Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 111: A Family That Shows Up

Charlotte ended up talking to her parents for over an hour.

Even after Damon returned to his office, she was still on the phone with them. And in that moment, she finally realized something. It felt so much better to talk about her pain than to her parents rather than keep pretending it didn’t exist.

The wound in her heart was still there. But after opening up to her parents, it didn’t hurt quite as much anymore. Just a little lighter. Just a little easier to breathe.

"But I still want to have a baby with him, Mom," Charlotte whispered. "Just ... not now. Is that okay?"

Both of them were silent for a while. It felt like both of her parents were thinking deeply about her words.

Finally, Hattie spoke gently. "Sweetheart, that’s not something anyone else can decide. It’s between you and Damon. All we can do is support you, no matter what."

"Charlotte," Derek added, "we don’t hate your mate. You don’t have to be so afraid of what we think."

Charlotte let out a soft sigh. "But you were so angry at him earlier ..."

"That’s because he failed to protect you!" Derek said sharply. "He’s lucky I wasn’t there or I swear—"

"Derek," Hattie said firmly, cutting him off before he could finish. Her tone made Derek go quiet.

He grumbled under his breath. "Forget it. You’re right. He’s not the one who should be carrying your pain."

He let out a frustrated sigh. "The one who deserves a beating is Julian. Where is he now? Still no sign of him?"

"It’s complicated ..." Charlotte replied. She went on to explain what was going on, about how Julian’s father, Ronan, was involved, and what had happened to Priscilla.

"He hurt his own mother?!" Hattie cried out, clearly furious. "Alright, that’s it. Your dad and I are clearing our schedules. We’re coming to be with you."

Charlotte bit her lower lip. "Mom, you don’t have to—"

"Please don’t stop us," Hattie interrupted softly. "We’re so worried about you, Charlotte. Every time we hear you’re in pain and we’re not there ... it breaks our hearts."

They didn’t say it aloud, but sometimes, they also felt left behind. Damon’s family always seemed to know things first, while they waited in the dark.

At first, they tried to stay calm. As long as Charlotte was safe, they told themselves they didn’t need to interfere.

But now? After everything that happened?

Enough was enough.

They didn’t want to be in the background anymore. They wanted to be by their daughter’s side, where they belonged.

"But ... What about your work?" Charlotte asked. Since she was little, she had grown used to being left with housemaids or a nanny while her parents focused on their careers. It felt strange hearing them talk like this now.

"That’s not important right now," Hattie said. "We can work from home, or just pop in when we need to. What matters most is you. We’ll figure the rest out."

"Listen to your mom," Derek added. "All we want is to be with you right now, sweetheart."

It was a little strange to be put first. When Charlotte was younger, her parents were still building everything they had. They worked so hard back then just to make ends meet, to grow their business.

But now?

Now they were successful enough to let someone else handle things while they focused on her.

It felt strange ... but maybe it was okay to let them take care of her this time.

"Then I’ll wait for you," Charlotte said with a small smile.

She expected them to arrive later, maybe around noon or evening, after packing and sorting work matters.

But to her surprise ... her parents arrived in Northbridge just after sunrise.

She was still in her pajamas, hadn’t even washed her face, when she opened the door and saw them standing there.

Hattie was the first to pull Charlotte into a hug, holding her tightly like she hadn’t seen her in years. Derek followed right after, patting her head gently like he used to when she was little.

"I brought you milk pudding," Hattie said as she stepped inside, holding out a small container wrapped in a cooling bag. "And a lot of chocolate."

Charlotte blinked in surprise. "Wait ... you didn’t bring any luggage?"

She looked around and realized they only had one small bag with them, definitely not enough for a stay.

"Where’s your suitcase? Clothes?"

"Oh, those?" Hattie said casually, waving a hand like it was no big deal. "We’ll just ask Damon to buy everything."

Charlotte stared at her. "You want Damon to shop for your clothes?"

"Why not?" Hattie replied with a confident smile. "He owes us anyway."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes slightly. "Mom ... you said you didn’t blame him."

"I don’t," Hattie said quickly, lifting her chin. "But I am still annoyed. And letting him run a few errands might help me feel a little better."

Derek coughed to hide his laugh but didn’t argue.

That’s when Charlotte finally understood.

Her mother might not be the type to yell or point fingers, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t upset. She was just handling it in her own way: quiet frustration and small acts of payback ... like making Damon suffer through a shopping trip.

Charlotte smiled to herself.

Well, maybe Damon would also feel better if he did a few errands for them.

"All right," Charlotte said with a laugh, taking the pudding. "But don’t blame me when he brings back shirts two sizes too big."

"I’ll return them myself," Hattie said proudly, then stepped into the manor like she already owned the place. "Now, go change out of your pajamas. And wash your face, honey." freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Charlotte let out a tired sigh. Looked like she’d be hearing her mother’s nagging every single day from now on.

But somehow ... it didn’t sound like a bad thing.

Not at all.

In fact, after everything she had gone through, the idea of her mom fussing over her felt strangely comforting, like a piece of home she didn’t know she’d been missing.

She glanced toward the kitchen, where Hattie was already unpacking snacks and chocolates onto the counter like she was stocking shelves in a convenience store.

Derek was setting up the small bag they brought on the living room table, acting like it was perfectly normal to arrive unannounced at dawn.

Charlotte couldn’t help but smile.

Maybe life wasn’t perfect right now. Maybe her heart still ached, and the pain of loss still sat deep inside her. But at least ... she wasn’t alone.

• •

By noon, Carmen finally made a decision.

She agreed to let Priscilla be taken to a psychiatric hospital, somewhere she could truly get the help she needed to get better.

It hadn’t been an easy choice. Carmen had spent the entire morning in silence, staring out the window, holding onto Priscilla’s favorite scarf when she was little like it was her last connection to the daughter she used to know.

But in the end, she knew this was the right thing to do.

"I can’t help her the way professionals can," Carmen said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "And I ... I just want her to be okay again. Even if it means I have to let her go for a while."

Charlotte sat beside her and gently squeezed her hand. "You’re not giving up on her," she said softly. "You’re giving her a chance to get better. Someday, she’ll come home again"

Carmen nodded slowly, wiping away the tears that had silently slipped down her cheeks. "You’re right. My daughter will definitely come back home."

Emi arrived in the afternoon, accompanied by several staff members from the psychiatric hospital. They came with gentle voices and calm hands, but even that wasn’t enough to soothe Priscilla.

The moment she realized they were there to take her, she screamed.

She kicked, clawed, and thrashed with wild eyes, like a caged animal desperate to escape. Her voice was hoarse from shouting things that didn’t make sense, fragments of fear, names from the past, broken cries that made Charlotte’s chest tighten.

In the end, one of the staff members had to administer a sedative.

It only took a few seconds before Priscilla’s body grew heavy in their arms, her struggling fading into unconsciousness. The room, once filled with chaos, fell into a heavy silence.

Charlotte stood frozen, her hands curled into fists at her sides.

She felt pity for her. Priscilla looked so fragile, then small, powerless, broken.

But deep down, Charlotte couldn’t ignore the thought that crept into her mind ... Maybe this was her karma.

For five years, Priscilla had been a source of her endless pain.

Whether she had been forced into it by her husband or not didn’t change the fact that she had still played a role in Charlotte’s suffering. She had watched, ignored, or perhaps even taken part in hurting her.

And now ... the woman who once made her feel powerless was the one being carried away, helpless and sedated.

Charlotte didn’t smile, didn’t rejoice in it. But she didn’t cry either.

Some wounds could be forgiven, but that didn’t mean they could be forgotten.