The Day Our Promise Breaks

Chapter 629

Charles's breath stopped short.

He leaned in, every muscle tense, eyes glued to Charlie's little face, afraid to miss even the tiniest shift in her expression. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of his chair.

Charlie met Evelyn's gentle gaze for only a moment.

Her eyes were clear, calm-just the mild curiosity a child might show a stranger in passing. Not a flicker of recognition, not a hint of warmth.

Then, without a second thought, she looked away, tipping her small face up to Luna with a puzzled frown. "Mommy, is there something over there? Aurora didn't see anything."

Her innocent, questioning voice hit Charles like a bucket of ice water. All his fragile hope, fierce and desperate, was instantly drowned and left cold and dead.

Charlie looked at Evelyn the exact same way she looked at Charles.

Utterly, heartbreakingly unfamiliar.

She'd erased every bit of Evelyn from her heart.

Even with her birth mother standing right in front of her, not a single ripple stirred in Charlie's eyes.

pointed more deliberately toward Evelyn, coaxing, "Aurora, look again. That lady in the beige dress... are

"lady" was like lighting a

trying to take her away flashed

question made the sensitive little girl realize right away-this was just

up, drowning out every

heartbeat. The sweet, obedient look vanished, replaced by raw rejection and fear. Her

her cake plate with

Smash!

buttercream and

the room, drawing Evelyn's attention dike a stone thrown into still water. She turned instinctively toward

to block

swept

that little f that haunted her

deep in

Time seemed to stop.

pupils shrank. All the blood in her body rushed to her head, then drained away,

stopped breathing. The world faded to

There she was-her Charlie.

child she'd thought