Chapter 1541:

Maybe it was the medication kicking in, but a heavy calm washed over Charlette, arms folded tight as the world faded into a distant hum.

Out of nowhere, she found herself wrapped in Ellis’s arms, the warmth startling her.

Stunned, Charlette blinked up at him.

“Why haven’t you left yet?”

What was stopping him from walking away from her? After witnessing the darkness she’d tried to hide, wouldn’t most people be filled with nothing but disgust? Why was he still holding her close?

Conflicted, Charlette grabbed a fistful of his shirt, torn between shoving him away and clinging to him. She struggled to focus, desperate to make out the look on his face.

With the gentlest touch, Ellis brushed away her tears and said softly, “Don’t cry. I’m not going anywhere.”

Charlette froze, every response delayed as if her mind was wading through fog. Cry? Was she actually crying? She’d kept it together through so much that even when her father attacked her in a drunken rage, not a single tear fell. So why now?

Ellis pressed a kiss to her forehead, his words heavy with promise.

“Charlette, I love you. I’m not leaving. I’ll stay by your side, always.”

He’d just confessed that he loved her. A wild glint shot through Charlette’s eyes, pushing away the last bit of restraint she had left. He was the one who chased after her.

Charlette tugged at his collar and demanded, “Then show me you mean it.”

Charlette was aching for proof. She needed Ellis to show her he belonged to her and that nothing would ever make him walk away. Restlessness gnawed at her, leaving her searching for any comfort that could ease the anxiety swirling inside her.

𝙁𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢: g⍺𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⫶ⅽ𝗼𝗺

Ellis’s eyes darkened as he studied her lips, their color tempting him. He leaned in, letting his breath mingle with hers before pressing a soft kiss to her mouth.

His lips brushed over hers with the gentleness of falling rain, lingering there as if savoring the moment.

The sweetness in that kiss reminded her of a breeze stirring the stillness of a quiet lake.

Even so, Charlette felt something missing. She longed for something that would shake her to her core. She wanted a kiss that would remind her she was alive.

Without hesitation, Charlette slid her arms around Ellis’s neck and pulled him closer, biting his lip before deepening the kiss. Her hunger grew with every passing second, until both of them were gasping for breath, forced to part for a moment.

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