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.

straightened her clothes and opened

opening from the back and quirked an eyebrow. "Why'd

outfit. "The front seat's too cramped. It's not great

Noelle's flustered state, he could not help but let out a light daugh.

"Well, it wasn't too bad." As Charles settled into the driver's seat, Noelle climbed in too. "Janet seemed..." She paused, searching for the right words. Charles, buckling his seatbelt, looked at her with a mix of curiosity and amusement, urging her to go

gestured to her head. "She looked really worked up,

Charles finished her thought, and seeing Noelle's earnest nod, he grinned and agreed.

had not expected that her casual question would reveal that Janet actually had mental

that

didn't