Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 126

Throughout that entire ordeal, she bore the agonizing weight of every rumor, every whisper, every ounce of humiliation.

She had suffered. She had resented him. She had hit rock bottom, her heart entirely dead to the marriage when she finally demanded a divorce. And he had the audacity to brush it all off with a casual, *'I was just playing along to sell the story'*?!

Hester forced down the volcanic rage threatening to consume her, her face an icy mask. "I was deadly serious about the divorce. I hired top-tier lawyers to draft that agreement. You signed it, which makes it legally binding."

"It is legally binding, yes," Julian replied without missing a beat, even allowing a faint, chilling smirk to touch his lips. "But Hester, you outsmarted yourself. You hid your pregnancy. By law, that means the agreement we signed is riddled with loopholes and highly contestable."

Hester froze.

Staring at Julian's terrifyingly smug, victorious expression, the final, horrific puzzle piece clicked into place.

From the very beginning, every single move she made had been perfectly calculated into his equations!

From her moving out, to demanding the divorce, to her elaborate escape plan... he had anticipated every step.

That was exactly why he had signed those divorce papers so willingly that day!

Hester balled her hands into tight fists, took a ragged breath, and forced herself to regain composure.

She had been completely outplayed. Now, she had to pivot.

Regardless of his grand schemes, their marriage was broken beyond repair. Even with a baby in the picture, there was absolutely no way she was ever going back to him.

"You still don't get it." Hester's voice dripped with pure, unfiltered exhaustion. "Before I knew who Caden really was, yes, I struggled to accept him. But once the truth came out, I told you clearly: I don't care how you choose to raise him. I have zero issues with Caden."

"I am insisting on this divorce because our fundamental values are completely incompatible."

Hearing Hester's words, Julian's expression darkened dangerously. "Five years of marriage, and you're throwing it all away over 'incompatible values'? Hester, marriage isn't a game."

"Oh, so now you know marriage isn't a game?"

Hester let out a harsh, incredulous laugh. "When you were executing your brilliant, heroic master plan, did you stop for a single second to consider what I, your wife, would go through? The entirety of Northwood City thought my husband was having an affair with the charity case I sponsored! I was drowning in public humiliation, and at the end of it all, you just throw out the word 'transaction' and expect me to smile and nod? Tell me, Mr. Weston, who's the one treating our marriage like a game?"