Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 95: The Antidote

Charlotte waited anxiously, her eyes locked on the entrance to the underground tunnel. Greenish smoke continued to pour out, carrying a stench that made anyone nearby cough violently or even pass out.

If just a little bit of that smoke could do that... what was happening to Damon inside?

"He ... something must’ve happened to him in there," she whispered, gripping the sleeve of Diana’s coat, her voice full of fear. "Please ... we have to help him."

"I can’t," Diana said softly, turning her face away. She swallowed hard, fighting the knot in her throat. "He told us to leave. And even if we went back in, I don’t know if we could get him out. Not with all that smoke."

Louis had already sent the werewolves to grab protective gear—gas masks, special suits—but they were still at least thirty minutes away. And with so little time, no one could say for sure if Damon could hold on.

"He’ll make it," Louis said, placing a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder. "He promised he’d find the antidote for you. That means he’s not giving up."

Like the others, Louis was just as worried. Deep down, he wasn’t sure his brother could survive the poison gas either, but he buried that doubt and chose to believe that Damon would crawl out of that hellhole.

Besides, they still weren’t sure if the gas was truly poisonous or simply meant to knock them out. So far, no one has died because of it. Most only fainted, and their vitals remained stable, no signs of it being fatal.

And for that reason, maybe, just maybe, Damon would survive.

But even with all the logic, all the hope, Charlotte couldn’t stop the fear from clawing at her heart. The thought of losing Damon, of never seeing him again ...

It was almost too much to bear.

After all, Damon was doing something this dangerous just to find the antidote for her.

Diana quickly pulled Charlotte away from the tunnel entrance as more gas poured out. However, she couldn’t drag her too far because Charlotte immediately screamed in pain.

Some of her wounds had gotten worse. The injuries on her legs were rotting and starting to look like they were melting. Louis had tried treating them with whatever medicine they had on hand, but he didn’t dare act recklessly. He didn’t want to make things worse.

"Here, cover your nose and mouth with this." Diana tied a damp handkerchief around Charlotte’s face. "I know this is really hard right now, but please, just hold on."

Charlotte lowered her eyes. "I think those words are better said to Damon," she whispered. "He’s probably suffering more than I am."

"Charlotte!" Diana snapped. "I know this might sound cliché, but whatever happens to Damon is not your fault. He chose to do this. He did it because he wanted to. Because he loves you."

"So don’t you dare treat what my brother’s doing as if it’s some kind of burden you forced on him," Diana said firmly, her voice shaking with emotion. "He’s not doing this out of pity, Charlotte. He’s doing it because you matter to him. Because you’re the only person he’d risk everything for."

Charlotte’s lips trembled, and her eyes filled with fresh tears. She looked down at her shaking hands, guilt and pain filling her heart. "But if something happens to him—"

"Nothing bad will happen to him!" Diana and Louis shouted at the same time.

Charlotte was about to open her mouth, but suddenly, she heard a loud cough echoing from the tunnel entrance.

Everyone segera turned their head toward the source of the sound.

Amidst the thick green smoke, someone was dragging himself out of the tunnel.

"Damon!" Charlotte cried, eyes widening.

Damon was crawling, his clothes torn and soaked with sweat, his skin pale and covered in dirt. Even though he was in terrible condition, barely able to breathe, his hand clutched something tightly.

A vial filled with a glowing green serum.

The antidote.

He barely made it out of the tunnel before collapsing onto the ground. With the last of his strength, he reached out and placed the vial in Charlotte’s lap.

His voice was barely a whisper. "I told you ... I’d keep my promise."

He gave her a faint smile before finally passing out.

"Damon!" Charlotte screamed, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him gently. "Wake up!"

Charlotte clutched the antidote to her chest, tears streaming down her face. He made it back. He really made it back.

He kept his promise. frёeωebɳovel.com

While Louis tended to Damon, Diana gently took the vial from Charlotte’s hands and unscrewed the cap. "Here. Drink this, now."

Honestly, none of them were sure if Julian had given her the real antidote. But they didn’t have a choice.

Besides, Julian was truly obsessed with her. And if he had wanted Charlotte dead, he would’ve made sure she died right in front of him.

Without hesitation, Charlotte took the vial and drank it in one gulp.

As soon as the liquid touched her tongue, Charlotte felt her throat burn, like she had swallowed fire. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she clutched her chest, gasping from the sudden heat spreading through her body.

But then ... something changed.

The pain in her legs began to fade. The rotting wounds on her skin stopped oozing, and the stench that had clung to her body slowly disappeared.

She looked down and widened her eyes as the open wounds on her thighs started to heal. The blackened, melted skin began to smooth over, inch by inch, until only faint scars remained.

"I-It’s working," she whispered, barely believing it.

Diana let out a breath of relief. "Thank god..."

Charlotte looked toward Damon, still unconscious, his chest rising and falling slowly.

He had gone through hell for her. And now... he had saved her life.

She reached for his hand, holding it tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. "You kept your promise. Now let me keep mine, I’m not going anywhere without you."

• •

Louis placed Damon and Charlotte in the same VIP hospital room so they wouldn’t have to be separated and so he wouldn’t have to deal with his brother panicking the moment he woke up.

Just as he predicted, Damon woke up from his unconscious state in a panic. Sweat covered his forehead, and the image of Charlotte immediately filled his mind.

He kept wondering if his mate was okay, and whether the antidote he had brought out was real.

He feared he might have failed and feared he had brought the wrong antidote and let Charlotte die.

But before those dark thoughts could spiral any further, his eyes landed on the beautiful face of the woman sitting beside his bed.

Charlotte had fallen asleep in the chair, her head resting gently on the edge of the bed.

"C-Charlotte?" Damon’s voice was hoarse as his hand reached out toward her head.

His fingers brushed lightly against her hair, hesitant at first—like he was afraid she’d disappear the moment he touched her.

Charlotte moved slightly when she felt something touched her, her brows furrowing slightly before her eyes fluttered open. It took her a moment to focus, but when she saw him looking at her, fully awake, she jolted in surprise.

She immediately threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly as if letting go would cause Damon to vanish into thin air. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and a soft sob escaped her lips.

"Damon ..." She bit her lower lip, trying her best to hold back the sobs. "I thought ... I thought you ..."

She couldn’t even finish the sentence because she felt like she was tempting fate by saying it out loud.

"Sweetheart, I’m fine," Damon whispered, gently stroking her hair. He murmured soft, soothing words, over and over, doing everything he could to calm her trembling body. "I’m really fine."

Damon pulled away from the hug just slightly, enough to see her face.

His thumb gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks before he leaned in and kissed her softly, once on her forehead, once on her temple, and then tenderly on her tear-streaked cheek.

"I’m here," he whispered against her skin. "I’m not dead yet."

"No!" Charlotte hit him gently. "Don’t use that word!."

Damon chuckled softly and kissed her lips. "I’m sorry, sweetheart. I promise I won’t use that word again."

Then, he pulled back just enough to look her over, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. Carefully, his hands moved to check her arms, her shoulders, her legs, anywhere the wounds had once been.

"No pain?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. "Anywhere?"

Charlotte shook her head slowly. "It’s gone ... all of it. The antidote really worked."

Damon immediately pulled Charlotte back into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her tightly as he stroked her back and the back of her head. "Thank God..." he whispered.

Charlotte hugged him back, burying her face into his neck. She murmured, "Damon ... I’m sorry."

Her whole body suddenly began to tremble, even worse than before, making Damon’s heart clench with worry.

"Why are you apologizing, sweetheart?" he asked gently.

"The baby ..." Charlotte paused, holding her breath for a moment before finally whispering, "Our baby didn’t make it."