Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 190

Seraphina took a deep, steadying breath, forcing her racing heart and erratic breathing back into a calm, seductive rhythm.

Raising her hand, she gently rapped her knuckles against the polished wood.

The soft sound echoed in the quiet hallway.

She waited, but there was no response.

Her brows knitted together in confusion. She knocked again, slightly louder this time.

Still, complete silence.

Perplexed, she leaned closer to the wood and called out in a hushed, breathless whisper, "Julian? Are you asleep?"

The study remained dead quiet.

Had he drank too much at his business dinner and passed out?

The thought sent a thrill of anticipation through her veins. She bit her lip, summoned every ounce of her courage, and reached for the doorknob.

She turned the handle.

It wasn't locked.

A triumphant glint flashed in her eyes as the heavy door swung open.

The room was pitched in total darkness.

Relying entirely on the faint light spilling in from the corridor, Seraphina stepped inside, scanning the space for any sign of Julian.

He was nowhere to be found.

She froze, utterly bewildered. Was he not in the study?

Right as the panic began to set in, a sharp click shattered the silence.

The overhead lights blazed to life, instantly flooding the room with blinding brightness.

Seraphina spun around in sheer terror.

Hester was standing casually in the doorway, her arms crossed as she leaned against the frame. One eyebrow was cocked in ruthless amusement as she took in the pathetic scene.

All the color drained from Seraphina's face. "Hester..." she choked out.

With devastating calm, Hester raised her smartphone, aiming the camera directly at Seraphina's half-naked display, and snapped several high-definition photos in rapid succession.

"What... what are you doing?!" Seraphina shrieked, her voice cracking with pure hysteria.

Panic-stricken, she desperately tried to yank the silk robe back over her exposed shoulder, but with one hand still clutching the glass of honey water, her frantic fumbling looked incredibly foolish.

Instead, the woman was nothing but a pathetic coward. How utterly boring.

Hester glanced down at the crystal-clear, damning photos on her screen, a dark smile curling her lips.

At least the night wasn't a total waste.

...

By the time Hester strolled back into the master bedroom, Julian was fresh out of the shower.

Dressed in a pair of dark grey silk pajamas, he was lounging on the velvet sofa, his long legs crossed casually as he flipped through the pregnancy guidebook she had left on the coffee table.

At the sound of the door clicking shut, he looked up, his dark eyes meeting hers.

"Where were you?" he asked, his tone carefully neutral.

"Enjoying a late-night show," Hester replied, her voice dripping with sadistic amusement. "It was quite the performance. Such a shame you missed out on seeing it firsthand."

Julian's brows instantly pulled together, detecting the sharp, vindictive edge in her tone. "Hester, if you have something to say, just say it. Stop with the cryptic, passive-aggressive nonsense."

"Fine. Since you asked so nicely." Hester marched straight over to him, unlocked her phone, and shoved the screen directly into his face.

"Take a real close look. Your precious sister-in-law was just roaming the halls half-naked, looking to deliver you some late-night honey water."