Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 113

Hester's hand paused at her temple.

"Why is he here?"

"He said he wants to discuss something with you," Celeste explained. "Since you told me last time never to let him in, Gael is currently blocking him at the front door."

"I see." Hester threw off the covers. "Let him in. We actually do have things to discuss."

"Right away."

Celeste stepped out, closing the door behind her.

Hester got out of bed, freshened up quickly, and walked out into the living area.

Gael immediately approached her, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Julian and Caden are outside. Also, Julian beat us to the punch. By the time my people got to the nanny's hometown, his guys were already there."

Hester gave a curt nod and turned to Lena.

"Lena, please take Caden out to the garden for a bit. I need a word with Julian."

"Of course."

Lena nodded and guided the boy out toward the terrace.

A moment later, Julian walked in.

Tall and imposing in a crisp black dress shirt and slacks, his naturally fair skin looked even paler, and his features seemed sharper, more hollowed out than before.

Hester sat on the sofa, her gaze icy. "The 17th. The county clerk's office. Do not forget."

"I came to tell you about Caden's nightmares," Julian said, his voice a low gravel. "He saw the nanny stealing. She beat him and threatened him to keep his mouth shut. It traumatized him."

He continued, "We caught her red-handed. She's already been handed over to the police. As for Caden, I'll make sure he gets the right counseling. Hester... thank you. If you hadn't been so attentive, we wouldn't have caught this in time."

"As long as it's handled." Hester paused, then added coldly, "Since you're out of the hospital, you can take care of him yourself. From now on, unless it's strictly necessary, do not bother me."

Julian said nothing. His dark eyes locked onto hers, his lips pressed into a tight, grim line.

Hester was running on almost zero sleep, and her temples were pounding.

Taking a deep breath to suppress her surging fury, she spoke with lethal calm. "Julian, whether you want to raise Caden as his father or his uncle is entirely up to you. That is Weston family business. My insistence on this divorce has absolutely nothing to do with Caden."

"If you're willing to accept Caden, then why are we divorcing?" Julian's brow furrowed. He paused before pressing on. "I've already explained the situation with Melody Monroe. It was strictly a business arrangement. A trap. I never betrayed our marriage. Your grounds for filing due to infidelity are completely baseless."

"You paraded Melody around town. Everyone thought you were together. And you're telling me that's not cheating?"

"It was just a show for the public," he said, his tone turning frigid.

"Fine. Let me give you a quick recap, then. When you and Melody took Caden out for his birthday, I was sitting in my car, watching you.

"When you didn't come home at night, Melody called me just so I could listen to the two of you sleeping together.

"And when the fire broke out, your first instinct was to run to her. You used the same body that once took a knife for me to shield her..."

Hester couldn't even finish.

She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply to force her emotions back into a locked box.

When she opened them again, her gaze was devoid of any warmth. "Julian, every single one of those acts was a betrayal. Every single one was a knife in my back. Are you really going to tell me that's not enough of a reason to leave you?"