When She Turns Her Back (Teresa and Charles) novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Unanswered Calls

The door opened. Charles flipped the light switch without thinking. The room was instantly engulfed in darkness. As he untied his robe, he said, “It’s late. Let’s begin. I’ve got things to do later.” Light from the hallway crept in, barely illuminating the figure in the doorway.

Barbara stiffened at Charles’s words. “Mr. Logan, it’s just me,” she whispered, lingering nervously in the doorway.

Charles was momentarily stunned. Realizing his mistake, he turned the light back on and looked at Barbara, his tone laced with confusion. “She hasn’t returned yet?”

Barbara’s forehead glistened with sweat as she shook her head. “Not yet, Mr. Logan.” The room’s air turned leaden with tension. Noticing Charles’s displeasure, Barbara added, “Mrs. Logan is normally home by six. Maybe something came up tonight?” Her voice trailed off uncertainly.

Charles understood her kind intention but only replied with a terse, “Got it.” When Barbara was about to remind him to sleep early, he abruptly sat up, leaving her words unspoken.

Five minutes later, Charles changed his clothes and left Brocade Villa. Barbara saw him off downstairs, a nagging sense of forgetting something tugging at her.

It wasn’t until Charles’s car disappeared from sight that she remembered Teresa had mentioned something in the study.

Charles had just pulled out of Brocade Villa when his phone lit up with Naomi’s call. “What’s wrong?” he answered, his unusually gentle expression softened further by the dim interior light.

Naomi’s voice came softly through the phone. “Charles, I have an important performance tomorrow, but Yolanda’s preschool is having Family Fun Day. I don’t think I can make it.”

Charles didn’t even consider asking Teresa first. “Teresa will go,” he said, deciding for her like he always did.

“Thank you,” Naomi replied, her voice lifting with relief. “I’ve already discussed it with Yolanda. Would you mind passing the message along to Ms. Sullivan when you get a chance?”

Charles said, “Don’t worry. Just focus on your performance.” Hanging up, he pulled the car over to the side of the road.

After checking his call list for a long time, he still couldn’t find Teresa’s number. That was when he realized she hadn’t called him in months.

For years when Teresa stayed home with Yolanda, she called every day to ask if he would be home for dinner. He only occasionally returned, just to see their daughter.

After they talked about having another baby, she still frequently called to check if he was coming home. He often ignored her calls, either hanging up or letting the phone ring. But when he needed to reach her, her number was right there in his phone.

But now when Charles kept scrolling through his call log, her number was nowhere to be found. When he finally spotted it, the last call showed it was 3 months ago. Charles couldn’t even remember if he had answered that one.

Without hesitation, he dialed that number, only hearing an automated message saying the call could not go through. This had never happened before. Surprised, he tried again but got the same result. After several failed attempts, he finally gave up.

He thought about video-calling Teresa on WhatsApp but couldn’t find her contact. Left with no other option, he sent a text, [Yolanda has a Family Fun Day at her school tomorrow. She wants you there. East Street Preschool, at 2 pm.] With the message sent, Charles drove away.

Charles assumed Teresa must be busy, which explained the missed calls. He was sure she would see the message and take Yolanda to the event. Content with this thought, he let his worries go.

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