Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 161

No one could have predicted that Hester would give up Howard—who had been the most likely heir at the time—to choose him. Nor did anyone know that her choice was the very reason he had accelerated his plans to take over the family business.

Back then, when Hester had looked at him, her gaze had been incredibly unwavering. Woven into that firm resolve was a deep, undeniable affection for him.

That single look had ignited an inexplicable urge within him to protect her unwavering devotion.

Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Julian pinched the bridge of his nose and locked the pregnancy report back inside his drawer.

Just then, the phone on his desk rang.

It was an international call.

There was no saved name attached to the number, but Julian remembered the string of digits perfectly.

He pressed the answer button, and a deep male voice echoed through the speaker.

"We have a lead on what happened back then."

...

Later that night, Hester woke up in the early hours of the morning to find Julian sleeping beside her, covered by a separate blanket.

The room was pin-drop silent, save for the steady, rhythmic sound of the man's breathing.

It was a massive king-sized bed. Two blankets, two completely separate sleeping positions that did not disturb one another.

Sharing a bed but dreaming completely different dreams—it was the perfect description of their marriage.

She got up to use the bathroom, returned to bed, and quickly fell back into a deep sleep.

She had no idea that the man lying beside her remained wide awake the entire night.

...

By the time Hester woke up again, it was already ten in the morning.

The bedroom was dim, the rhythmic patter of rain echoing against the windows outside.

Since her pregnancy, her sleep schedule had become entirely unpredictable. Lena was well aware of this, so as long as Hester hadn't come downstairs in the morning, Lena never went up to disturb her.

Hester felt a slight pang of hunger. After washing up, she changed into a loose, sleeveless dress, draped a light cardigan over her shoulders, and headed downstairs.

The moment she reached the first floor, she heard Caden's cheerful voice.

"Daddy, do you think Mommy will like the little bear I made?"

"She will."

Hester paused in her tracks.

The voices were coming from the kitchen.

She turned and walked toward the kitchen doorway.

Inside, Julian and Caden—one tall, one small—stood in front of the center island. Both were wearing aprons, heads bowed as they earnestly focused on making cookies.

Caden's small face was beaming with pure joy.

Hester glanced at the ingredients scattered across the counter. They actually looked like they knew what they were doing.

"Daddy, does Mommy really like this matcha flavor?"

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