Thanks for all the amazing review and your reactions to the previous chapter. I am working overtime this week prepping for big fund-raiser at my kids school so I will probably be only able to update once per day if that. I will do my best but no guarantees. Please continue with the reviews, it just makes my day!
Christian POV
I thought I would be furious that Charlotte choose Harper over me, instead I'm broken. How did we even get here? Why did I have to fly off the handle and make her choose? I was stupid to think she would choose me over the man she says that she loves. I fall to the ground at the bottom of the stairs and Emily runs over to me.
"Dad, what did you do? Where did Charlie go?"
I say nothing instead I am lost.
What did I do?
I hear Emily run up the stairs and call for Ana. Oh no, how am I going to tell my wife that our daughter is gone and probably not coming home?
I want to crawl under a rock.
"Where's Charlotte Christian?"
I can't even look up, I know what I've done can't be undone now.
"Gone."
"What do you mean she's gone?"
"I made her choose him or me and she chose him."
There is no way I can tell her that I made her choose Kellan or our family. I couldn't break her heart even more.
I hear her gasp and Emily is the first to react.
"I will never forgive you dad if she doesn't come home."
Finally I get the balls to turn around and look up the stairs. When I see Ana I don't know how she's feeling. She is gripping onto the banister with a vice like grip like it's the only thing holding her up.
"It's like we have gone back 25 years, but this time our daughter chose to fight what she wanted instead of letting it go away."
I don't know if she meant for me to hear that but she turns and goes back up the stairs to our room.
How am I ever going to ever make this right?
Ana POV
My baby's gone. I don't know what to do. I'm so angry with Christian, I've never been this angry with him. My heart feels like it was ripped out of my chest. My baby is gone. The truth is if I were Charlie I would have chosen the same thing, but 25 years ago I didn't.
I sit on the edge of our bed and just stare at a family photo taken just a few months ago on the wall. We all looked so happy, now I don't know if I will ever have that again. All because my husband flew off the handle, and didn't think rationally in any respect.
What am I going to do? I need to get a hold of Charlie. I dial her number, but it goes straight to voicemail. I imagine that she's on her way to the airport. I call Sawyer to ask for his help. I need to see Charlie before I never see her again.
There is a small knock on my door and I know it's Christian.
"Anastasia, please open the door."
"And if I don't, are you going to kick me out too?"
"That's not fair, now please we need to talk."
"I want my daughter back and then we can talk."
I know that this isn't effective communication, but right now I can't even stand the sight of my husband.
"Please Anastasia."
Finally, for some reason I go and unlock my bedroom door. When I open the door, I'm not expecting what I find. Christian looks broken and defeated. He's crying so at least he knows what he did was wrong on some many levels. A part of me wants to take him in my arms, but he did this to himself, so he needs to suffer the wrath of what his anger caused.
"I'm so sorry."
Sorry?
"Do you know what you've done? This isn't business deal that you can just undo; this is our daughter?"
The fury is back and now I'm out for blood.
"What can I say?"
"There is nothing you can say. You need to bring Charlie home and tell her that she can have both you and the man that she loves."
"She's not dating him, Anastasia."
"Why not?"
"Because she isn't! He's a grown man who is taking advantage of our daughter."
"She loves him."
"She's 18, she doesn't know what love means."
Ouch that hurts. I knew Christian was the one for me when I was 16, and I wasn't anywhere near as confident, mature, and poised as Charlie.
"I want my daughter back with no strings attached."
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"Figure it out. You are the master of the universe. In the meantime, I don't want to see you until my daughter is back in this house."
I'm shocked that those words just came out of my mouth, but he needs to know that he was wrong.
"Are you kicking me out?"
"Am I?"
"Anastasia, you're smart mouth isn't helping right now."
"Fine, if you won't leave, then I will take my children that are still under this roof and we will go somewhere else. Your choice."
"I'll be at Escala."
And with that Christian walks out the door.
Charlie POV
I'm driving as fast as humanly possible. I need to get to the airport before he's gone for good. I don't even know what flight he's on, what time, or even what airline.
"Charlie?"
"Owen, tell me where he is?"
"What are you doing?"
"I chose Kellan. My dad made me choose and I chose him. Now, please help me. I need his flight details."
"You know I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"He wanted me to tell you that he said goodbye."
"What?"
"And that he loves you."
"Then you have to help me."
"He's on the 1:30 flight to JFK on American Airlines."
"You're the best."
"Be safe and call me if you need anything."
"I will thanks."
I look at my clock and see that I have 45 minutes until Kellan's flight leaves.
I make my way to the parking garage and barely shut off my car before I run into the terminal.
I panic when I can't find the American ticket counter, but finally I see it.
"I need a ticket on the flight to JFK."
"Miss, we only have one seat left and its first class. It is $675."
I hand her over my credit card without even thinking. Then I realize I'm not sure if my father has already cut me off financially.
The ticket agent points me in direction of security and luckily I make it through in record time. It's great not having any bags.
I run through the terminal until I make it to Gate 36.
Looking around I don't see Kellan, where in the hell is he?
"Charlie, what are you doing here?" I turn and see Kellan standing in front of me. Instantly, I throw my arms around him and start crying.
"I'm coming with you, if you'll have me."
"You don't know how much I want that, but what did your parents say."
"I chose you."
"What do you mean you chose me?"
"My dad made me choose you or my family, and I chose you."
Kellan removes my arms around his neck and steps back.
"What are you doing?"
"I can't let you choose me over your family."
"Why not, I love you and you love me right?"
"Of course I love you, but sometimes love isn't enough. As much as I really want you to come home with me, I can't let you pick me over your family."
"But I can't live without you."
"Charlie, I know what it's like to not have a family to call my own, and you are incredibly lucky. I can't let you throw it all away for me."
"Do you not believe in us?"
I don't know what else to say.
"Of course I do, but we can't be together if it comes at the cost of your family."
I don't care; I want to be with Kellan. My father will just have to get over it.
"What does that mean for us?"
"I can't be the reason that you have problems with your family, so I guess this has to end."
I step back and I can't believe he's saying this. I start crying.
"Please don't cry. It's for the best. You know you would have broken up with me eventually. It was just a matter of time," he says wiping the tears from my face and I giggle.
"I'm going to miss that sound."
He takes my face and stares at me.
"Last call for boarding Flight 226 to New York."
"I have to go."
"Don't leave me."
"I have to," he says and kisses me all too quickly, and then walks away.
I watch him walk away from me for the last time.
What am I supposed to do now? I can't go back to my house and ask for my father's permission to come home. I won't do it.
As I head out of the airport, I can't stop crying. I pull out my phone and call the only person that can help me right now.
"He left and I have nowhere to go."
Kellan POV
The last image I will ever have of Charlie is of her crying, and it's all my fault. I can't let her see me break down. I have to wait until I'm in the confines of my seat. I look out the window and know this will be my last chance to see the city that I've grown to love, and where I met the woman of my dreams. How am I going to move on? Charlie is my everything. I love her so much, but I would never want her to regret giving up her family for me.
I pull the phone from the seat back in front of me and call Owen.
"We're about to take off, but I wanted to let you know that I ended it with Charlie. Please take care of my girl. I'm trusting you to do that for me."
"I will man. I'm going to miss you, please stay in touch."
"I will. Thanks for everything."
Christian POV
Taylor drives me back to Escala and I'm a man on the edge. It's been less than an hour since everything has happened. I have lost everything that matters to me, and I don't know how to get my family back. The first thing I need to do is find out where Charlie is, and see if she will agree to meet with me so we can talk. I know Taylor supports my decision to fire Kellan. Well technically he quit yesterday, but since he was still living under my roof I'm still calling it as I see fit. Either way, I know Taylor is angry at me for the ultimatum I gave Charlie. Even he hasn't said one word to me since everything blew way out of control.
I'm on the phone with everyone trying to get a location on Charlie. There has been no movement in her car since she arrived at Sea Tac, and I'm informed that she did purchase a one-way ticket to New York about 20 minutes ago. I know if I show up at the airport demanding that she speak to me, she would just get on that plane and it would be over. I know that I can't go home without my daughter; Ana made that pretty damn clear.
Then Welch calls me to let me know that Charlie just made a call to Blankers.
"Owen, have you heard from Charlie?
"I have sir."
"Do you know where she is?"
"Yes sir."
Really, am I going to have to pull everything out of him? It's obvious he won't volunteer any information on his own.
"I need to know Owen."
"I promised her that I wouldn't tell you."
Does he not know who he works for?
"I'm asking you to please just tell me if she got on that flight."
"She did not."
What? Why didn't she get on the flight?
"Then I need to know that she's safe. Is she still at the airport? Her car is still there."
"She's safe and no she's not at the airport."
"Blankers, is that my dad you're talking to? If it is, tell him that I never want to speak to him again." That would be Charlie's voice I hear. That God she is okay. I'm so relieved that she's still in Seattle.
Now what do I do?
"She told you everything didn't she?"
"Yes sir."
I can't take the yes sir, no sir act anymore. I need to talk with Charlie. I need to make this right.
"Owen, please help me here. I know she will listen to you. I need to find neutral ground for us to talk."
"I know just the place."
