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Chapter 5
At some point, Charlotte’s call had ended. Composing herself, she finally said, “My friend is getting married. What, do you want to come along?”
Given how Jaziel and Nolan had grown increasingly distant toward her, it was clear that once she returned to New Orleans, they wouldn’t see each other again–not even as friends. So, there was no reason to tell them the truth about her own impending marriage.
Hearing her words, Jaziel and Nolan exchanged a quick glance, sensing something odd, though they didn’t dwell on it. They simply shrugged it off.
“No, you go ahead. I’m busy with work,” Jaziel replied coldly, still upset over Sophie’s injury. He picked up some files and headed for the study.
Nolan, face darkened, added, “Because of you, Sophie got scratched up. You’d better apologize to her, or I won’t be interested in going to any wedding with you.”
With that, he, too, strode back to his room.
Charlotte gave a bitter smile but said nothing in return.
The next morning, Charlotte got up to make breakfast. As she entered the living room, she found it filled with vases overflowing with fresh flowers, their fragrance wafting through the air. Pollen drifted around, carried by the morning breeze.
Instantly, her face turned pale, and her breathing became labored. She had asthma and
was allergic to pollen!
Gasping, she struggled to breathe, her chest heaving and her vision darkening at the edges. Each breath grew more difficult.
“My… inhaler…”
Charlotte staggered toward the medicine cabinet, her steps unsteady as she tried to reach her asthma medication. Her hands fumbled weakly, knocking over several nearby vases.
Crash-
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Forsaking the Years of Longing
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The Vases shattered on the floor, spilling flowers and water everywhere. Startled by the sound of breaking glass, Jaziel and Nolan rushed in.
seeing the mess, they ignored Charlotte’s distress and instead reacted in anger.
“What are you doing?” they demanded.
By then, Charlotte had just managed to grab her inhaler, too weak to answer them. Nolan, however, stormed over, pushing her aside to hurriedly pick up the scattered flowers.
“Ah…”
Already weak, Charlotte stumbled from the push, her knee colliding with the edge of the cabinet, scraping her skin and leaving it swollen and red. Trembling, she clutched the inhaler, struggling for breath. She finally opened the cap and located the nozzle.
With the inhaler finally in her grasp, she inhaled the medicine, clinging to it as though it were her lifeline. Limping to a corner, she took deep breaths, feeling a slight relief as the medicine soothed her raw, aching airways.
She had barely regained her breath, yet Jaziel and Nolan remained preoccupied with cleaning up the scattered flowers and broken vases on the floor.
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