Free The Foretelling (Charlotte Bloom #1) by Amanda Richardson Page A

would be written off as insanity and paid back pretty easily. The travel splurges I was probably about to incur, however, could not be written off as insanity.
    I drove off to see Amara before she left. As I got closer, I thought of what I would say to explain my absence in the coming weeks. She would be on her honeymoon anyways, but she had to know why, all of a sudden, I was taking this mega solo trip and disappearing into the night on her wedding day. I had to tell her about Lainey's prediction.
    I left my suitcase with the valet, deciding it made the most sense to take a taxi from here on out. I decided I would give my car keys to Anna, who was without transportation, and have her stay at the house if she wanted, until she left on Tuesday. Harry would be gone, so she’d have the place to herself. I walked through a crowd of people who stared at me, but I just smiled weakly. "I was sick," I explained to whoever asked. I was just coming by to say goodbye to Amara. Also, I needed to explain why I’d been such a crazy bitch the last few months.
    I spotted Anna near the bar, alone, and I walked over. She nodded to me, not even noticing my outfit change.
    "Charlotte. This wedding, it’s beautiful, isn’t it?" She was transfixed.
    I nodded and smiled. I didn’t know how to transition from that to "here, take my keys and live in my house because I’m fleeing my life here and catching a plane to Europe tonight, partly because of what you briefly said to me a few hours earlier."
    "Anna, can I ask a favor of you?"
    "Of course. A friend of Amara’s is always a friend of mine." She looked at me seriously.
    "I’m leaving tonight, for Europe. It’s a long story. But would you take my keys and drive my car home? Adriana can give you directions. I am taking a taxi from here. You are welcome to stay at the house. It’s empty indefinitely."
    "But – your husband is not there?" She looked concerned and confused.
    I shook my head.
    "No. He won’t be there."
    A look of understanding came over her expression, and she nodded, taking the keys from me.
    "Of course I will help you." She hugged me, and I collapsed into her. "Good luck finding your swims."
    I thanked her, and set off to find Amara. I ran into Adriana, who said I looked better, and I asked her to give Anna directions to my house, explaining that it was a long story.
    Finally, I saw Amara sitting on a bench with Sam. The photographer was standing a few feet away, poised with his camera, trying to get a silhouette picture of them at sunset. It was almost 8 p.m. She would be leaving soon. I had to make this quick. She saw me and squealed, probably ruining the shot. Instantly, I felt guilty. This was her wedding day. But at the same time, she was my best friend. I had to tell her what was going on.
    "You came back! Oh, honey, how are you feeling?" She squeezed me tightly and I motioned for us to go talk in the corner, privately.
    "I’ll have her back in five minutes, guys!" I gripped her hand as I led her to the private area behind the bench. I whispered to her, explaining why I left. "I’m so sorry I left right after the ceremony. You have a right to know what’s going on, but since it’s your wedding day, I’ll tell you the abridged version. Also, please know that I am OK and not to worry."
    She looked at me with concern and confusion. The same look Anna had given me when I had explained that Harry would not be at the house.
    "OK. Shoot."
    "OK. Remember that psychic we saw in January?"
    "Of course. Why?"
    "Well, to sum things up, she told me a few things that day, the major thing being that Harry and I were not meant to be together."
    "Oh." She looked at me sadly. "Go on."
    "Well, I brushed it off, and I didn’t want to tell you that I thought she was a crock of shit, because you were so excited about getting engaged. I had my doubts about that, but then it happened. And she also told me that you would get married in June, which you did."
    "Is that why you freaked the