Win My Husband Over to Find My Child
Chapter 229: Will It End Her Misery?

Chapter 229: Will It End Her Misery?

A/N: We’ll get to Charlene’s POV instead of Leslie reliving the memory here. Then, we’ll return to Leslie’s in the next Chapter.

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The early winter wind froze everyone but her.

The bright sunlight appeared brilliant to everyone but her.

The blooming flowers looked vibrant to everyone but her.

Her. The pathetic one who failed to protect the child she carefully nursed in her womb.

The season was still transitioning from autumn to winter. The chilliness of the air was not enough for the first snowfall yet.

Would the cold air numbed her more than what she had been experiencing now?

Charlene silently stepped on the stone pathway in the backyard, aimlessly walking here and there. As the sun shone against her back, her shadows elongated on the ground in front of her.

Eight weeks.

Today should mark the eighth week of her giving birth to her previous child.

Yet...

Instead of cradling her newborn while enjoying the beauty of nature, her arms were empty. Her dreams of welcoming winter with her child were long shattered.

Charlene barely remembered the image of her crying baby held by the midwife before she succumbed to her exhaustion.

Once she opened her eyes, her child was no longer there.

Biting her lower lip, Charlene sensed another swirl of storm raging within her. She was angry at them—her paternal grandmother and parents—for allowing this to happen.

Her grandmother, the one who ordered the people of this holiday home to take her child away while imprisoning her.

Her parents, the ones who had countlessly ignored her pleas for help by blindly listening to her grandmother.

Charlene was incensed, ferocity spilling over her heart but, the little power she had made her helpless. She was left to mourn the loss of her daughter without any knowledge of the little one’s current situation.

"Calliope..."

Anguish laced Charlene’s voice as she whispered the name, wondering if her daughter still bore the name. Among thousands of names, her heart was charmed by Calliope – one with a beautiful voice.

Charlene knew nothing about Calliope’s whereabouts. She tried inquiring about any information she could have but, no one paid attention to her pleading.

Where had her child been taken to? Was it far or just near here? Did they simply drop her at anyone’s doorstep or give her to a reputable welfare care?

Charlene relentlessly begged everyone any time she could but, only received nasty glares and silent treatments in response. No matter how discouraged she felt, she didn’t stop.

Until someone had had enough of her stepping forward and announced...

"Your child has rot somewhere! Stop asking us! The old madam won’t tolerate any of your bullshit! Live like the dead!"

Mrs. Jiang brazenly declared when Charlene asked for the nth time a few days ago. The helper’s cruel words stabbed into her soul, sending her into a spiral.

"NO! You’re lying! My child’s still alive! She’s still alive!"

"Think what you want! Don’t disturb us! We’re already busy as it is!"

Mrs. Jiang ordered the bodyguards to restrain Charlene once she went out of control. The two bulky men quickly restrained her. Her arms felt almost torn by their immense strength.

"Release me! LET ME GO!"

Charlene tried struggling out of their iron grasp but, the bodyguards remained unfazed by her actions. Her skinny body with less power was nothing against the two muscly men.

The bodyguards unceremoniously dragged Charlene away from the corridor. No one spared her any pity glances or tried to stop them, only feeling relieved over the men’s interference.

"P-please! Let me off! I’m worried about my child!"

Charlene’s cries echoed sorrowfully in the hallway but, their hearts were made of steel. None of them—except for one—felt anything but disgust toward the helpless new mother.

The bodyguards threw Charlene into the bedroom. One of them immediately locked the door. Her anguished scream continuously fell on deaf ears of the heartless people.

"Let me out! Please! Return my daughter to me! PLEASE!"

As always, they tuned out her pleas. Charlene was left shouting and banging on the door without any attention. She only stopped when her hoarse voice could barely let out any sound.

Sick...

She was sick of all this!

"...huh?"

Charlene halted her step, realizing she had just reached the fork in the pathway. She usually turned to the right when there was a small forest nearby.

The entire compound was barricaded by a huge gate thus, dividing the forest into two parts.

Even though there were still eyes on her in the forest, Charlene could pretend she was left all alone there. As long as she didn’t attempt any escape, she wouldn’t be locked into the room again.

Old Madam Li, her paternal grandmother ordered Charlene to continue staying in the faraway mountain village. In other words, she was exiled from Silvercrest City until she was allowed to return.

When would it be?

Charlene doubted it would happen soon.

Old Madam Li was furious when Charlene decided to keep the child she unknowingly conceived from that one passionate night with a stranger. But, the conservative old lady forbade her from terminating the pregnancy.

"You’ve only brought bad luck to us! Our family will be more sinful if you abort the child! Lay low and stop humiliating us!"

Charlene tried pleading her case. Gladys caused what happened that night! That woman and her friends forced her to be dead drunk before pushing her to a stranger’s bed.

But!

As always, no one—including her parents—had ever listened to her.

Charlene could barely recall anything after they shoved her into the hotel room. When she realized what was happening later before the dawn broke, she hurriedly escaped the room.

Overwhelmed by her anxiety, Charlene tried retracing her faint memories. Later, she realized how oddly familiar the man’s face was but, she didn’t dare go back to the hotel to investigate further.

When Charlene received the surprising news of her pregnancy, more than one month had passed. Despite the unfairness in Old Madam Li’s order, she could only silently leave Silvercrest City.

Well...

No one would ever care if she disappeared anyway. The exile only reminded her how lonely she was in this world. Even her parents were more inclined to please her grandmother instead of protecting her.

’Should I go left?’

While thinking, Charlene threw her gaze to the left side of the backyard. Tiny sparkles appeared in her line of sight, coming from a small pond surrounded by shady trees and flower bushes.

Charlene had only watched the pond from afar. Despite its calming ambiance, she avoided going near any large body of water ever since Gladys tried drowning her more than a decade ago.

At first, Charlene was extremely afraid of any pool, lake, pond and sea – any large body of water. It took her years to shed off her immense fear.

Even though Charlene had started appreciating the beauty of water, she still evaded visiting one. Being close to it still brought the unpleasant memory of that particular day despite she had stopped trembling in fright.

But...

’How does it feel... to drown out of your free will?’

’Will it end my misery?’

’Forever?’

Standing while facing the pond, Charlene’s gaze dimmed as her thoughts were shrouded by darkness.