Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 45

Hester stared at this "home" she hadn't set foot in for five years.

It wasn't that Miranda had forbidden her from returning; Hester simply had no desire to come back. And in those five years, Miranda hadn't reached out to her once.

They were mother and daughter, yet they were more estranged than strangers.

On the drive over, Hester had wondered why her mother suddenly remembered she existed. Now she understood. Julian was here.

Miranda had finally remembered her daughter the second her billionaire son-in-law showed up.

Back then, everyone in Northwood City assumed Arthur Weston favored his second wife, Livia, and that her son, Howard Weston, would inevitably become the heir to the Weston empire. Julian, whose mother died early, was entirely marginalized—the discarded young master destined to have no share of the Weston family's power.

Because of this, Hester's father, Charles Carrington, like most high-society patriarchs, had thought nothing of Julian.

Charles had originally arranged for Hester to marry Howard, but Hester refused to cooperate. She even threatened to sever ties with the Carrington family entirely just to choose Julian. Later, when Julian defied all odds and took over Weston Corp as CEO, the Carrington family's attitude toward the son-in-law they once despised pulled a complete one-eighty.

After they married, numerous projects under the Carrington banner relied heavily on Weston Corp's backing to stay afloat. To the Carringtons, Hester's marriage wasn't just her own; it was the lifeline determining the entire family's fate.

Hester gave a faint, cynical smile. It was laughable, really. In these aristocratic families driven purely by profit, concepts like familial love and romance were painfully insignificant.

Wendy led Hester into the grand villa.

"Madam, Mr. Weston, Miss Hester is back," Wendy announced with a bright smile.

Hester changed her shoes at the entryway and walked toward the living room.

Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks.

On the living room sofa, besides Miranda and Julian, was someone she never expected to see.

Caden.

Hester's grip on her handbag tightened. Julian had actually brought Caden here. What kind of sick game was he playing?

Caden sat next to Miranda, holding a green grape. His eyes lit up when he saw Hester. "Pretty lady!"

That bright, innocent child's voice should have been the most healing sound in the world.

But it only made Hester feel overwhelmingly exhausted.

She didn't want to drag an innocent child into this mess. But she couldn't accept him, either.

Hester took a deep breath, ignoring the boy entirely, and glared at Julian. "You shouldn't have brought him."

Petty nonsense? Hester touched her burning cheek and let out a cold, mocking laugh. The sound was entirely devoid of warmth.

"Right. Compared to the business partnership between the Carringtons and the Westons, my personal humiliation is just 'petty nonsense.'"

"You—!" Miranda instinctively raised her hand again, but remembering Julian was watching, she took a deep breath and forced her hand down.

Adopting the tone of a stern matriarch, she lectured, "It's perfectly normal for couples to bicker. Julian is busy running a massive empire. As his wife, you should be considerate. As for Caden, Julian already explained everything to me. He has Weston blood. As the daughter-in-law of the Weston family, you need to be generous and graceful. You will raise this boy alongside Julian."

"If he likes raising sons for others, he can do it himself." Hester's tone left absolutely no room for negotiation. "As for the boy's mother, you don't need to worry about that. He already has the perfect candidate lined up!"

"Hester!" Miranda's face turned livid. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"You just called me back to lecture me out of a divorce, didn't you?" Hester stared at her mother with a cold sneer, her heart already completely numb. "Well, your mission is accomplished. Since they aren't leaving, I am."

With that, Hester turned on her heel and strode toward the door.

"Hester, you stop right there—"

Her mother's furious screams echoed behind her. Hester ignored them. She needed to get out of there, out of this suffocating place!

By the time Julian chased her outside, Hester's white Panamera had already whipped around and was speeding away...