Charles's POV:
After sending Rita home, I went back to the office to deal with some business matters.-
In the evening, I received a message from Spencer.
It read, "Charles, would you like to join us? Everyone is here."
I replied, "Okay. I'll be there soon."
I typed as I walked out of the office.
Spencer owned the Mint Bar. It was one of the most popular bars in the city, and tonight, it was particularly crowded. As soon as I walked in, I saw Spencer and David. We all had been friends since we were little boys.
"Have you seen Scarlett?" Spencer asked as soon as I was in front of him.
"Yes," I answered and then asked the bartender to serve me a glass of whiskey.
"Are you really divorcing her?" Spencer pressed, coming closer to me.
"Yes," I answered impatiently and lit a cigarette.
"How could you, man? Scarlett's, like, our girl. We grew up with her. You and Rita are being cruel to her."
I blew a puff of smoke in the air as the bartender set my drink in front of me. I decided not to answer Spencer and just drank my whiskey. But what he said was true.
Truth be told, I was nervous when I spoke to Scarlett last night about the divorce. Meanwhile, she just sat there the entire time, looking all calm and collected. I could not decide whether it bothered or impressed me. We had not seen each other for three years. She was no longer the sweet little girl who wore her heart on her sleeve. She had grown a lot.
Seeing her again in that cool disposition upset me a little.
"Did she agree?" David asked curiously.
"Yes, she did."
At this time, I was regretting my decision to come out and meet my friends. I just wanted to have a drink with them, and here they were grilling me with all these questions.
"So you're really marrying Rita?"
"Yes."
"Are you serious? Are you really going to sacrifice your happiness just because she saved you?" David got quite emotional at my answer. He accidentally spilled his wine on my clothes.
"Fuck!" I cursed angrily.
"Oh, my. I'm so sorry, man," David immediately apologized.
Since I did not want to sit there looking like a total mess, I excused myself and went home to change my clothes. I left the bar and called for a transport service. I had planned on going home, but as soon as I got in the car, I found myself stopping to think.
Then, I asked the driver to take me to Garden Street instead.
When I arrived, the house was brightly lit, and I could hear bursts of laughter coming through the open windows. A familiar Mercedes was parked in the garage.
It seemed that my mother and grandmother had come to visit.
I walked quickly to the door, but before I could input the password, someone had already opened the door from the inside.
"Where were you? Why weren't you answering my calls?" My mom trotted over and scolded me.
"I was in a meeting, Mom."
"And why do you reek of alcohol? Did you drink? Oh my God, you're a mess. Go get changed." She wrinkled her nose and ushered me in.
I entered the house and saw Grandma and Scarlett sitting in the living room, talking and laughing. There were fruits and even an apple pie on the coffee table.
"Hi, Grandma." I went over to say hello and picked up a slice of apple pie, but my grandma slapped my hand away.
"Hands off. That's not for you. That's for Scarlett."
"Charles, what happened to you? Come, let's get you some fresh clothes." Scarlett stood up and walked toward me.
"You've been married for a long time. Why do you still call Charles by his first name?" Grandma asked Scarlett and then looked at me suspiciously.
"Is there anything wrong with the way I address him?" Scarlett stopped and asked.
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