Chapter 85: Poisoned Bonds
When Charlotte saw Louis and Vera in the corridor, she immediately bowed her head and said, "I’m sorry. I’m really sorry." Her voice trembled with guilt. "I’m the reason Haven got sick. It’s really my—"
"What are you doing?" Louis interrupted, his voice cold and sharp.
Charlotte froze, taken aback. She had never heard Louis speak in that tone before. She thought he was about to scold her, maybe even yell at her, but to her surprise, he said, "Don’t you dare apologize to us." His voice was firm. "You didn’t do anything wrong. And Haven... my Haven got hurt because of my bastard nephew."
Louis gritted his teeth, his whole body tense as if he was barely holding back his rage. His fists clenched so tightly that Charlotte wouldn’t have been surprised if he punched the hospital wall hard enough to crack it.
"That bastard ... How dare he hurt his own family?"
For a moment, Charlotte had almost forgotten that Julian wasn’t just her ex-husband—he was also Damon and Louis’s nephew. Blood was supposed to be thicker than water, but Julian had chosen to poison that bond instead.
All this time, Louis had rarely spoken badly about Julian. Yes, he despised what his nephew had done to Charlotte, but unlike Damon, he had never actively hated him. Maybe, deep down, he still considered Julian family—just a little.
But now?
With this incident, any remaining sentiment he had for Julian was gone.
"Louis is right," Vera sighed. "You don’t have to apologize. If Haven were awake, she wouldn’t blame you either." She gave Charlotte a tired but gentle smile. "You’re my daughter’s favorite person, after all."
Charlotte was quiet for a moment. She didn’t even dare to lift her head, afraid that if she did, she would see the lingering exhaustion in Vera’s eyes or the restrained fury still tightening Louis’s jaw. She didn’t deserve their kindness—not when their daughter had suffered because of her.