AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Bother me? Love, you could never.And what do you mean he’s gone?" There was a shift in the atmosphere, eventhrough the phone line, as if Simon had risen to his feet. "What ofLiam?"
"Henry left a note... it doesn’tsay much. I don't know what to do." Tears threatened to spill over, butshe fought them back. "I've tried calling, texting. There's nothing.Roxanne flew off the handle again, and I don’t know where she is. It’s allfalling apart in the worst way. Oh, Simon."
"Hey, hey..." Simon's voicewas a soothing balm, a steadying presence amid the chaos. "Take a breathfor me, alright? I'm here for you."
Charlotte breathed out, clutching thephone like a lifeline. She said a prayer of thanks for Simon—he was theantithesis of the men she'd known, a stark contrast to Daniel's cold,controlling nature and Henry's unpredictable one.
"Listen, Charlotte, we'll figurethis out together, okay?" His words were a vow, a silent promise thatstretched across the distance between them. "Just give me a few minutes tosort things out on my end, and I'll be right there."
"Okay," Charlotte replied,her heart finding a semblance of calm in the storm. She ended the call andmoved toward the window, gazing out at the undulating waves.
Twenty minutes later, the wooden floorsof The Old Crown Inn creaked a familiar tune as Simon's sturdy boots crossedthe threshold, his presence immediately filling the quaint space with a senseof solidity. Charlotte glanced up from where she was perched on the edge of anantique armchair, her fingers knotted in her lap. She had managed to dress, soat least she wasn’t in pajamas. Liam had not yet woken. Simon’s face, usuallyso weather-beaten and cheery, was etched with lines of concern.
"Charlotte," he said, hisvoice a deep timbre that seemed to resonate within the walls of the inn itself,"tell me everything."
She rose to meet him, her movementsslightly unsteady, like a ship adjusting to the sway of the ocean after aviolent storm. Simon's hands found her shoulders, grounding her. "I wokeup and he was gone," she confessed, the words spilling out of her amid atangle of emotions. "And Roxanne—"
"Shh, it's alright," heinterrupted gently, guiding her back to the chair. "We'll take it step bystep. I'm here now. What do you need from me?"
Charlotte searched Simon's eyes. Inthem, she saw reflected not just her own worry, but a promise of shelterthrough whatever gale life threw her way.
"Stay with Liam," she urged,her voice steadier than she felt. "He shouldn't be alone right now. I haveto find Roxanne."
Simon nodded, releasing his gentle holdto instead cradle her hands in his. "I'll look after the lad. You focus onfinding your sister. You know this village well; if anyone can find her, it'syou."
With one last reassuring squeeze, sheturned away, the hem of her dress whispering along the floorboards as she movedtoward the door.
"Be careful," Simon calledafter her. Outside, the crisp air of Chesham Cove greeted Charlotte, the scentof salt and earth mingling together like an old, comforting melody. She pausedfor a moment, letting the hint of coming fall breeze brush against her cheeks,whispering secrets of the sea. It was in these quiet moments that she oftenfound clarity, the kind that only a canvas of endless skies and rolling tidescould inspire.
With each step she took, thecobblestone streets unraveled beneath her, leading her away from the turmoil atthe inn and toward the unknown.
She thought about her sister, aboutwhere she might have gone to ground, racking her brain for ideas. Then, sherecalled Roxie’s love of the city, of luxury, and her comments on theold-fashionedness of The Crown. Roxanne had slept somewhere last night, andCharlotte had a strong idea where.
The soft crunch of pebbles underfootpunctuated Charlotte's brisk pace as she navigated the curve of Chesham Cove’sbeach. The early morning light cast a golden hue over the shifting sands,creating a pathway that glimmered with the promise of revelations yet tounfold. The shifting tips of the dunes whispered secrets to Charlotte as shecontinued her search. The beach was a canvas of soft pastels under the morningsun. Each step left a fleeting imprint on the damp sand, a reminder of hertransient worries.
Ahead, before Charlotte even reachedthe place she had been heading, a solitary figure disrupted the harmony of theseascape—a silhouette etched against the vastness of the ocean. Charlotte'sheart, which had been a drumbeat of concern, skipped with a surge of relief.She recognized the poise, the tilt of the head—it was Roxanne.
Her sister sat motionless on an oldwooden bench that had weathered many a storm, much like the two womenthemselves. Its flaking paint and creaking wood spoke of its own tale ofendurance. Charlotte quickened her pace, her feet now light upon the sand, urgencymelting.
"Roxie?" Her voice was halfswallowed by the breeze as she neared.
Roxanne looked up, and the sight of hertear-stained face pulled at Charlotte's heartstrings. The raw redness aroundRoxanne's eyes spoke more vividly than words ever could, revealing avulnerability rarely seen in her bold and sassy sister.
"Hey," Charlotte said softly,easing herself onto the bench beside Roxanne. The seat gave a gentle groanunder their shared weight, as if acknowledging the gravity of the moment.
"Charlotte…" Roxanne's voicewas hoarse, each syllable heavy with unshed tears.
"Shh, it's alright."Charlotte reached out, her fingers brushing Roxanne's hand, offering silentcomfort.
"Talk to me," she encouragedgently, her eyes searching Roxanne's. "Why did you leave and not come backlast night? You know I wasn’t taking sides."
Around them, the world seemed to holdits breath, the gentle rhythm of the waves pausing as if giving space forRoxanne to find her words. The sea stretched endlessly before them, its horizona line drawn between the known and the unknown.
Roxanne inhaled deeply, her chestrising and falling with a shaky breath that seemed to carry the weight of theworld. She turned away from the vast expanse of water to gaze into Charlotte'seyes, a silent plea for understanding shining through the glistening moisturethat lingered on her lashes.
"I know you came to tell me he'sgone again," Roxanne's voice cracked as she spoke, each word dragged outfrom the depths of her frustration. "Henry...”
Charlotte knew Roxanne could see rightthrough her. “He just left a note, and—"
