NovelGoldWhen the light above the operating room flickered on, Charlotte sat waiting on a bench, turning a cotton swab over in her hands as a nurse handed it to her for the scrape on her forehead.
She had barely accepted it when her mother-in-law, Miranda, rushed in, flustered.
"Evander!" Miranda's eyes darted around, landing on Charlotte alone. "Where is he?" Charlotte slowly rose to her feet. "He's... in emergency surgery." "In surgery?" Miranda strode forward, gripping Charlotte's shoulders with trembling hands. "You left the house together-how did it end up like this?" Ilse and her husband entered at a measured pace, followed by Genevieve. Before Charlotte could answer, Genevieve's voice rang out, sharp and accusing. "Aunt Miranda, she's nothing but trouble. If she hadn't insisted on divorcing my brother, he wouldn't have had to drive her to city hall himself. If not for her, none of this would have happened!" Jensen Howard shot his daughter a warning glare. "That's enough! No use throwing blaround." He turned to Miranda, who looked on the verge of tears. "Miranda, Evander's a good man-he'll pull through. He always does." Miranda's eyes were red-rimmed as she let go of Charlotte. "He's my only son! Charlotte, maybe he's let you down, but put yourself in his place-he was forced to marry a woman he'd never even met. How could he truly accept that?" "Yes, you saved his life as a child, but after that kidnapping, he cdown with a terrible fever. He was delirious for three days-almost lost him. When he finally woke up, he remembered nothing about what happened. We never spoke of it again, not in front of him." Charlotte froze, stunned.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt1/3 Chapter 345 "You think he's heartless, that he abandoned you? He just doesn't remember. Is that his fault? He owes you a debt, yes, and our family is willing to make it right. But just because you think I've turned my back on you, ignored you all these years, does that give you the right to resent him? You married him of your own free will-no one forced you. If anything, you used your good deed as leverage. You got what you wanted, didn't you?" Every word from Miranda cut like a knife, each accusation sinking into Charlotte's chest with ruthless precision. Leverage... a debt repaid...
The words rang painfully true. She had no defense, because, in the end, there was no difference.
She'd thought Evander still remembered her. She'd kept her promise and clooking for him.
But no one knew-the deal she made with Rosemary wasn't about any of this.
No one knew that the day she first cto the Howard estate, all she wanted was to see him once, just to lay eyes on him.
As luck would have it, she crossed paths with Rosemary.
When Rosemary learned she was Old Mr. Carstairs' student, she invited Charlotte inside. The old woman had asked, gentle but direct, why Charlotte lingered at the gate-was she looking for someone? Charlotte, shy and hesitant, lowered her head and admitted she wanted to see Evander.
When asked why, she only said it was a childhood promise between them.
But it was Rosemary who figured out the truth. The police had told her that, when her grandson was rescued, it was thanks to a little girl who'd run for help.
"Do you want to marry my grandson?" 2/3 13:01 Chapter "Could I?" "My grandson's not so easily won over, you know. And he might not remember you at all." "That's all right. I'll help him remember." "And if-just if-he never does?" "Then I'll make him fall in love withanyway!"
Back then, Charlotte had been all youthful bravado, certain that love certain would conquer all, so sure that life would unfold as she wished. But later, she'd learned how wrong she'd been.
All those vows she'd made in front of Rosemary were just a kind of bargain. And she'd lost.
She'd believed he'd stopped caring, that Tricia had erased whateverm promise he once made. Or maybe, deep down, she feared he truly had forgotten her. She never expected that he really had.
Lost in Miranda's bitter words, Charlotte finally found her voice. She didn't protest the accusation of "leverage." Her voice was raw, barely more than a whisper. "So now... I'm giving him back his freedom."
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