Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 133

Ultimately, Julian didn't say a word. He simply turned and walked out.

Hester assumed he was heading to Silverstream Villa.

Given what Melody had done to Caden, and knowing Julian's ruthless streak, Melody was in for a brutal reckoning.

But none of that mattered to Hester anymore.

Both Melody and Julian were parts of her life she was actively excising.

She gently rested her hand on her flat stomach.

Now that her pregnancy was out in the open, finalizing the divorce was going to be exponentially harder.

And after today, Julian would be guarding against her every move.

"Mommy..."

Hester snapped out of her thoughts and looked down at the bed.

Caden was awake, his big, glassy eyes fixed on her.

"Hey, sweetie," Hester said softly, brushing a stray curl from his forehead. "Does your head still hurt?"

"Yeah," Caden sniffled, his eyes turning red. "Mommy, can I have a hug?"

Hester hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"I had a really scary dream while I was sleeping," Caden whispered, his voice trembling. "I dreamed someone pushed me from behind, and then I woke up. Mommy, I'm so scared..."

"It was just a nightmare, baby. There's nothing to be afraid of. You need to lie still right now," Hester murmured, gently stroking his cheek. "How about I read you a story?"

Caden was easy to soothe. He nodded obediently. "Okay."

Hester pulled up some classic children's stories on her phone.

Her voice was soft and melodic, filling the quiet sterile room with a comforting warmth.

Listening to her, the lingering terror in Caden's chest slowly began to melt away.

He reached out with a tiny, trembling hand and wrapped his fingers around Hester's pinky.

Hester paused her reading, glancing down at the small hand clinging to hers.

Hester gently patted his chest and hummed a soft lullaby until his breathing finally evened out into a deep sleep.

The sheer emotional exhaustion of the day suddenly crashed over Hester.

Stifling a yawn, she rested her free arm on the mattress and propped her chin on it. Her eyelids grew heavier by the second until she drifted off, slumped over the edge of the bed.

Sometime later, she vaguely registered the crisp, familiar scent of juniper berries.

The next second, she felt herself being lifted into the air.

Hester gasped and her eyes flew open—

Only to be met with a pair of fathomless dark eyes.

She froze, completely disoriented!

She was cradled against Julian's chest.

Seeing her awake, Julian didn't miss a beat. "Sleeping slumped over like that will hurt your back, and you'll catch a cold. I'm taking you to the family resting room next door."

"I'm not tired," Hester snapped, her expression instantly frosting over. "Put me down."