Charlotte mechanically nodded her head. She had always wanted to know why Atlas Hallow married her, but the prospect of uncovering this secret filled her with fear, as if she was about to reveal something terrifying.
The recorder was in Kinsley Lee's pocket, but she didn't take it out. Instead, she reached into her coat and switched it on.
Turning on the recorder was like opening Pandora's box, as it played the conversation between a man and a woman.
"Are you saying everything is ready with Charlotte and you're going to have her bear a child for me? Just thinking about our child growing in her womb makes me somewhat grateful to her..."
"Yes, I promised you, and I will do what I said. By next year, I will give you the child..."
Charlotte was utterly stunned. As the afternoon sunlight began to penetrate through the glass window, her pale, astonishingly small face was reflected on it, her long lashes covering all expressions of sorrow and desolation.
