Chapter Ten

CHARLOTTE REMEMBEREDhow it had nearly killed her when she received a call about Landon...being gone, and that pain was almost the exact same kind of pain that was now making her chest hurt so, so bad. The bleakness in Sano"s gaze was unbearable, and she had never ever imagined such a day would come that the man she loved would look at her like she had broken his heart.

She tried to take a step towards him but stopped when she saw him stiffen. "I know it looks bad," she said in a rush, "but it"s really not what you think. We might have been engaged on paper, but it was just that. It doesn"t mean anything at all. We were never in a relationship, and it was just so Lukas could—-"

Sano cut her off, asking flatly, "If it was truly nothing like you said, then why did you choose to keep it from me?"

Her lips parted, but her mind drew a blank, and all she could do was gaze at him in mute despair. If she had told him about the engagement contract she had signed with Lukas, they would have wasted precious time talking about something that didn"t matter, and how could she let that happen when they only had less than a day to be together?

"Do you think I haven"t noticed how strange you"ve been acting?"

The rawness of Sano"s tone had Charlotte"s chest hurting more and more. "Sano, please—-"

"Today should have only been the beginning of a new future for both of us, but instead you were acting like this is the last time we can be together. There can only be one reason for that—-"

"But you"re wrong," she broke in desperately. "I can understand why you"d think that, but you"re wrong—-"

"Am I, really?"

"Yes!"

"Or are you only unable to admit that you"ve moved on because you can"t bear hurting me?"

That he could even think such a thing was just too much, and Charlotte could no longer hold back her tears. If she had known that refusing to say she loved him would have them end up here—-

"I love you," she finally managed to choke out, but it was simply too late, and the words only made Sano"s handsome face whiten.

"You don"t have to lie, Charles—-"

She shook her head wildly. "I"m not lying!"

"You had every right to move on," Sano said in a tightly controlled voice. "I was the selfish one who made you hide your fear and suffer every time you"d watch me walk out of the door. It"s only right that you"ve moved on—-"

"But I didn"t," Charlotte sobbed out. "I never did—-"

"Things obviously haven"t worked between you and Lukas—-"

The pain in Sano"s voice as he mentioned the other man"s name had Charlotte running to him.

"And I know you might not believe me, but I am sorry for that—-" Sano broke off as she finally reached him, and Charlotte clung to him even as she felt his body turn rigid. He was the man she loved, and he was hurting. How could she not do anything when he was so obviously hurting?

She cupped his face with shaking hands, and the way Sano flinched nearly made her sob out loud. They only had today, just today and nothing else, and she would never be able to bear it if their last memory together was of Sano thinking she had stopped loved him.

"You"re it for me, Sano," she said painfully. "You were always it for me. As Land or as Sano, you"ll always be the only man—-"

"Then tell me why," he said hoarsely. "Tell me why you"ve been acting like this is the only day—-"

"Because it is," she choked out.

Sano blanched.

"You and Sano will have just one day. Those were Cass" words, Sano," Charlotte said brokenly. "Her exact words, and I thought...I thought it would be best if you didn"t have to know—-"

Sano abruptly pulled away, and Charlotte"s arms fell limply against her sides.

"Was that all she had to say?"

She shook her head, and Sano immediately took his phone out. "Let"s call—-"

"I can"t!"

"Charles—-"

"You don"t understand, okay?" Charlotte tried to stay calm, but just thinking about having to hear the rest of Cass" vision had her whole body shaking.

"We need to know—-"

"No!"

Sano stared at her, stunned. "You"re scared."

The words literally made her laugh and cry. That was an understatement if she ever heard one, and it almost had her hysterical. "I"m not just scared, Sano. I"m terrified—-"

"Of what, Charles? Tell me so I can help—-"

"You can"t—-"

"Tell me," he grated out, "and let me be the judge of that."

She wished she could make him understand that there was no point, but the expression on Sano"s face was all too familiar, and she knew he would never let this go until he had everything out in the open.

"I know this will sound ridiculous, but before all of this happened, I asked...I asked God...I asked God if I could have you for just one day, and that"s why, that"s why when Cass told me—-" Her voice cracked, and if Sano hadn"t caught her in time, Charlotte would have crumpled weakly to the floor.

"I couldn"t bear it, Sano." Tears clogged her throat, and every word she had to utter felt like a stab to her heart. "I knew...I hoped and prayed that God couldn"t be cruel, but I was still terrified that if I listened to what else Cass had to say, I"d end up knowing—-"

Oh God, oh God—-

She squeezed her eyes shut, but the tears still fell uncontrollably as she whispered, "I just didn"t want to know how you"d die again. I barely survived the first time, and if I had to go through it again—-"

"You won"t."

The strength in his voice made her want to weep.

"Trust me, Charles. I know I don"t have any right to ask you this, but even if this is the last thing I have to ask of you—-" Sano placed his phone in her hands. "Trust me, Charles. Call her."

And so she did.

She trusted him, and she always would, and that was why, even when her tears fell faster and faster as he drew her to sit on the bed next to him—-

Even when every second that she had to wait made her want to die, and the sound of every ring of Cass" phone ripped her apart again and again—-

"I"m so glad you called, Charlotte."

She could barely hear the other woman"s words with how loud and hard her heart was beating, and it was only having Sano hold her free hand tightly in his that kept her from completely breaking down.

"I"m s-sorry I hung up—-"

"It wasn"t the first time that"s happened to me," the princess said gently.

"I know...I know you said before that you could only speak to me alone about what you saw—-"

"Only because it was how it was supposed to be at that time," Cass told her softly. "So if you"re asking me now if you can let Sano listen in..."

"I am."

"He can."

A part of Charlotte had wished Cass would say no, and that same part of her was tempted to lie when the other woman instead told her yes. If things turned out for the worst, and Sano ended up hearing about his own death—-

A sob escaped her, and she stared at Sano, begging him with her eyes. Please, please don"t make me do this, please.

But his grip on her hand only tightened.

Trust me.

And because she did, and always would, Charlotte could only cry silently as Sano took the phone from her.

"Cass?" Sano"s voice was firm. "You"re on loudspeaker now."

"Hello, Landon." The princess paused. "Or should I call you Sano now?"

"Sano would be better."

"Then, Sano...and Charlotte..."

Charlotte"s bewildered gaze sought Sano"s. Was it just her...or did there seem to be a smile in the princess"s voice?

"The two of you will just have one day of hardship...in order to test your love. But if you"re able to overcome it, the rest of your lives will be yours...and your twins to enjoy."

Charlotte wondered if she had fallen asleep without knowing it, and all of this was just a dream.

"And that"s it," Cass said cheerfully.

"You"re sure of that?" Sano asked.

The other woman laughed. "That"s really it, I promise."

"Then we owe you one, Cass."

Charlotte stopped pinching herself when she belatedly noticed the way Sano was glaring at her while speaking.

"No, you don"t," Cass was saying. "I"m just happy—-"

Charlotte"s jaw dropped as Sano ended the call with the press of a button.

"You h-hung up on Cass," she stammered.

"Like husband, like wife," he drawled.

It almost made her laugh except—-

Despite the pleasantness of his tone, Sano was still glaring at her, and Charlotte could only say quite lamely, "I"m sorry?"

Sano was still glaring at her.

"I might"ve overreacted?"

"Might have?"

It was Charlotte"s first time to hear the man she loved so unbelievably pissed, and it was all she needed to know she had to make her escape. As soon as possible. But before she could even jump to her feet—-

"Oww!"

Sano had her pinned down on the couch, and he was pinching her cheeks just like the way he had always done.

"How many times did I tell you in the past never to assume anything?" Sano roared. "How many times did I tell you that assumptions can—-"

Charlotte could no longer control herself, and Sano"s tirade came to an abrupt end the moment she threw her arms around his neck.

Sano scowled down at her, but all she could do was smile up at him like a fool even as she started to cry. A part of her still thought this was all a dream, but it wasn"t. Thank You, God, thank You! She didn"t know what she or Sano had done to deserve their second chance, but she knew that it was a chance she would treasure for all of her days.

"Don"t think you can sway me with your tears," Sano grumbled.

"I"m not."

"Then what are you—-"

Charlotte pulled him down for a kiss, and just as their lips touched, Charlotte whispered, "I love you so much, Sano." There was a time she had withheld those words from him out of fear, but losing him had changed that - had changed her, and from now on...

She started raining kisses all over Sano"s gorgeous face, and a teary laugh tumbled past her lips at the way she felt her husband (or soon-to-be-husband?) jerk against her body in shock.

"Love you, Sano. Love you, love you, love—-"

The sound of someone knocking on their door cut her off.

"Sumimasen, Takahashi-san, Carmichaels-san. We have arrived at our first stop, and the other members of your party have convened in the lounge. Perhaps—-"

"Five minutes, Ikeda-san. Let my friends know I just need five minutes to pleasure—-"

Charlotte choked.

"—-my fiancée, and then we"ll be with them right after."