Charlotte was in so much pain that she couldn’t even speak. She just instinctively pointed at her ankle, which was starting to reddish and swell slowly.
Justin Battleson’s face darkened slightly. He freed up one hand to gently touch Charlotte’s ankle.
The cool touch against her blazingly painful ankle caused Charlotte to reflexively withdraw her foot, which lead to another bout of pain.
"Don’t move," Justin Battleson instructed, looking at her ankle in the light from a street lamp. It was slightly red and swollen, and his gaze deepened. "It’s okay, some medicated wine should help."
He looked at her and softly asked, "Can you stand?"
Upon hearing this, Charlotte hesitated for a moment. However, seconds later, she nodded firmly and answered, "I can."
Once Charlotte finished speaking, Justin understood and aided her to stand. Charlotte bore the pain and leaned heavily on Justin, then limped to sit down on a cool bench under the apartment building.
Justin Battleson maintained his stoic gaze. He sat beside her, bent slightly, and without any explanation, lifted Charlotte’s ankle onto his own lap.
Seeing this, Charlotte was somewhat taken aback. After a futile struggle, she let him be.
The man’s cold hand carefully covered her foot, his movements were extremely careful, just as if he was dealing with a rare treasure.
Henry Hudson’s words echoed in her ears, and Charlotte’s gaze became serious. An indescribable feeling surged in her heart.
Could she... really give it a try?
A sudden pang of pain in her ankle pulled her away from her thoughts, and she grunted, instinctively retracting her foot slightly. Follow current novᴇls on novｅlfire.net
Justin Battleson looked at her reflexively but didn’t say anything, softening his grip instead.
Only when the pain in her ankle subsided slightly did he let go of her ankle.
As she put on her shoes, something seemed to occur to Justin Battleson. He got up from the chair and said to Charlotte, "Wait for me here, I have something for the children."
Upon hearing this, Charlotte raised her head in confusion. Before she could say anything, she saw the man turn and walk towards where the car was parked, opening the car door in the light of the street lamp.
He seemed to be searching for something in the car. Charlotte saw him emerge with something in his hands, quickly moving towards her.
As he got closer and closer, Charlotte got a clear look and was momentarily stunned.
"Why did you buy these things?" She asked.
Hearing her question, Justin Battleson looked at what he was carrying and his face showed a slightly embarrassed expression. He said, "Grace likes them."
Charlotte’s lips twitched, but unconsciously softened her expression.
A nearly half-person-high stuffed teddy bear. Grace didn’t like much else, but she had a soft spot for Barbie dolls and stuffed toys.
But seeing Justin Battleson carry these things seemed remarkably incongruous with his overall demeanor.
Justin Battleson coughed lightly, seeming somewhat awkward. "I picked it out myself, I don’t know if she’ll like it," he said.
Charlotte couldn’t help but smile. She sighed inwardly. She understood now, Justin Battleson wasn’t just trying to keep her around; as the children’s biological father, he loved his flesh and blood more.
But what Charlotte couldn’t imagine was that a man who’d lived a life of luxury, spending money like water, would go to a toy market to personally pick out a stuffed bear.
Charlotte held back her laughter, and took a close look at the teddy bear.
It was white all over, with two adorable blushes on its cheeks and fluffy ears tinged with pink.
It was cute and filled with a girlish charm.