Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-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.

Her hands clenched at the hem of her coat. "But if it weren’t for me, Julian wouldn’t have—"

"Stop." Louis’s voice was sharp, leaving no room for argument. "If you talk like this once more, I’ll be mad at you for real."

She swallowed hard, but before she could respond, Vera reached out, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Charlotte," Vera’s voice was softer, a gentle contrast to her husband’s firm words. "No one blames you. Haven wouldn’t, and neither do we."

"Besides, the doctor said she’ll wake up soon." Vera’s voice was gentle, but the exhaustion beneath it was impossible to miss.

She led Charlotte toward the small window on the hospital room door.

Through the glass, Haven looked peaceful, as if she were just taking an afternoon nap. But the IV drip attached to her tiny arm and the steady beeping of the heart monitor told a different story.

Charlotte’s throat tightened.

Haven wasn’t supposed to be lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines. She was supposed to be running around, her laughter echoing through the house, her bright eyes lighting up whenever she saw Charlotte.

She was supposed to throw her arms around Charlotte’s waist, grinning as she talked a mile a minute about her day.

Not like this.

Not pale and fragile, barely clinging to consciousness.

A sharp sting burned behind Charlotte’s eyes, but she forced herself to swallow it down.

She wanted to hold back her tears, but after forcing herself to stay strong all day, they finally spilled down her cheeks.

"Alright, come here." Damon gently pulled her away from Vera, his voice soft yet firm. "Let’s sit for a moment."

Charlotte let herself be guided, too exhausted to protest. Damon led her to a quiet corner of the hallway, settling her onto one of the chairs before crouching down in front of her.

"Take a deep breath," he murmured, his hands resting on her knees. "You don’t have to hold it in."

But she shook her head, pressing her trembling fingers against her lips as if that would stop the sob threatening to escape. "I should be comforting Vera and Louis, not breaking down like this."

Damon sighed, his gaze steady as he brushed a stray tear from her cheek. "And who’s going to comfort you?" he continued, "Sweetheart, Haven will be alright."

Charlotte blinked at him, her breath hitching.

"You’ve been carrying this weight all day," he continued. "Just cry if you want to."

His words shattered what little resistance she had left. With a shaky breath, she leaned forward, resting her forehead against his shoulder. Damon’s arms wrapped around her instantly, holding her close as she finally let herself cry.

Damon didn’t say anything as he held her, letting her cry into his shoulder.

His hand rubbed soothing circles against her back, and for the first time since hearing about Haven, Charlotte felt like she could breathe.

After a while, her sobs quieted, leaving only the occasional hiccup. She pulled back slightly, embarrassed by the wet patch she had probably left on his shirt. "I’m sorry," she mumbled, wiping her face with the sleeve of her coat.

Damon huffed, amused. "You’re apologizing again."

Charlotte sniffled, managing a small smile despite herself. "I can’t help it."

Damon reached into his coat pocket and handed her a handkerchief. "Use this before you completely soak your sleeve."

She took it with a quiet "thank you" and dabbed at her eyes, feeling slightly more composed.

After a moment of silence, Damon spoke again, his voice quieter this time. "Haven’s strong. She’s going to be okay."

Charlotte nodded, gripping the handkerchief tightly. "I know."

Damon sat beside Charlotte, letting her lean her head against his shoulder. They weren’t allowed to enter Haven’s room yet because the doctor had advised them to let her rest until she woke up.

A few moments later, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. Turning toward the sound, they saw Carmen, Mona, and Diana approaching with urgency written all over their faces.

When the news about Haven had spread, Carmen and Mona had been out of town watching their favorite opera performance together.

Neither of them had checked their phones until the show ended, and the moment they read about what had happened, they rushed back to Northbridge without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Diana had been scouring the city, trying to track down Julian’s whereabouts.

"Louis! Louis, how’s Haven?" Mona ran straight to her son, her face pale with worry. "I’m so sorry it took me this long to get here."

"It’s okay, Mom." Louis reassured his mother, gently calming her down before explaining everything that had happened.

Meanwhile, Diana and Carmen stood a short distance away, their expressions tense. Carmen clenched her jaw, barely containing her anger. Her eyes burned with fury.

"I never expected that boy to go this far," she hissed. "What the hell was he thinking, poisoning his own cousin?!"

"Do you have any clues about where Julian went?" Damon asked Diana.

Diana shook her head. "No. The only thing I know is that Julian poisoned the person who delivered the catering to the kindergarten and slipped the poison into Haven’s meal," she said grimly. "And Theodore just contacted me."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "He couldn’t find Priscilla at her house," she said. "Her husband is away on a business trip, but I’ve already confirmed that my sister didn’t go with him."

As they discussed Priscilla, Louis and the others immediately approached to hear the information.

Damon’s expression darkened. "So she’s missing too," he muttered, his jaw tightening.

Diana nodded. "I have a bad feeling about this. Either she ran away to avoid getting caught up in this mess, or ..." She hesitated, glancing at Louis. "Or she’s with Julian."

Louis let out a harsh scoff. "Of course she is," he said bitterly. "That woman would rather run off with her son than face the consequences. She knew we’d come after him."

Mona said worriedly. "What if he’s forcing her?" she asked. "She might not have a choice."

Louis scoffed. "Priscilla always has a choice," she said coldly. "And she always chooses Julian."

"We don’t know that yet," Diana said. "Let’s not make assumptions until we have more information."

"Of course," Louis said coldly. "Of course, you would defend your sister."

"Louis." Diana shot him a sharp glance. "That’s not the case. I’m just as angry as you are that Julian poisoned Haven, but let’s not jump to conclusions before we have solid proof," Diana finished, her voice firm but tired.

Louis let out a bitter laugh. "Proof? What more proof do we need? Julian is gone, and so is his mother. That alone is suspicious."

Diana clenched her jaw. Even though Priscilla had done many terrible things, she still held onto a sliver of belief that her sister wouldn’t go so far as to poison a little girl.

Mona, who had been holding onto Louis’s arm, finally spoke up. "No matter what, we have to find them," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Julian can’t get away with this."

"We will." Damon finally stood up, his presence commanding as ever. "I’ll put every resource I have into tracking them down."

Diana sighed, rubbing her temple. "I’ll continue investigating too." Then, she turned to Charlotte, who had been quiet all this time. "And you ... are you okay?"