Cold Husband Burning Regret: The Divorce He Couldn't Handle novel Chapter 269

“I am,” Charlotte replied calmly, turning to face the woman. “And you are?”

Chrystal looked her up and down, her expression icy. “I’m Jonathan’s mother. He was hospitalized because of you. I wanted to see what sort of woman could make my son act so recklessly. Well, I’ll admit, you do have a certain appeal.”

Jonathan’s in the hospital?

Charlotte’s brows knit together. “Mrs. Pembroke, I had no idea about any of this.”

Chrystal scoffed. “Of course you didn’t. My son ended up fighting with Evander because of you. Don’t tell me you’re not at the root of all this?”

“If it was a fight with Evander, why bring this to me? Why not take it up with him?”

That shut Chrystal up for a moment; her face darkened. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll deal with Evander in due time. But as for you, I suggest you stay away from my son. I don’t want to see you anywhere near him again.”

“I haven’t been chasing after him,” Charlotte shot back. “Maybe you should get your facts straight.”

She had no interest in arguing further and moved to walk away.

But Chrystal wasn’t finished. She grabbed Charlotte’s arm, unwilling to let her go. “If you’re so innocent, why are you running? There are plenty of better things a young woman could do with her life besides seducing men. Did your mother never teach you any decency?”

Charlotte ripped her hand free, her face hardening. “My mother’s dead. Are you offering to take her place?”

Chrystal froze, caught completely off guard.

All her life, she’d never been put in her place by someone so unremarkable. The more she thought about it, the more it stung.

Just then, as a nurse wheeled a cart past them, Chrystal reached out and snatched something from it, hurling it at Charlotte in a fit of rage.

It happened so fast that the nurse couldn’t stop her, and even Noreen didn’t react in time—let alone Charlotte.

There was a wet smack as a used blood bag struck, then slid to the floor.

But Charlotte didn’t feel any pain.

She looked up in surprise to see someone standing protectively in front of her—a man in a white lab coat, now streaked with blood, his handsome face clouded with disgust and anger.

“Professor Carstairs?” Charlotte blurted out.

Judd eyed the bloody lab coat in his hand as though it were a live grenade—reluctant to hold it, but unwilling to drop it either, his face twisted in disgust.

Noticing a cluster of nurses and orderlies still gawking from the hallway, he snapped, “Don’t you all have work to do?”

Startled, the staff scattered.

Suppressing the crawling sensation of filth on his skin, Judd said nothing more and strode off down the corridor.

Noreen watched him go, then turned to Charlotte. After what she’d just witnessed, everything suddenly made sense…

…

Judd headed to an empty VIP suite and scrubbed himself clean—three times over. Gentry arrived with fresh clothes, knocking before entering. He gave the soiled lab coat in the trash by the door a disapproving look and called out, “Come on, man, that’s hospital property. Show some respect!”

Judd had just finished toweling off, sniffing his arm as if to check for lingering odors.

Gentry handed him the clothes, shaking his head. “Relax, you smell fine. Honestly, you should feel lucky you don’t work in infectious diseases. You wouldn’t last a day.”