Chapter 632

Evelyn dropped to one knee, her heart splintering at the sound of her daughter’s cries. Every sob from Charlie was like a punch to the chest.
She wanted nothing more than to scoop Charlie up, to hold her close and hush her pain away. But all she could do was watch, powerless, feeling the world slip out from under her feet.
Charles knelt beside her, his presence steady and protective. His eyes, dark with worry, never left Evelyn as she hovered on the edge of falling apart.
“Eve, let’s go back to the hotel, okay?” he said softly, voice full of concern.
He couldn’t bear to see her like this-so torn up-and he worried that if Evelyn didn’t know the whole story, she might accidentally make things worse for Charlie. The doctor had warned them just this morning: Charlie was fragile, her little body couldn’t handle any more shocks.
But Evelyn didn’t even glance at Charles. With Charlie right there, how could she possibly leave? How could she walk away from her own child?
Luna knew exactly how much Evelyn cared about her precious little girl. The more Evelyn cared, the more it must hurt to watch Charlie pull away, to see her cling to someone else and call another woman “Mommy.” It was the cruelest cut.
That’s why Luna had nudged Charlie into making a fuss, just to pull Evelyn’s attention, to make sure she saw what was happening.
Didn’t Evelyn claim to love her daughter more than anything? Then watching her beloved child reject her, watching her reach for someone else, was like twisting a knife in her chest.
The pain she caused Evelyn filled Luna with a dark thrill.
Hearing Evelyn whisper Charlie’s name, voice trembling with heartbreak, Luna couldn’t help but steal a glance at her rival’s misery. She kept murmuring sweet nothings to Charlie, but out of the corner of her eye, she drank in Evelyn’s devastation. A smug smile tugged at Luna’s lips.
But then she froze.
She felt a stare, sharp and cold.
Charles. His gaze had shifted from Evelyn to Luna, those fathomless eyes boring right through her. The intensity sent a chill up her spine.
Suddenly nervous, Luna dropped her eyes, forcing her expression blank, pushing all her triumph and malice deep down where no one could see.
She was good at this-she could slip from one emotion to the next in a heartbeat. In just a few seconds, she looked up again, her face the picture of helplessness, her eyes full of concern as she glanced between Evelyn and Charles.
Had he noticed anything?
“Mr. Jenkins, Ms. Evelyn, I’ll take Aurora back now,” Luna said, holding Charlie close, her voice soft and tired.
If it weren’t for her plans to win over Charles, Luna wouldn’t be bothering with
this-pretending to be t
doting mother, faking tenderness in front of him.
As Luna started to lead Charlie away, Evelyn reached out instinctively. “You can’t take Charlie!”
Charles pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her. “Eve.”
“Ms. Cipoletti, thank you for looking after Charlie,” Charles said, his tone calm but firm.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Jenkins. Aurora’s my daughter too. I’ll take good care of her,” Luna replied, holding Charlie’s hand tight.
Right in front of Evelyn, Luna walked off with her daughter.
“Charlie!” Evelyn’s voice cracked as she tried to follow, but Charles held her fast.
She struggled, desperate, her eyes
glued to Charlie as she was led
away
fears spilled down her cheeks
as she turned on Charles, he voice full of fury and despair. “Charles!”
“Eve, Charlie’s health is fragile. She can’t take any more stress,” Charles said quietly.
Just like that, all the fight drained out of Evelyn.
No matter what happened, Charlie was always her Achilles’ heel. She cared about
her daughter’s well-being more than anything in the world.
No matter how much it hurt, she couldn’t risk her child’s health.
All she could do was kneel there, helpless, watching as her daughter disappeared from sight.
Charles held her close, his eyes following Luna’s retreating silhouette.
He couldn’t shake the memory of
the look Luna had given Evelyn just moments earlier. Even though she’d tried d to cover it up, he’d seen it—Luna’s malice was real, and it ran deep.