Chapter 43

Stella dropped her gaze, memories surfacing one by one. What Charles had said—yeah, it actually made sense. Her cheeks turned red all the way to her ears, and honestly, she felt like she could curl up into a ball and disappear. If only time could rewind. But nope, life doesn't hand out take-backs that easily. It took her a bit to finally get dressed. The moment she stood, though, her legs gave out and she nearly face-planted. Charles was quick to react, catching her just in time. His face was full of fake innocence as he explained, "Okay, this really wasn't my fault. That shot they gave you? Way too strong. You're still feeling the side effects." Stella didn't feel like digging deeper—between the excuses, she way preferred this one. She gave a half-hearted "mm" and let it slide. But then she tried to shake him off, stubbornly wanting to show she could stand just fine without help—but her body clearly hadn't gotten the memo. Charles let out a tired sigh as he watched her try to tough it