Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 110: Midnight Call

Charlotte had been sitting on the couch for quite a long time. She held her phone in one hand, while her other hand kept tossing around the TV remote—something she hadn’t even used since earlier.

Everyone had gone into their own rooms since the night had grown late. Carmen and Diana had also decided to sleep in Priscilla’s room, knowing they might not see her again for a long time.

Damon had been working on something, so he had been in his office since earlier.

Charlotte let out a heavy sigh. She had intended to call her mother hours ago, but just as her finger was about to press the call button, it stopped on its own.

Her parents had been so excited when they heard the news that they were going to have a grandchild. That was why she didn’t have the heart to crush their hopes.

On top of that, she’d have to explain how she lost her baby.

That would be devastating news for them. So Charlotte had decided to keep the incident a secret from her parents, even asking Louis not to contact them while she and Damon were in the hospital.

When her parents wanted to visit the Crimson Moon manor a few days ago, she simply told them her schedule was too full lately, so she wouldn’t have time to see them.

But just like Emi had said, Charlotte couldn’t keep this secret forever. freewebnøvel.coɱ

Her parents deserved to know what had happened to their daughter.

"Maybe I’ll call tomorrow?" Charlotte whispered to herself as she noticed the time was nearly midnight. They were probably asleep by now, right?

No.

She knew her parents were night owls. They found most of their inspiration at night, so they tended to be more active after the sun had set rather than in the morning.

But wouldn’t she just be disturbing them if she called while they were trying to get inspired?

Charlotte clicked her tongue. Deep down, it wasn’t about not wanting to bother them—it was because she was afraid to face them.

She then let her back fall onto the couch, lying there while staring at the white ceiling.

The manor felt so quiet until suddenly, she heard footsteps coming from the stairs.

She sat up halfway and peeked over the back of the couch. "Damon?" she called softly as she saw a tall silhouette coming down the stairs.

Damon raised an eyebrow when he saw Charlotte behind the couch. "I thought you were already sleeping in the bedroom." He had originally intended to make coffee in the kitchen, but instead, he walked over to her. "What are you doing here?"

Charlotte chuckled. "I’m waiting for you."

Damon smiled, lowering his head as he stood beside the couch. "Don’t lie to me." His eyes glanced at Charlotte’s phone screen, which displayed her mother’s contact. "You still haven’t called your parents."

Charlotte groaned, leaning toward him. "Ugh, I just can’t do it. Maybe I shouldn’t tell them anything at all and... adopt a newborn baby so they think I gave birth."

Damon knew she was joking, but deep down, it seemed like part of her was actually considering it.

"There’s nothing wrong with adopting a child," Damon said as he brushed her hair and caressed her cheek. "But it would be wrong if you’re doing it just to replace someone."

Charlotte wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his stomach. "I know," she murmured. "I’m just... getting frustrated."

"We can call your parents together," Damon said. "I owe them an apology too, for letting you be in danger and failing to protect our baby."

"But it wasn’t your fault at all," Charlotte said, looking up at him. "It was Julian’s fault."

"I know that, but still... I’m the one responsible for you and our baby," Damon replied.

Charlotte gently shook her head. "Taking care of our baby was both our responsibility, so it’s not just on you."

"You already fought back," Damon said. "You fought more than I did."

"We fought together," she replied softly. "So don’t be too hard on yourself." She hugged him tighter.

Damon let out a heavy sigh, then gently patted her back. "Alright. That’s why... let’s face your parents together."

Charlotte was still hesitant to open her phone and call her mother’s number, but since Damon kept encouraging her, she finally did it.

"Charlotte?" Hattie’s voice came through after just one beep. "It’s not like you to call me at this hour."

Charlotte bit her lower lip. She put the call on speaker before finally gathering the courage to speak.

"Do you and Dad have a moment to talk? There’s something I need to tell you both."

Concern immediately filled Hattie’s voice. "What is it, sweetheart? Did something happen?"

"Just ... just call Dad first and sit down," Charlotte said softly.

The more Charlotte spoke, the more her voice trembled.

A moment later, she could hear her father’s voice join the call. "Charlotte? What’s going on, sweetheart?"

Charlotte took a deep breath, her hands trembling as she held the phone. Damon gently squeezed her hand in support.

"I ... I lost the baby," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

There was a heavy silence on the other end of the line.

"What?" Hattie’s voice cracked. "What do you mean?"

"It happened a few days ago," Charlotte continued, her throat tightening. "Julian ... he found me. He kidnapped me."

"What?!" her father shouted, unable to hide the shock in his voice.

"He injected me with some kind of serum ... it was designed to weaken my regenerative healing. I tried to fight back, I did, but ..." Her voice broke, and Damon gently pulled her closer, resting her against his shoulder.

"The serum made it impossible for me to heal," Charlotte said, her eyes welling up. "And because of that ... our baby didn’t survive."

Hattie gasped, and for a moment, there was only the sound of her muffled crying. Her father didn’t speak, but the deep, shaky breaths over the line said enough.

"I didn’t know how to tell you," Charlotte whispered. "You were so happy when you found out. I just ... I couldn’t bring myself to break your hearts."

"Oh, sweetheart ..." her mother finally spoke, her voice full of tears. "You should’ve told us. You don’t have to carry this alone."

"I ... I’m not carrying this alone," Charlotte mumbled. "Damon is with me now."

Just a second later, Derek suddenly shouted at him. "What the hell did you do?! Didn’t you promise to protect my daughter with all your heart?!"

Damon didn’t flinch at Derek’s words. He took a deep breath, his voice calm but full of guilt.

"I did," he said quietly. "And I failed."

Charlotte looked up at him, her eyes widening. "Damon—"

But he gently shook his head, squeezing her hand before speaking again.

"I wasn’t there when she needed me most. I let my guard down. And because of that ... she got hurt. Our baby didn’t make it." His voice cracked at the end, and he looked down, unable to meet the phone screen.

There was a pause on the other end. Then Derek spoke again, his voice lower, but still filled with emotion. "Do you have any idea what it felt like to hear my daughter say she lost her child? And that her husband, who swore to protect her, wasn’t there?"

"I do," Damon said softly. "And I’ll never forgive myself for it."

Charlotte’s heart clenched. She could feel Damon trembling slightly beside her.

"Dad, please ..." she said, her voice gentle. "Damon didn’t leave me. He came for me. He fought to get me back."

"And it still wasn’t enough," Derek snapped.

"But I’m alive," Charlotte said. "Because of him."

That silence fell again.

"I understand your anger," Damon added. "And I’ll take all of it if that’s what it takes. But please don’t think I didn’t love her, don’t think I don’t love her with everything I have."

"You—"

"Derek, stop," Hattie cut her husband off before he could say anything more. "Losing a child is a pain that runs deep. We can’t blame the parents for that. They’ve been through something awful."

Derek let out a frustrated breath, rubbing his face with one hand. The anger in his voice faded, replaced by grief.

"I’m sorry ... I just ... I just feel so frustrated," Derek admitted. "Because someone hurt our baby too."

Charlotte’s tears finally rolled down her cheeks when she heard Derek refer to her as their baby.

Charlotte’s lips trembled as more tears spilled down her cheeks. Hearing her father say that—he still saw her as his little girl, still hurt for her—was almost too much to bear.

"I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner," she whispered. "I didn’t want you to worry ... I didn’t want to make you sad."

"Charlotte," Hattie said gently, "we’d be even more worried and heartbroken if you didn’t tell us anything at all. Whether it’s good news or bad, we want to hear it."

She continued, "Because when our daughter is happy, we feel happy too. And when she’s hurting or sad, we hurt right along with her."