Chapter 42 The Biggest Joke

Charlotte couldn't believe her ears. The idea of her ex-husband, Frank, still loving her seemed as likely as pigs flying. He had been nothing but cold to her in the past. If he truly loved her, why cheat during their marriage and then hastily marry Lorraine after their divorce? This whole thing felt like a huge joke to Charlotte. Even after all this time apart, Frank and his circle never let her live in peace. Charlotte wondered if, like her friend Sofia suggested, she owed him something from a past life. Lorraine's gaze was fixed on her. "Aren't you going to talk about it?" "You already know everything, right? Just like those old rumors, he accused me of cheating and then divorced me. Believe me, there's no way he could still like me, not after everything he's done. He couldn't possibly be in love with me." Lorraine hesitated. "What about you? Do you still have feelings for him?" Charlotte scoffed, "Do you seriously think that's possible?" She found herself laughing, not because it was actually funny, but at the absurdity of discussing this with Frank's current wife. She couldn't help but think, 'They've been together for over three years. Doesn't Lorraine know anything about Frank?' "But I always feel those rumors aren't true. I really want to hear what happened from you." Charlotte let out a sigh. "You're not going to leave until we talk, huh?" "Yep." "Alright then." Charlotte took her to a calm café. "What do you want to drink?" asked Charlotte. "Anything's fine." Charlotte told the waiter to bring two coffees. "So, will you tell me now?" Charlotte gave her a look that said she was tired of all this. "Is it really that important to you?" Lorraine looked really worn out. "I've been so restless these days. I do care a lot about him, but if he's betrayed me, I'd end things with him." "Is he mean to you or something?" "He's nice, but it doesn't feel real. When you two were together, was he nice to you?" Charlotte thought back to their old days. They were like any other couple, happy and in love, doing things like shopping together. Everyone thought they were perfect. But looking back, Charlotte wished she had seen things differently. "Sure, we were childhood friends and super close. He was sweet to me for the eight years we dated, but then things changed..." After Frank met Lorraine, Charlotte's world turned upside down. Frank's interest in Lorraine wasn't just about her; it was also her family's wealth that drew him in. Charlotte couldn't help but think that even if Lorraine hadn't come into the picture, Frank would have eventually found someone else. Their marriage, it seemed, was destined to end one way or another. "The kids aren't his, but it's not because I was with someone else. You've been with him for three years, so you might know he can't have kids." Lorraine nodded a little. She realized Frank couldn't give her a child. At first, she didn't think it was a big deal, but now she saw it was a problem. She understood this could make things hard between them. "Just a while ago, I learned Frank can't have kids. Harper kept asking us to try for a baby. But the doctor said the issue was Frank's, not mine. Frank wasn't there when they told me. I thought it might be embarrassing for him, so I kept quiet." Charlotte gave her a kind look. "What you're going through reminds me of my own past. I'm sorry, but I have to tell the truth. He was cheating on me with you. He lied about me, said I cheated and was expecting someone else's baby." "No way!" Lorraine looked really shocked. "He told me he was single and divorced. He tried hard to get my attention, but I didn't know it was all lies." "Frank can't have kids, so I chose to have them another way, through a doctor's help. But then he twisted the story against me. I felt so let down, I ended our marriage, and that's how he got to marry you." "The kids..." Charlotte's smile was real and bright, totally different from how Lorraine looked. "I'm super lucky, you know. Luke, who helped me have my kids, is awesome. After I split up with Frank, I've been super happy. So, nope, I don't think about him anymore." "But Frank was chasing after me even before your divorce, right? Doesn't that mean he liked me more?" Charlotte wasn't into talking about stuff that didn't make sense. 'Man, I thought Lorraine was smart, but she's just got a big crush. Gotta keep a straight face here.' She managed not to laugh. "Well, you could think of it that way." Hearing all this, Lorraine didn't feel so mixed up anymore. "I never knew that him choosing me hurt you a lot." Knowing that Frank left a long-time love for her, even with children in the picture, made Lorraine feel super loved. She smiled big, not worrying so much about the baby thing anymore. Charlotte tried not to laugh. "If that's what you think, I can't make you think differently." "Thanks for telling me all this. I feel so much better now." "Is that why you wanted to talk to me?" Lorraine nodded seriously. "He wouldn't talk about it, so I thought maybe he still liked you. It was really bugging me. I had to think about it a lot before I decided to ask you." Charlotte was chill about it. "If he treats you right, that's cool. You're not having the same problems I did." She thought Frank would be nicer to Lorraine because of her father's money. Lorraine looked at her with hope. "Do you think we could be friends later?" "Sure, but your husband isn't going to bug me anymore, right? I really don't like him." Charlotte was really scared. She just couldn't stand Frank, and that's why she didn't want anything to do with him. "I'll make sure he doesn't." "Great. We can be friends, but don't tell him you saw me today. He might not know you know about him not being able to have kids."