Cruel Trust

Thirty-Four

"What are you doing here?" she asked, barely able to meet my eyes. 

"I was wondering if we could talk."

"Really? You actually want to talk to me?"

"I know; it surprised me too," I said, not meaning to be sarcastic, but my tone said otherwise.

To my surprise, she laughed. "Come in, Charlotte," she said, opening the door wide and stepping aside.

I did, and we headed out to the back deck. I settled in a low deck chair, and she sank into a seat across from me. We just sat in silence for a moment, neither one of us quite knowing where to start.

Finally, I spoke. "Julia, I need to admit something to you."

"Okay."

"I went to Liam's house the other day. I don't know what I was hoping to accomplish, but he obviously wasn't home. But before I left, you pulled up," I said, twisting my hands together.

"What? Charlotte, are you insane? How could you do that—he's dangerous," she said, and I got the feeling it was the first time she had admitted it out loud.

I nodded. "I know, I know. Andrew already gave me a hard time. But anyway, I followed you in."

"Oh."

"I saw you writing the note, and I'm not going to lie, Julia. When you left, I read it." My eyes filled with tears as I remembered her words, and I looked up at the sky just to avoid her gaze. I expected her to get angry, but when I felt her hand on mine, I looked down at her.

"It's okay, Charlotte. I'm glad you read it, and I need you to know I meant every word. And I'm sorry doesn't even begin to cover it. But I am—I am so unbelievably sorry for all of it. It wasn't supposed to go that far, but I never should have been so vindictive. You've been nothing but a good friend to me, and I screwed you over. I can't sleep—I can't think about anything else besides you losing your baby." Her voice broke then, and she began to sob. "If I had never set you up with that psycho, none of it would've ever happened. How did I not see what he was?" she asked, more to herself than to me.

I stood up and crouched beside her chair. "Julia. Breathe. First of all, I fell for him too. He's a sociopath—part of that is being able to charm people and fool them. And what's worse, you have a mental illness. He knew that, and he capitalized on it. Like you said in the letter, you have responsibility in this too, but it is ultimately his fault. I have thought about this a lot, Julia, and that's the conclusion I've come to," I said, sitting back in my chair and scooting it closer to her when my ankles felt weak. She was still crying, but her sobs had subsided. "Are you back on your medication?" I asked.

"Yes, and I have a new psychiatrist. A woman this time," she said, and I held back a laugh.

"Good." I took a deep breath and leaned forward in my chair. "There's something else I need to tell you."

"What is it?" she asked, looking nervous.

"I'm pregnant."

Her face lit up. "You are? Oh my God, Charlotte. That's so amazing!" she squealed, and for a moment, she looked like the old Julia, the one who I knew—and trusted.

"I know. I just told Andrew last night. Hell, I just figured it out yesterday morning when I projectile vomited."

"Charlotte, I'm so happy for you guys."

"Thank you. That means a lot."

"Of course."

We sat in silence for a moment before I spoke again." Julia, have you seen Liam?"