Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 12

Hester sat up against the headboard and pressed her fingers to her temples. The dizzy spell was just a combination of extreme emotional stress and standing up too fast. She felt a bit more grounded now, though her body remained alarmingly weak.

Julian sat on the edge of the mattress, his eyes reflecting her pale face. "Did you skip your meals again today?"

Hester's hand paused at her temple. She looked up, meeting his gaze with a mocking sneer. "When a wife finds out her husband has been cheating on her and has a bastard child, do you really think she has the appetite to eat?"

Julian froze.

"You said you were going on a business trip overseas, but you actually went to Silverstream Villa. You were there with Melody, celebrating that child's birthday!"

Julian frowned slightly. "How do you know about Silverstream Villa? Have you been investigating me?"

Hester let out a cold laugh. "If you have the nerve to stash your mistress and illegitimate son at Silverstream Villa, why would you be afraid of me finding out? Or did you honestly think I was just some idiot you could keep in the dark for the rest of my life?!"

"I never intended to hide it from you forever," Julian said, his expression complicated. "The situation is complicated. I will explain everything to you later."

"Explain? That boy calls you Daddy and calls Melody Mommy. He looks exactly like you. Isn't that enough? What else is there to explain? That you didn't mean to keep it a secret? Or that you didn't mean to sleep with Melody the very second our twins died?!"

As her emotions boiled over, Hester raised her hand and slapped Julian hard across the face. The strike forced his head to the side. Instantly, his face darkened like a thundercloud.

It wasn't until she saw him holding that other child with such tender, fatherly affection that the brutal truth hit her: it was all in her head. She had been so pathetically naive!

Just like every fight over the last five years, this one 'ended' with Julian leaving in cold silence. This time was no different.

But as he turned his back, Hester stared at him with red-rimmed eyes and declared, "Julian, I want a divorce. I will never forgive you, and I will never forgive Melody!"

Julian paused for just a second, then walked out without looking back.

After that night, Julian didn't come home for three straight days. Hester couldn't care less. Since she had made up her mind to leave, there was no reason for him to know about the baby growing inside her. She hid her ultrasound records and secretly began planning her move abroad to give birth. For the rest of her life, she and her child would start fresh, completely on their own!