Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 112: Too Much Sympathy

"Charlotte, good morning."

Charlotte’s eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly the moment she opened the door and saw Isolde standing there in her usual all-black outfit.

As always, a warm smile appeared on Isolde’s face, the kind of smile that could melt away tension and bring peace to Charlotte’s heart in just seconds.

"I-Isolde!" Charlotte didn’t say anything else. She simply threw herself into her bodyguard’s arms. "You’re back!"

Damon had already told her that the silver bullet hadn’t hit any of Isolde’s vital organs, and that there was no need to worry too much.

However, Charlotte had seen her get shot right in front of her. Therefore, it was natural for her to be worry.

Now, seeing Isolde standing here, alive and well, Charlotte finally let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding.

"Are you really fully healed?" Charlotte asked anxiously, scanning her from head to toe.

Isolde chuckled. "If I weren’t healed, do you think Mr. Sullivan would’ve let me come here?"

Still, Charlotte looked unsure. Isolde gently patted her on the shoulder.

"Listen, Charlotte, I’m really okay. The wounds and even the stitches are gone! I’m more than ready to be your bodyguard again."

Charlotte bit her inner lip. The memory of watching Isolde get shot played again in her mind. The memories were so frightening and painful that Charlotte had constant nightmares.

She couldn’t help but wonder ...

What if it happened again someday?

What if next time, the bullet didn’t miss?

What if next time, Isolde didn’t survive?

Even though Damon had told her everything was fine, even though she knew the bullet hadn’t done critical damage, but seeing someone who nearly died suddenly standing in front of her again, it stirred emotions she hadn’t fully processed.

Relief.

Fear.

Gratitude.

All rolled into one tight knot in her chest.

"I ... I’m not sure," Charlotte said softly. "Wouldn’t it be better if you took a longer break? Even if your wounds are healed, what about the trauma? Isolde, you don’t have to push yourself to work right now."

"Push myself?!" Isolde snapped. "Like hell I’m pushing myself!"

Her voice was loud and full of emotion.

"I came here because I was worried about you! And because I’m angry at myself for failing to protect you!"

She gritted her teeth, her jaw tense with frustration. "If only I hadn’t let my guard down ... you wouldn’t have been kidnapped, and ... and ...."

She couldn’t finish her sentence.

But Charlotte understood. Isolde had heard about what happened to her, and her baby.

"Oh, Isolde ..." Charlotte pulled her into another tight embrace. "You don’t have to blame yourself like that."

Isolde stood stiff for a moment in Charlotte’s arms, as if unsure whether she deserved the comfort. But eventually, she took a deep breath and let her shoulders relax, resting her forehead on Charlotte’s shoulder.

"I was supposed to protect you," she whispered, voice hoarse. "That’s my one job. And I failed."

"No, you didn’t," Charlotte said firmly, pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes. "You were ambushed. You were shot. You almost died, Isolde."

"But you were taken," Isolde murmured, her eyes glassy. "And I wasn’t there. I wasn’t fast enough."

Charlotte shook her head, gently cupping her bodyguard’s cheek. "I don’t need you to be perfect. I just need you to stay alive. I don’t want anything bad to happen to my precious friend."

Isolde’s lips parted slightly, her eyes softening. She blinked a few times, like she was holding back more tears.

"You’ve never called me that before," she said quietly.

"What?" Charlotte asked, confused.

"Your precious friend."

Charlotte gave a shy smile. "Well ... it’s true. You’ve always been more than just my bodyguard. You’re family to me."

That was all it took. Isolde let out a shaky laugh, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Then I guess I’ll have to work even harder now," she said, straightening up with a serious expression. "No one hurts my family and gets away with it."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Charlotte finally allowed Isolde to accompany her to the filming location, but with one condition: if Isolde felt anything wrong with her body, she had to take a break.

When they arrived at the filming location, Charlotte hesitated to step out of the car. She was nervous, feeling afraid to face the disappointment or frustration of the crew, who had been working hard while she had done nothing but stay home for a whole week.

Her sudden break had caused delays in the shooting schedule, and she was sure it had affected many people.

However, the moment she stepped onto the set, she was welcomed with surprising warmth.

"Charlotte, you’re back!" Lily—the young actress who played her daughter—ran straight toward her and threw herself into Charlotte’s arms.

Behind the little girl, Lily’s mother walked over with a gentle smile and handed Charlotte a small gift bag. "Just a little something to cheer you up," she said warmly.

Charlotte was touched. "Thank you ... I really didn’t expect this."

But before she could say more, a loud voice echoed from across the set.

"Charlotte!"

She turned just in time to see Logan, the director, storming toward her, his brows furrowed and his arms flailing.

For a second, Charlotte braced herself, thinking he was going to scold her for the delays and complications she had caused.

"I can’t believe you let that overprotective boyfriend of yours ban me from visiting!" Logan shouted, clearly offended. "Do you know how many times I tried to check on you?! And each time, he had the nerve to block my calls!"

Tatiana tried to calm him down. "There, there, Mr. Barnes. The man you’re cursing is Mr. Sullivan, your own boss."

Charlotte blinked, stunned. "You ... you’ve tried to visit me?"

Logan huffed. "Of course I wanted to visit! The star of my film suddenly falls ill and gets hospitalized, of course I wanted to check on you! But every time I asked Mr. Sullivan, he never told me which hospital you were in!"

If it had been anyone else, they might’ve suspected that Charlotte was lying. That maybe she just wanted a week off to enjoy time with her boyfriend.

But strangely ... no one seemed to doubt her.

No one questioned her absence.

Why were they all acting like this?

As Charlotte glanced around, she noticed the expressions on their faces. They were filled with too much sympathy. As if ... they already knew what had happened to her.

"Charlotte," Lily tugged at her shirt, looking up with big, concerned eyes. "Did your evil ex-husband get caught yet?"

Charlotte blinked, startled. How does she know about that?

"What do you mean?" she asked, crouching down in front of the little girl, trying to keep a smile on her face. "I’m fine. I just had a fever."

"Don’t lie!" Logan snapped, angrier now. "Do you think we don’t know what really happened to you?!"

Tatiana, who had been standing quietly beside Logan, let out a slow breath and gently said, "Charlotte, you don’t have to hide it from us. We’re not going to say a word to the press."

Charlotte opened her mouth ... then closed it again.

After a long pause, she finally found the courage to ask, "Did ... Damon tell you everything?"

Tatiana gently shook her head. "Mr. Louis was the one who told us. He sent us the pictures of you."

Louis had sent them a photo, one showing Charlotte covered in bruises, her skin discolored and swollen in more places than anyone could count. Along with the image, he gave Logan only a brief explanation: Charlotte had been kidnapped by her ex-husband.

That was all it took.

The entire crew had been shocked. Hurt. Angry. And above all, deeply sympathetic. Since then, they hadn’t blamed her for the delays. In fact, they were more worried than anything, constantly wondering if she had truly recovered.

Of course, none of them knew that Charlotte was a werewolf.

They didn’t realize how fast she could heal, or that the bruises in that photo had likely disappeared within a day or two. To them, she looked almost too fine now, so much so that some even believed she must be covering her injuries with makeup to keep everyone from worrying.

Lily’s mother gently patted her shoulder. "Miss Charlotte, you don’t have to push yourself too hard. I know something like that couldn’t have been easy for you."

Charlotte was too stunned to speak. She truly hadn’t expected Louis to tell the film crew about her condition.

And it seemed like Damon eventually found out about it too, but he didn’t say anything to her, probably because he didn’t want her to get upset.

However, Charlotte could understand Louis’s decision. He did it so no one would blame her when she returned to the set.

In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realized how much it had helped.

Had Louis stayed silent, people might’ve whispered behind her back, speculated, assumed she was being unprofessional or difficult. But instead ... they welcomed her with warmth, with kindness, with understanding.

He had protected her, in his own way.

Charlotte let out a slow breath and made a mental note to thank him later, even if she’d scold him a little for not telling her first.