The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1342

She’d watched Newell suffer from those seizures since he was a kid. She never imagined it could hurt this much.

Damaris lay curled up on the floor. The more her body ached, the sharper her thoughts became. She remembered what Charlotte had said: If Emery knew you were torturing the son he loved after he died, how do you think he’d react?

Damaris clenched her fists, nails digging so deep into her palms that little beads of blood rose up. Was she really wrong?

***

Newell woke up in the hotel room about five hours after taking the antidote. The first thing he saw was a fancy crystal chandelier overhead. The whole room was peaceful and bright white, with just a hint of medicine in the air.

He still felt drained, his mind foggy from exhaustion and everything he’d taken. It took him a minute to piece things together. He half-remembered hearing her sharp voice while he was out. Someone had forced his mouth open and made him swallow something.

He sat up, rubbing his temples.

Just then, the door opened and Charlotte stepped in. She’d changed clothes, holding a tray in her hands, and all that usual wild attitude was gone.

“You’re awake?” she asked, her lips pressed together as she brought the tray over and set it on the nightstand. She sat neatly beside him, poured a bowl of soup, and spoke in a gentle voice. “Newell, have some soup.”

Charlotte, being this sweet, set off alarm bells in Newell’s head. She was giving him soup? Normally, she’d steal food off his plate before he could get a bite. Was the world ending?

“Okay, okay, I’ll drink it.” Seeing she was about to snap, Newell decided not to push his luck. He took the bowl, sipping the soup slowly. His voice dropped. “So, tell me. What did you do?”

He could tell she felt guilty the second she walked in. Charlotte only got quiet around him when she’d done something she shouldn’t.

“Relax, I didn’t kill her.” Charlotte leaned back, slouching in the chair like she didn’t have a care in the world. “I just gave her the mutagenic agent. Let her feel what you’ve felt.”

He froze, the spoon halfway to his mouth. Charlotte actually had his back. He never expected her to handle it like this.

“Not killing her is already a huge compromise for me.” She looked at him when he didn’t say anything. “It’s already done so don’t get mad. Being angry won’t change anything.” She tried to stay in control, muttering under her breath, “It’s not like you could win in a fight with me anyway.”