Chapter 99

• Charlotte stepped into the bedroom alone, the door's soft click echoing like a judge's gavel, sealing her in moonlit silence. The familiar opulence—navy silk drapes on the king-sized four-poster, ember-lit fireplace casting flickering shadows, cedar-leather scent lingering from Howard's presence—triggered a violent cascade of past-life memories. Heart hammering, she froze mid-step, visions assaulting her like shattered glass, yanking her back to their first day at Carter Mansion.
• —
• Sunlight slanted through French doors, gilding the pristine four-poster bed and wilting lilies on her nightstand. Newlywed Charlotte—gown rumpled from a hasty courthouse ceremony, from no high-class family—stood clutching her small suitcase, heart fluttering with fragile hope. Howard loomed by the window in a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled, jaw granite-hard. He turned, dark eyes raking her with raw contempt, no warmth in the opulent space.