A Wedding Night Gone Terribly Wrong novel Chapter 30

In this world, no one owes you unconditional support or emotional validation—except the people who truly love you.

But when it came to her own flesh and blood being wronged, it was entirely different.

Seth was supposed to be the eldest legitimate heir to a massive dynasty, born into unimaginable wealth and privilege. Seeing him being treated like an unwanted burden broke Winifred's heart. She felt incredibly guilty for putting him in this situation.

But she didn't have time to wallow in sadness. She quickly pulled herself together, clearing the table and opening the large cake box.

She turned off the lights and held each of her children's hands as they blew out the candles. The warm glow illuminated their sweet, innocent faces, and Winifred led the singing in a soft, bright voice.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you..."

Celeste leaped out of her chair, remarkably agile, and began performing a hilarious, exaggerated martial arts routine for the kids. Her short, stocky frame made the entire performance wonderfully comical.

Not to be outdone, Jayce jumped into the makeshift "ring," twisting his hips and busting out goofy dance moves.

The energy in the room completely shifted. The two toddlers were giggling uncontrollably.

Winifred finally smiled, a genuine, relieved smile.

As the show wrapped up, she brought out the presents. Celeste immediately sprinted up to the third floor, returning with a massive Ultraman action figure and a gigantic plush panda. Jayce dashed into the nanny suite and brought out a luxury Barbie set and a complete collection of beautifully illustrated storybooks.

Seth and Annelise were absolutely thrilled.

Later, as Winifred was tucking them into bed, Annelise beamed. "Mommy, I got three whole presents!"

"Congratulations, baby. Everyone loves you so much. You live in a house full of love, you're a very lucky girl," Winifred said, smiling warmly.

"Mommy, I want to sleep with the panda."

"Okay." Winifred tucked the massive panda next to Annelise's pillow, and the little girl threw her short arms around its leg. The sight of the tiny girl snuggling the giant, fluffy bear was almost too adorable to handle.

"I have no idea," Eleanor replied dismissively. "He won't tell me anything."

"He’s probably just keeping up appearances because of the promise he made to his master, Chester. He doesn't want to blatantly show Winifred that he's moved on."

Eleanor’s voice suddenly spiked with indignation. "'Moved on' makes him sound like the bad guy! Don't talk about your brother like that! If old Chester hadn't lied on his deathbed, this never would have happened. Quentin had no idea Winifred was a divorced woman carrying another man's brats!

"If he had known she had already slept with Holden Lockwood and was pregnant with his bastards, Quentin never would have taken her in! Hmph. Quentin is a brilliant medical doctor. He has an eight-year combined degree. He's incredibly successful and handsome. If he had known the truth, he could have had his pick of any woman he wanted. He never would have sworn to 'love and protect Winifred forever.'"

Sharon let out a sycophantic little laugh, quickly changing the subject to smooth things over.

"Mom, if he doesn't want to talk about his private life, we shouldn't push it. Besides, keeping Winifred around is actually pretty useful. For the last three years, she's basically raised Demi and Larissa for me. The girls are polite, well-behaved, and Larissa's math grades went from a sixty in second grade to a ninety-seven this year! Winifred is incredibly patient and knows exactly how to teach them.

"Look, Caden is almost three now, and he's about to start preschool. I'm going to drop him off here tomorrow and let Winifred raise all three of my kids. I trust her to do a good job. Plus, she does it for free! Do you know how much a live-in nanny and tutor costs these days? It's over five thousand a month!"