Chapter 1152
Ever since the day Noah left, Charlotte had already prepared herself mentally.
She had imagined that once they parted, they might never meet again, never hear another word about each other for the rest of their lives.
But now it seemed that perhaps no news at all would have been the best possible outcome.
“I heard about Noah’s situation from Khloe as well. Since he’s capable enough to eliminate every person involved in harming Michael, then surely nobody can easily harm him either.”
Seeing Charlotte’s tearful expression, Barney couldn’t help but soften and offer a few words of comfort.
Charlotte sighed, her voice filled with melancholy.
“Even if Lacuna can’t catch him, he’s a wanted fugitive now. The police won’t let him go either.”
“The police are after the truly unforgivable criminals,” Khloe said calmly. “The law may be merciless, but people are not. Even if Noah falls into police custody, that may not necessarily be a bad thing.”
Her words seemed to suddenly awaken something in Charlotte.
“Khloe, then if Noah turns himself in… could he possibly earn redemption through merit? If he helps the police wipe out Lacuna…”
“Of course.”
Khloe smiled gently and reached out to lightly stroke Charlotte’s cheek.
In truth, she and Charlotte had long shared the same thoughts.
The difference was that Khloe never liked giving people hope first, only to leave them in despair afterward.
She and Lucas-one working openly, the other in secret-had been tracking Lacuna’s movements all this time. Naturally, Noah was someone they hoped to bring back as an ally.
But Noah had always acted alone, and he hated dragging his friends into danger. First, he disappeared without a word, and now he had caused such a massive upheaval that finding him had become even harder.
Khloe had also promised the police that if they found Noah, and if his hands were not stained with the blood of innocents, then perhaps they could ensure his safety and help him obtain a chance to atone for his crimes and clear away the burden of his past identity.
But all of that depended on one thing—they had to find Noah first. And Noah himself had to be willing.
“Really? Khloe, thank you!”
Hope instantly flooded Charlotte’s eyes. She dropped her fork with a loud clatter and threw herself forcefully into Khloe’s arms.
“Careful!”
The sudden movement nearly frightened Barney out of his mind.
Khloe was pregnant. What if Charlotte’s reckless enthusiasm disturbed the baby?
Charlotte realized it instantly as well and hurriedly steadied Khloe with nervous care.
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“I’m sorry, Khloe! I got too excited. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I’m not that fragile.” Khloe smiled faintly before her tone turned gentler and more serious. “But as for you–I only meant that you don’t need to worry too much about Noah. That doesn’t mean I can guarantee he’ll come back. I still hope you can learn to let go of some of your feelings for him.”
As she spoke, Khloe brushed a loose strand of hair away from Charlotte’s face.
The light in Charlotte’s eyes flickered slightly before her expression slowly returned to calm. She nodded.
“I know. As long as he’s safe and well, I won’t ask for anything else.”
She understood clearly.
Khloe was afraid that a single hopeful sentence might trap Charlotte in endless waiting.
But when it came to Noah, all Charlotte truly wished for was his safety. As for everything else… having once met him, known him, and shared those moments together was enough.
Barney gave a faint smile from the side.
Sometimes loving someone was not as good as forgetting them. Sometimes holding on was not as good as letting go. It seemed Khloe wasn’t the only one in this world burdened by love.
After Khloe sent Charlotte home, Winnie called.
Nick’s medicine had finally been rushed through production.
Inside the laboratory, exhaustion was impossible to hide from Winnie’s face, yet her expression brimmed with excitement.
“These pills should roughly cover one full treatment cycle. Based on the experimental feedback, after about three treatment cycles, the progression of the illness should begin reversing completely. The remaining materials were used without even the slightest discrepancy.”
As she spoke, Winnie handed Khloe a small sealed plastic bottle.
