Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 87: Silent Fears

Charlotte’s eyes felt heavy, but no matter how many times she tried to close them, she still couldn’t fall asleep.

Her mind was too loud, whispering all kinds of negative thoughts to her, as if it wouldn’t stop until she did something extreme to herself.

She wanted to talk to Emi, but it was almost midnight, and she didn’t want to disturb her.

With a soft groan, Charlotte finally sat up in bed, running her fingers through her hair in frustration, as if messing it up would somehow lighten the heavy weight pressing on her chest.

It felt strange.

She had been away from Julian for months, long enough to almost forget his existence. But now that his name had resurfaced, she couldn’t help but feel restless.

"Charlotte, the soup is ready."

Damon finally returned to the bedroom after being gone for nearly thirty minutes. His eyes immediately fell on her disheveled hair and the tension in her expression.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Setting the soup down on the table, he quickly moved closer to her, his gaze soft but filled with concern.

"What’s wrong, sweetheart?" he murmured, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Are you feeling upset again?"

Charlotte wanted to say something but decided to keep her mouth shut. All day, Damon had been taking care of her, comforting her when she was upset.

But what about him? If she kept acting like this, who would be there to comfort him?

Haven was his niece, so he must be even more upset than she was.

"I’m fine." Charlotte forced a smile onto her face. "What about you? I’m sorry I didn’t ask earlier."

Damon sighed, as if he already knew she was overthinking something. "Alright, come here."

"No, really, I’m fine."

"Just come here." Damon’s voice was gentle, yet firm, leaving no room for argument.

Slowly, Charlotte moved closer to him, only to be taken aback when Damon suddenly pulled her into his warm embrace.

He didn’t say a word, but his arms wrapped around her tighter than before. His fingers combed through her hair in slow, soothing strokes, gradually making her feel more at ease.

Then, Damon spoke quietly, "I’m not fine."

Charlotte stiffened slightly, surprised because she hadn’t expected him to admit that.

"I’m angry," he continued, his voice filled with frustration. "Angry that my own family dared to hurt the people I love."

"I’m also furious knowing that my nephew has done so many terrible things to you, to Haven, to the people who bought his products."

Damon’s voice remained calm, but Charlotte could feel the exhaustion in it. "I was there when my sister gave birth to Julian. I was there for every one of his birthdays from the time he turned one."

He let out a heavy sigh. "To know that someone I’ve known for so long is capable of doing such horrible things ... it makes me feel angry, annoyed, and ... a bit lost."

Charlotte rested her head against his chest. She knew Damon wasn’t trying to defend his bastard nephew, he was just letting out the feelings he had been holding inside.

"Why do you feel lost?" Charlotte asked softly.

"Sometimes, I don’t know how to act or what the right move actually is," Damon admitted. "My sister, my nephew ... sometimes everything just feels complicated."

He exhaled deeply, his grip on her tightening slightly. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought him up in the first place."

"No, it’s okay," Charlotte reassured him. "I understand. He’s your family, after all. I know how hard it is to navigate things when it’s your own blood doing something so horrible."

"But still, Charlotte. I’m not saying this because I want to defend him."

"I know." Charlotte pulled away slightly, just enough to meet his gaze. "I know that."

She cupped his face, gently brushing her thumbs across his cheeks. "You just feel bad, that’s all. And there’s nothing wrong with feeling bad."

Damon’s lips curled into an appreciative smile. "I agree. Which is why there’s nothing wrong with telling me you’re not fine instead of pretending."

Charlotte’s eyes widened slightly, realizing then that Damon had opened up his heart so she could do the same.

"There’s nothing wrong with feeling bad all day because your shitty ex-husband threatened you," he added.

Charlotte let out a tired sigh, followed by a soft chuckle. "You always know exactly where to hit on the sorest part of my heart."

"Of course." Damon leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to her temple. "You’re my mate. I’ll always know your heart."

He pulled back slightly, looking at her. "Do you want to eat something now? At least to regain some of your strength?"

Charlotte hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I do." She placed a hand on her stomach. "At least ... for our baby."

She didn’t want anything bad to happen to her baby just because she was feeling upset about her ex-husband.

Damon gently lifted the spoon and fed her the warm soup, allowing Charlotte to eat slowly. Though her appetite was weak at first, she eventually finished everything in the bowl.

After eating, Charlotte finally managed to fall asleep.

However, before the morning arrived, the sudden ringing of Damon’s phone echoed through the room, stirring Charlotte from her sleep.

She blinked one eye open, groggily listening as Damon answered the call. "Louis? What’s wrong?"

The moment she heard Louis’s name, Charlotte immediately sat up straight in bed. Her heart pounded with both hope and fear, she was hoping that Haven had finally woken up, but at the same time, terrified that Louis was calling because her condition had worsened.

But then she saw Damon’s smile. It was small at first, but enough to ease the knot in her chest.

She let out a sigh of relief, feeling reassured knowing that Haven was already fine.

"Tell Haven that Charlotte and I will be there soon," Damon said into the phone. "And let her know that her uncle is going to buy her everything she wants once she gets out of the hospital."

Damon ended the call and turned to her, his gray eyes filled with warmth. "Haven is awake," he confirmed, though she already knew from his reaction. "She asked about you."

Charlotte’s heart clenched at that. "She did?"

Damon nodded. "Of course she did. You’re her favorite person."

Charlotte swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling a mix of emotions of relief, joy, and a lingering ache of guilt for even thinking something bad might have happened.

"Let’s go see her," she said, already shifting to get out of bed.

Damon immediately looked at her with a hand on her back. "Take your time. You don’t have to rush."

Charlotte shook her head. "I want to see her now."

Damon studied her for a moment before nodding. "Alright. I’ll get the car ready."

Charlotte quickly freshened up while Damon stepped out to make sure everything was prepared. By the time they left the house, the morning sun was just starting to rise, casting a golden glow over the city.

She rolled down the window, closing her eyes as the wind brushed against her face. The warmth of the sun and the morning air made her feel a little more at ease.

The road was still quiet, allowing her to extend her hand slightly out of the window, just to feel the sun’s gentle warmth against her skin.

Damon glanced at her from the driver’s seat, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Feeling better?"

She nodded, eyes still closed as she breathed in the fresh air. "Yeah ... a little."

Damon reached over briefly, giving her knee a gentle squeeze before returning his hand to the wheel. "Good. You need to take in as many of these moments as you can."

Charlotte opened her eyes, turning to him with a soft smile. "You sound like an old man giving life advice." She paused for a moment before adding with a teasing grin, "But then again, you are an old man."

"Hey, as long as I haven’t hit half a century, I’m still young," Damon shot back, feigning offense. "And don’t you dare bring our age difference into this conversation." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Charlotte chuckled, leaning her head back against the seat. "Fine, fine. I’ll let it slide ... for now."

As they pulled into the hospital parking lot, Charlotte took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Damon parked the car and turned to her, his expression softening. "You ready?" he asked gently.

Charlotte nodded, gripping the door handle. "Yeah. Let’s go see Haven."

Without hesitation, Damon stepped out first, walking around to open her door. As she stepped out, he placed a protective hand on the small of her back, guiding her toward the hospital entrance.

The moment they walked in, they spotted Louis standing outside Haven’s room, his arms crossed. But when he saw them, his face relaxed slightly.

"She’s been waiting for you," Louis said, smiling at Charlotte. "She’s ready to tell you about her adventure of being poisoned by a deadly wizard."