of the line, and Charlotte held her breath, waiting for Daniel's response. But as the seconds ticked by, I wondered if she was making a terrible mistake.

Charlotte's fingers tightened around the phone, her heart pounding in her ears as she considered the weight of Daniel's words. The warm sunlight streaming through the window cast a golden glow on the room, but it did little to alleviate the chill that had settled over her spirit.

"Daniel," she whispered, feeling the pressure of his demands and the crushing weight of her own doubts, "I can't just drop everything and come home. I need to know who I am outside of our life together. You said it yourself."

His silence unnerved her, making her question the path she had chosen. It was true, she'd been impulsive in coming to England, but the thrill of adventure and self-discovery had been irresistible. Was it really so wrong to chase after her own happiness for once?

"Charlotte," Daniel said, his voice cold and measured, "you have responsibilities at home. You can't just run away from them."

She closed her eyes, picturing their life together – the house filled with expensive furniture, the endless dinner parties with friends that he was close with, but she barely knew, and the growing chasm between them that seemed impossible to bridge. A tear slid down her cheek as she struggled to find the words to express the depth of her longing for something more.

"Daniel, I'm not running away," she finally managed, her voice wavering. "I'm trying to find myself again. To remember what it's like to be passionate, to explore the world without fear or limitation. I need this, just like you said. We both deserve better, remember? Both of us."

"Both of us?" he scoffed. "How does you abandoning me benefit our relationship?"

"Daniel," she said softly, her heart heavy with the knowledge of the truth that had remained unspoken for too long, "we don’t have a relationship. You depended on me for years and then raked me over the coals for it. That's not love. I'm staying here."

There was another pause, and Charlotte held her breath, waiting for his response. She knew that her decision to stay in England was selfish in some ways, but she couldn't deny the happiness that had been rekindled within her since arriving in this quaint village.

"Fine," Daniel finally said, his voice icy. "Stay in England. All this can be done over email."

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