The Cherished Wife by Chweety

"Okay, okay, I'll take her away right now. Charles, just cool down, okay? You know she... she didn't mean any of this. Don't hold it against her," Clarisse said, rushing over to grab Janet's hand. "Janet, cut it out, come with me." She leaned in and whispered something that

made Janet's fierce gaze flicker with doubt. "Aunt Clary, are you for real?"

"Have I ever lied to you? Come on. Let's head home."

It took some doing, but Clarisse managed to lead Janet away. Charles squinted, giving the area a quick once-over. The crowd that had been rubbernecking scattered, cowed by Charles's commanding vibe.

Charles's scowl lingered until Clarisse's car was out of sight. Then he tapped on the car door. "Open up, Noelle!"

Noelle had been in the middle of changing in the back seat when Janet came charging over like she had lost her mind. It freaked Noelle out so much that she froze, not even daring to breathe too loudly. Her heart was pounding in her throat, especially after hearing the crazy stuff Janet had been saying. She was half-expecting Janet to go berserk and smash the car window. Thankfully, that did not happen.

relief, Noelle quickly straightened her clothes and opened the

the back and quirked an eyebrow. "Why'd you

outfit. "The front seat's too cramped. It's not great for changing!" she explained, then quickly

twitched into a teasing smile. Seeing Noelle's flustered state, he could not

driver's seat, Noelle climbed in too. "Janet seemed..." She paused, searching for

her lip, Noelle gestured to her head. "She looked really worked up, like something was off with

if she's got some mental issues?" Charles finished her thought, and

that her casual question would reveal that Janet actually

that

didn't