After watching Grace Thompson mysteriously whisk Olivia Thompson away, Charlotte’s gaze turned to Annie.
A slight smile hung on the latter’s face, her gaze lingering on Olivia even after the children were out of sight. The warmth in her sight was clear.
But Charlotte seemed to see another emotion in that gaze.
It was more of guilt and love.
Charlotte leaned back, and on the other side, Jordan, knowing they might have something to talk about, turned off the TV and yawned to Charlotte, "Sis, you guys go ahead with your chat, I’ll go back to my room for a nap, won’t disturb you."
Charlotte glanced at him and nodded in understanding.
Soon, only the three of them were left in the spacious living room. No one spoke in the quiet air; they could only hear each other’s shallow and steady breathing.
Charlotte moistened her lips, deciding to be the one to break the awkward silence.
She pushed the water on the table forward and smiled, saying, "Annie, it’s been a while since we last met. Why don’t we have dinner before you leave?"
She paused slightly, a hint of teasing in her voice, a flash of nostalgia in her eyes, then continued, "After all, the last time you had my cooking was quite a while ago."
Upon hearing her words, a faint smile appeared on Annie’s slightly pale face.
She nodded slightly, her eyes filled with a familiar smile, as if sparkling with tiny shards of light.
"Okay," she agreed, touching her lips and her tone falling slightly, "Annie has indeed been having a hard time staying with me recently. Charlotte, why don’t we let her stay with you guys for a while?"
Annie tilted her head back with a bitter smile, "I owe her so much. I want to make it up to her slowly, but suddenly I feel like there’s so much I can’t do."
She had missed out on four years of Olivia’s life when she needed her most, and even though her own life was now a mess, she still held on to the idea of longing for and making things up to Olivia.
Annie had to admit now that she was still selfish.
Upon hearing her words, Charlotte felt a mix of emotions.
How many experiences must one have to express guilt like Annie did, unnoticeable yet extraordinarily poignant?
Annie was a girl with a hard life, tortured by those she had loved.
In her most painful moments, she chose to forget in order to protect herself, thereby missing out on Olivia’s growth over four years.
Now that her memory had returned, wasn’t it filled with nothing but scars? Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on N0veI.Fiɾe.net
Thinking of this, Charlotte’s eyes were tinged with a hint of bitterness, silently regarding Annie.
After speaking, a hint of pain flashed in Annie’s eyes. She coughed a few times into her fist, her eyes turning red unconsciously.
"Charlotte, I owe her too much, too much."
Her coughing intensified. Charlotte, worried, handed her a glass of water. Oliver Hudson, who was beside her, reacted quicker. He leaned down to smooth her breathing after his pupils contracted slightly.
His movements were gentle and soft.
Besides the sound of coughing, there was also Oliver’s softened voice in the air, "How are you feeling? Is your throat hurting?"
After speaking, he nodded slightly to Charlotte and reached for the cup to feed Annie water.
The latter was still coughing uncontrollably, but she ignored his actions and instead moved away from him.
Charlotte watched their movements, a hint of sigh flashing in her eyes.
Despite rejecting Oliver, Annie did not get angry. On the contrary, he leaned in close to her, blew gently on the warm water, and softly said, "Behave, drink water."
Their movements were somewhat affectionate. Oliver’s hand reaching out for the water went around the back of Annie’s neck. From Charlotte’s perspective, it looked like a hug.
The man’s cold breath rushed into her nostrils, and Annie closed her eyes. Suddenly, an incredibly real image surfaced in the depths of her mind.