Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 72: The Reason to Stay Live

If she let herself stare any longer, she might just abandon all her plans and crawl right back into his arms.

Damon stretched lazily before slipping out of bed. He walked over to the nightstand, opened a drawer, and pulled out a few bottles of vitamins.

"I want to see you off," he murmured, rubbing his eyes before handing them to her. "I know you get busy and forget to eat sometimes. I don’t want you getting sick, so take these before you start working, okay?"

Charlotte blinked, caught completely off guard.

This man. This ridiculously thoughtful, annoyingly handsome man.

How was he always this thoughtful? Not just about the big things, but even the smallest details like this.

Charlotte took the vitamin bottles, then stood onto her tiptoes, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Thank you," she murmured, smiling against his mouth. "I’ll take them, I promise."

Damon hummed in approval at her answer, his fingers tightening around her waist, keeping her close for just a moment longer. "Good girl." His voice was so deep and rough that Charlotte felt her knees go weak.

He was doing this on purpose!

Charlotte pushed against his chest. "Don’t start." But she didn’t resist when Damon stole a few more kisses, pressing his lips softly against hers before trailing them across her face.

"Can’t help it," he murmured. "How am I supposed to let you go when you look this beautiful in the morning?"

His words made her face reddened, but she still let out a small laugh, ruffling his already-messy hair. "I really have to go now." She glanced at the clock before looking back at him. "I’ll call you after filming."

Damon still looked reluctant, but he finally let her go with a sigh. "Alright... Just don’t forget to rest if you get tired."

Charlotte smiled. "I know, I know."

• •

The moment Charlotte arrived at the filming location, she was met with a wave of congratulations from everyone.

"Charlotte! Congratulations on your relationship!"

Noella, one of the makeup artists, practically bounced on her feet as she rushed toward Charlotte, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I didn’t expect you and Mr. Sullivan to go public this soon," Tatiana, the vice director, added with a warm smile. "But congratulations."

The most unexpected part? Even Lily’s mother joined in, offering her warm congratulations. "You two make such a lovely couple. I hope you’ll stay happy together for a long time."

Before Charlotte could respond, Lily’s excited voice rang out. "The teddy bear is so cute, Charlotte!"

Charlotte blinked in surprise. "You ... you saw our pictures?"

"Yes! I saw them on my mom’s phone!" Lily beamed. "Because of you, I really want to go to the Night Market!"

Mrs. Bennet leaned in and whispered, "Don’t worry, I didn’t let her see ’that’ picture."

Charlotte let out an awkward laugh. "Thank you for telling me, Mrs. Bennet."

Not long after, even the director approached her with a smirk. "Didn’t expect you to be the talk of the town this soon, but good job handling it. Mr. West said thanks to you, we’ve been getting a ton of free publicity."

Charlotte smiled, a little overwhelmed by all the attention but keeping her composure. She gave a small bow of gratitude. "Thank you, everyone."

Just then, Ethan strolled over with a teasing grin. "So? Your boyfriend is Damon Sullivan? No wonder you never even gave me a chance to get close." He said, "He’s perfect for you, Charlotte."

Charlotte nodded. "Yes, he’s perfect for me."

Mia, who was touching up Charlotte’s makeup, suddenly piped up. "So, when’s the wedding?"

Charlotte nearly choked on air. "Excuse me?!"

Noella giggled, nudging her playfully. "No wedding yet? Just from the way Mr. Sullivan looks at you, I know he’s dying to call you his wife."

"We ... we’re just enjoying things as they are right now," she finally said, hoping her voice didn’t betray how fast her heart was racing.

Before anyone could tease her further, the assistant director clapped their hands.

"Alright, everyone! Let’s get ready for the first scene!"

Charlotte let out a sigh of relief, relieved for the distraction.

The early morning air was cold, wrapping Charlotte’s body as she settled into the driver’s seat.

The cameras were rolling, but for a moment, she wasn’t thinking about them. She was Lena now, a mother who had fought so hard, endured so much, and was finally allowing herself to slow down, even if just for a few minutes.

Beside her, Olivia, was bundled up in a thick blanket, a small cup of hot chocolate cradled in her hands. The steam curled into the air as she pressed her forehead against the cold car window, her tiny breath fogging up the glass.

In this scene, they had just been evicted from their apartment because Lena didn’t have the money to pay the rent. This happened because her ex-husband had hired people to steal her money.

For a moment, Charlotte couldn’t help but think—if Damon hadn’t helped her, would she have ended up like Lena? Lost, struggling, and trapped in financial hardship?

She could have asked her parents for help, but back then, she truly believed that Julian would go as far as harming them if she reached out.

In the end, all her fears had been for nothing. Her parents would have done anything to protect her, and there was no way Julian could have hurt them so easily.

But what could she say? Her old self had been drowning in insecurity, feeling like a helpless fly caught in a spider’s web for far too long.

"Mommy, look," Lily’s voice brought Charlotte’s mind back to reality. "The sun is waking up."

Charlotte turned her head, watching as soft lights of pink and orange melted into the sky. A tender smile formed on her lips. "Yeah ... it is."

Charlotte gently tucked a loose strand of Lily’s hair behind her ear. "You know, when I was little, I used to think the sunrise was magic."

Lily turned to her, eyes wide with curiosity. "Magic?"

"Mhm," Charlotte nodded. "I told myself that as long as the sun kept rising, no matter how scary or bad things got, there was always a new day waiting for me. A fresh start."

Lily was quiet for a second, processing her words in that way only children could. Then, she scooted closer, resting her head against Charlotte’s arm.

"Then let’s watch the sunrise together every day, Mommy," she said simply. "So we can always have magic."

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As long as the sun kept rising, she still had a reason to keep going.

Back in Julian’s house, there wasn’t a single day when the thought of ending everything didn’t cross her mind.

If I just disappear, it’ll finally be over.

No more pain. No more fear. No more endless nights of wondering if she’d ever escape.

But even in her darkest moments, a small voice inside her refused to let go. Just hold on one more day. Maybe tomorrow will be different. Maybe, after the storm, you’ll finally see a rainbow.

She had clung to that fragile hope, repeating it like a desperate prayer, believing in something that felt impossible.

But now, standing here, breathing freely, she felt nothing but relief.

Because if she had given up back then, she never would have known what it meant to truly live.

She never would have felt the warmth of a love that asked for nothing in return.

She never would have experienced the safety and comfort of being in someone’s arms, knowing she was cherished, protected.

She never would have been loved by Damon Sullivan.