Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 180

"When is your next ultrasound?" Julian suddenly asked, his voice slicing through the heavy silence.

Hester's hand paused over the bucket.

She quickly did the math in her head.

"The sixteen-week mark," she replied, her tone completely detached. "About two weeks from now."

"I'm going with you," Julian stated.

Hester finally turned to look at him, her expression as smooth and unreadable as glass.

"There's no need. Focus on your work. If you want a medical update on the baby, you're close friends with the head of the maternity ward. Just ask him for the file."

Julian's jaw locked. "Hester, I am the father."

Hester pressed her lips together and let out a long, exhausted sigh.

She stood up.

The autumn wind caught the hem of the trench coat, pulling it tightly against her frame. She looked Julian dead in the eye, her gaze completely hollow.

"Julian, I made myself perfectly clear the other night. I don't need you to do anything for me anymore. The baby isn't even born yet, so stop pretending you need to carve out time to play the devoted father.

"Once the baby is born, you can shower them with all the paternal love you want. I won't stop you. Whatever toxic mess exists between us, I promise I will never rob my child of their right to have a father."

Divorce was incredibly common in the modern world. There was zero reason for two parents to subject themselves to a miserable, suffocating marriage just for the sake of appearances. She firmly believed that as long as both parents showed up and communicated honestly, the child would be fine.

Julian stared violently into her eyes, desperately hunting for a single crack in her composed facade.

How could she possibly not care?

Before, she used to meticulously track his schedule, constantly reminding him weeks in advance to ensure he'd be there holding her hand during the ultrasounds.

Now, he was actively volunteering, and she was rejecting him without a second thought.

Had she really severed all emotional ties to him?

Julian opened his mouth to argue, but Hester's phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket.

She pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and looked back at him. "I'm going to my room."

Julian remained silent, watching as she answered the call and walked away down the garden path.

"Hey, Chiara... No, I was just out getting some fresh air... The package arrived. Seriously, stop sending me stuff. I haven't even finished the last batch of supplements you shipped me..."

The line rang several times before someone finally picked up.

"Hello?" Gael's voice was a hushed, rushed whisper. "I'm still stuck at the office."

Hester frowned slightly. "Is it a bad time to talk?"

"I locked myself in a bathroom stall," Gael whispered. "Talk fast."

"Did you find anything on the background check I asked for?"

"I looked into it, but we've hit a massive brick wall," Gael confessed. "My contact is still digging, and the second I have something concrete, you'll be the first to know. But we did trip over something weird."

"What is it?"

"We aren't the only ones poking around in this. There's another faction heavily investigating the exact same thing."

Hester's grip on the phone tightened. "Do you have any idea who they are?"

"Whoever they are, they cover their tracks like professionals. To make matters worse, Julian's people have eyes on my contact. Every move he makes right now is incredibly dangerous, which is practically stalling the entire operation!"

Hester was quiet for several long seconds before finally speaking. "If it's too dangerous, pull the plug."