Pride & Perimenopause : A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Beth Byers

Author:Beth Byers [Byers, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-02-27T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

The buzz of Charlotte’s phone woke her, and she rose to check on Mrs. Bates, ignoring the call when she saw it was from Collins. She’d slept in spurts, setting her alarm like Hetty did to wake in time to administer the next dose of medicine, or to feed Mrs. Bates, or change her.

Three phone calls later, she answered.

“Is this for real?” Collins demanded. “You’ve barely been gone a week and now we’re getting divorced?”

“I told you that I was done.” Charlotte examined Mrs. Bates. The woman needed to be changed again. Charlotte couldn’t do that while she was on the phone. “Collins, I’m taking care of—”

“I know your schedule, Charlotte!” he nearly spewed. “I am not giving up on us like this.”

Charlotte could so easily imagine him. He had the tiny office just outside of Catherine’s. Knowing Catherine, she was standing right behind Collins, judging their phone call.

“You already have, Collins. Every single time that you prioritized Catherine over me. Every single time you saw me as an accessory. Every single time that you—”

It was like a dam was bursting inside of her. Maybe this time, maybe for once he would hear her, he would understand.

“Charlotte,” he interrupted sharply. “What is going on?”

Or not, Charlotte thought. Even when she answered him, he couldn’t possibly hear her. He was probably trying to put together his little witticisms, searching for the right combination of compliments to soften her up and draw her back to the house.

“Collins,” Charlotte said softly. “I’m sorry. I tried to be a good wife. I tried to look after you and the boys and count all my blessings—”

“Why did you stop? This isn’t like you. We’re soulmates. We were truly made for each other. I don’t know how many times I’ve told Catherine that. You know I would never have found you without her advice. If she hadn’t told me that I needed to marry—”

She couldn’t listen to this story again. It was nothing more than a fairytale of lies he liked to tell himself and whatever audience he had trapped. “I never should have married you.”

“What?” He was crying again. “We were in love.”

“You wanted Jane,” Charlotte said, feeling the tears filling her eyes. “You wanted Jane and then Lizzie. I was your last choice, and you only considered me because I gave you compliments and listened to your nonsense.”

“Nonsense?”

“You wanted the best version of a female accessory you thought you could get, and I was that. I cajoled and looked up to you and hung on your words and you wanted that so I was suddenly beautiful to you, and you claimed we were suddenly soulmates.”

The sound of snot and choking coming through the phone was uncomfortable. To her surprise, she felt a hand on hers. She glanced down and Mrs. Bates was looking up at her, aware. Her hand squeezed Charlotte’s lightly, and Charlotte bit down on her bottom lip. She needed to end this phone call, but she needed to make it clear to Collins as well that they were done.

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