Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 96: Losing Something Precious

Damon didn’t say anything for a long time, and the silence only made Charlotte more anxious.

Right after Louis brought them to the hospital, he made sure Charlotte got a full-body check-up, including a scan to check on the baby.

Her body had healed much faster than anyone expected. So naturally, they all believed the baby would be okay too.

But when Louis did the ultrasound, what he found was something none of them had been ready for.

The baby was gone.

The fetus had already started to decay—most likely because the infection from Charlotte’s rotting wounds had spread through her blood and reached the baby.

Charlotte didn’t want to believe it. She begged Louis, tears in her eyes, to do something, anything, to save her child.

But there was nothing he could do.

The baby had died long before her body began to heal. Long before the antidote had a chance to work.

That was why Louis couldn’t do anything to save the baby. He gently explained to Charlotte that she needed surgery right away to remove the decaying fetus from her body.

But Charlotte had refused. She wanted to wait, just until Damon woke up.

Even though the fetus had poisoned her blood, her body was healing quickly. Fast enough to keep her alive.

"Damon ... please, say something," she whispered, her voice barely holding together. She pulled back slightly to look at him. Tears streamed down her face, soaking her cheeks.

He had gone through so much, risking everything he could to save her and their baby. But in the end, her body had failed them.

"I’ll understand if you’re angry at me," she choked out. "But please ... just say something."

"Charlotte." His voice was soft, but firm. Damon finally looked into her eyes, his expression full of pain but free from blame. "I’m not angry at you."

He had every reason to be.

That baby was supposed to be his heir, the future Alpha of the Crimson Moon Pack.

He could’ve blamed her. He could’ve screamed or walked away. But instead, he reached for her, pulling her gently into his arms.

"It’s not your fault," he murmured, his hand cradling the back of her head. "None of this is your fault."

Charlotte broke down in his arms, her sobs muffled against his chest.

Damon’s gentle response, his calm voice, his soft touch, it should’ve comforted her. But instead, it made something inside Charlotte snap.

His kindness broke her.

It felt too quiet, too calm for the storm that was raging inside her chest.

"How can you say that?!" she cried out, her hands pounding weakly against his chest as tears streamed down her face. "How can you act like this isn’t a big deal?! Like we didn’t just lose everything?!"

Her voice cracked with grief.

"Why aren’t you angry, Damon?! Why aren’t you screaming like I want to?! Don’t you care?! Wasn’t our baby important to you?!"

Damon’s jaw clenched. For a moment, he just stared at her, his own pain flickering behind his eyes. "Charlotte!"

His voice echoed through the room. It was louder, sharper than she had ever heard it before.

Charlotte flinched at the sound of his voice, her breath catching in her throat. Her fists, still pressed against his chest, froze in place.

Damon took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. His eyes were filled with heartbreak, but there was no anger, but just overwhelming emotion.

"Don’t you dare think for a second that I didn’t care," he said, his voice softer now but just as intense. "I loved that baby with everything I had. I wanted them. I pictured a future with them, with you."

His hands gently cupped her face, thumbs brushing away her tears even as his own eyes shimmered with the ones he refused to let fall.

"I’m not calm because I don’t care," he whispered. "I’m calm because if I let myself fall apart right now ... I’m afraid I won’t be able to put myself back together again. And you ... you need me to hold on."

"You need me, Charlotte," he repeated gently. "The baby grew inside you, and between the two of us, you’re the one who needs comfort the most right now."

Charlotte’s lips trembled, the rage in her chest slowly being replaced by something calmness.

"I lost our baby too," he added, his voice cracking. "But I didn’t lose you. I can’t and I won’t let grief take you away from me too."

She broke into a sob, leaning into him, her hands clutching his shirt tightly. Damon held her close, burying his face in her hair as they both let the pain bleed out between them.

They had lost something precious. But they still had each other. And in that moment, it was the only thing keeping them from falling apart.

"We’ll get through this together," Damon said firmly. "We can try to have a baby again later, but the most important thing right now is making sure you’re okay."

Damon gently cupped her face, his thumbs brushing the tears from her cheeks. "Which is why," he continued softly, "you need to get the surgery, Charlotte."

Charlotte’s eyes widened slightly, her lips parting as if to protest. But Damon held her gaze, calm and full of care.

"I know it’s hard. I know it hurts more than anything," he said. "But keeping the baby inside you ... it’s hurting you now. You’ve done everything you could."

His voice cracked just a little, but he kept going. "You’re not letting go of them. You’re just letting your body heal. Our baby would be mad at you if they knew you were hurting yourself like this."

Charlotte’s eyes welled up again, but this time the tears came slower. His words sank deep into her chest, wrapping around the guilt and grief like a warm, aching truth.

She looked up at him, whispering, "I just ... I didn’t want to let go. Not yet."

Louis had told her that the fetus had decayed, but in Charlotte’s mind, it was still her baby, something she couldn’t let go of so easily.

Damon nodded, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I know. Me neither. But holding on this way ... it’s hurting you, and I can’t stand to see that."

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "We’ll carry them in our hearts. Always. But right now, I need you to stay. I need you to live."

Charlotte closed her eyes for a moment, letting his words wrap around her broken heart. Then, slowly, she gave a small nod.

"Okay," she whispered. "I’ll do it."

Charlotte then called Louis, telling him that she was finally ready to undergo the surgery.

Louis didn’t waste a second. He made all the arrangements, personally ensuring the best OB-GYN would be in charge of the procedure.

While the surgery took place, Damon waited right outside the operating room. He sat on a bench with Louis and Diana.

The three of them sat in silence for a while, until Diana finally broke it. "Aren’t you supposed to be in your room?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I feel fine," Damon replied. "Can’t be helped, my body regenerates too fast."

Diana clicked her tongue. "Says the guy who passed out for hours."

"Lucky for you, the smoke wasn’t something strong enough to kill werewolves," Louis said. "It could be deadly for humans, but for us, it only paralyzes us for a while. Still, since you inhaled so much of it, you should be resting longer."

"I’m fine," Damon insisted.

"Your hands are trembling," Louis pointed out, looking toward Damon’s fingers. Damon quickly hid his hand, holding it close.

"And your face still looks pale."

"Oh, shut up," Damon muttered. "How can I sleep when my mate is in surgery?"

Louis leaned back against the wall, letting out a tired sigh. "I get it. None of us are exactly calm right now."

Diana crossed her arms, her gaze still fixed on the surgery room door. "It should’ve never come to this," she muttered. "Julian’s crossed a line we can’t ignore anymore."

"Julian’s going to pay for everything he’s done," Damon said, his voice low and steady. "This wasn’t just some sick game. He nearly killed Charlotte and his own mother."

Diana sneered. "I still can’t believe he used his own mother to escape. That fucking psycho."

She continued, "I told our mother about what happened ... and you know, for the first time in a long while, I could actually sense that she wants to kill someone."

Carmen wasn’t someone with a heart as soft as Mona’s, but when it came to her daughter, she still had a soft spot, even for the one who gave her the biggest headaches.

When Diana told Carmen about Priscilla’s current condition, she screamed through the phone, and Diana swore to God she could hear her mother smashing things in the background until Mona had to step in and calm her down.

"That fucking jerk didn’t even leave a single clue about where he’s hiding Priscilla," Diana said. "Right now, I’m trying to contact her husband, maybe he knows something."

Damon frowned. "Her husband can’t be reached?"

Louis shook his head. "No," he replied. "But I don’t think Julian kidnapped him too. He’s the Alpha of his pack, after all."