Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 106

Gael pressed her lips together. After a moment, she ventured cautiously, "I actually have a wild theory... would you want to hear it?"

Hester closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath.

When she opened them again, she looked up through the car window at the sky.

The rain had stopped, but the clouds hung heavy and gray.

"Gael, how much weight do you think five years of history carry?"

Gael hadn't expected the question and was caught off guard for a second. "How much weight?"

Hester lowered her eyes. "Before I found out Julian was lying to me, those five years meant everything. They meant so much that no matter what hell we went through, my first instinct was always to stand by him and face it together. Even when I was drowning in the agony of losing my child, I forced myself to hold on. I told myself to be strong, just a little longer, just for Julian."

Listening to her raw confession, Gael began to understand the depth of Hester's exhaustion.

Hester turned her head back, resting against the leather seat, and closed her eyes.

"Even in my darkest, most agonizing moments, it never crossed my mind to give up on Julian. I couldn't bear the thought of abandoning him to face the world alone. I truly believed our bond was strong enough to weather any tragedy life threw at us. But clearly... Julian didn't feel the same way."

Gael bit her lip, murmuring softly, "Maybe... maybe he had his own reasons..."

"It doesn't matter anymore."

Hester cut her off. Her voice was feather-light, steeped in an unshakeable fatigue. "We walked this path together for so long. We knew each other inside and out. He knew exactly who I was and where my absolute boundaries were. And he still made his choice. Now, I'm making mine. In the end, we simply weren't meant to be."

...

After Bella’s funeral, Hester didn't leave the house at all.

She spent her days resting for the baby’s sake and slowly packing her belongings.

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