Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 238

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Hester looked at the boy. The silent desperation in his eyes was painfully clear. If this had been the past, her heart would have immediately softened.

But not anymore.

"It's getting late, Caden. Go back with your dad."

Tears instantly welled up in Caden's eyes. "Godmother..."

"Go," she repeated, turning her gaze to the flickering flames, her face unreadable. "Aside from your father, none of the adults here have any obligation to take care of you."

"Hester." Julian stepped forward, taking Caden's hand as he stared down at her. "I told you, our issues shouldn't be taken out on an innocent child."

Hester stood up, brushing a strand of windblown hair from her cheek. Bathed in the glow of the bonfire, her eyes held zero warmth as she met his gaze. "This is who I am. If you're so worried about him getting hurt, then look after him yourself. If you try to dump him on me again, don't be surprised when I react even worse."

"You—"

"Okay, okay, let's not do this in front of the kid!" Ms. Crane hurried over, stepping between them to defuse the tension. She forced a bright smile. "Let's all just take a breath. It's not every day we get a chance to relax like this, right?"

She shot Hester a subtle, pleading wink before turning back to Julian. "Mr. Weston, if you're not in a rush, why don't you sit down and have a drink with us?"

Julian's jaw tightened. He looked down at his son.

Caden stared up at him with watery eyes. "Daddy... can we stay just a little longer? I want to play a bit more..."

Julian sighed softly, ruffling the boy's hair. "Alright. Just a little longer."

Caden's face instantly lit up. "Thank you, Daddy!" He immediately spun around and dashed back over to play with Gigi.

Ms. Crane quickly ushered Julian to a seat. She deliberately placed him as far away from Hester as possible.

Hester maintained her stony expression. Seeing him shamelessly stick around made her want to leave immediately.

Once Julian was settled, Ms. Crane rushed back to Hester's side. She gently tugged her arm, whispering, "Come on, sit back down. We're in public. Even if you're divorcing him, he's still the father of your baby. Try not to make it too ugly."