Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 108

Hester’s lips tightened slightly at his words. She shifted her gaze to Neil. "I am only doing this out of respect for Bella. Two days. And while he is here during the day, Lena must stay to watch him."

Neil let out a massive breath of relief.

"Of course, absolutely. Thank you so much, Mrs. Weston!"

"Julian and I finalize the divorce papers next week," Hester reminded him coldly. "There is no need to refer to me with any titles tied to him."

Neil’s mouth clamped shut.

Terrified that Hester might suddenly change her mind, Lena quickly ushered Caden into the house.

However, Neil remained standing on the porch, clearly lingering.

Hester looked at him. "Is there something else?"

"Mr. Weston's condition..."

"I have absolutely zero interest in his life," Hester cut him off without a shred of mercy. "If that's all, you can leave."

The words Neil had prepared died in his throat.

Hester turned and walked back inside. "Celeste, see Neil out."

"Right away!"

...

In the living room, Lena held Caden’s hand. The adult and the child stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do next.

Hester walked over, her tone flat. "Lena, I'm going to take a nap. You keep an eye on him."

"Yes, of course! Rest well, I'll make sure Caden stays very quiet so we don't disturb you."

Hester walked to her bedroom door. Her hand rested on the handle for a second before she paused, turning back around to look at Lena with an unreadable expression. "You can take him out to the garden to play. There's a swing out there."

Lena's eyes lit up, a wave of immense relief washing over her.

She knew it—Hester acted tough, but deep down she had a soft heart!

Caden had stopped crying completely by now, quietly following Lena out to the garden to play.

Hester stepped into her room and firmly shut the door.

The space was quiet, but through the glass, she could faintly hear Caden's sweet, childish voice—

"The Pretty Lady’s house is so beautiful. I love it here... and I love the Pretty Lady, too..."

"Thank you." Hester took a piece of melon and glanced back at the sleeping boy. "How long has he been out?"

"About half an hour," Lena sighed softly. "Honestly, he hasn't slept properly in three days. Joanna resigned and went back to her hometown. He's terrified of going back to Silverstream Villa, and I just... I don't know the boy well enough. I've been completely out of my depth trying to comfort him."

Hester frowned. "Didn't Silverstream Villa have a dedicated nanny?"

"Apparently she quit a few days ago too. I don't know the exact details." Lena looked utterly helpless. "I think it's just that all the adults he trusted suddenly vanished. His sense of security is totally gone. He wakes up screaming every single night. It breaks my heart."

Hester pressed her lips together in silence.

She walked over and sat down on the edge of the sofa.

Caden was deeply asleep, but his little brows were knitted together in distress.

He looked exactly like Julian.

She had asked Gael to investigate it later, and the records confirmed that Caden was indeed the biological son of Adrian and Seraphina. Seraphina's maternity records from the hospital abroad were ironclad.

Regardless of the toxic war between the adults, Caden was truly innocent, and tragically pitiful.

"No, please don't hit me... I'll be good, I promise... please don't hit me..."

Without warning, the sleeping boy threw his hands over his head, screaming in absolute, hysterical terror.