Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 55

Lena bustled out of the kitchen, carrying a platter of freshly washed and sliced fruit.

"Mrs. Weston, I just prepped these. Please, have a bite."

Lena offered the platter to Hester with a warm smile.

Hester had absolutely no appetite. She barely glanced at Melody before declaring in a voice dripping with ice, "Lena, remember this: as long as I am in this house, Melody Monroe and stray dogs are strictly banned from entry."

Lena blinked in surprise but quickly caught on, her eyes gleaming with fierce loyalty. "Yes, ma'am! You have my word. I'll remember that!"

Melody leaped off the sofa, her face twisted in an exaggerated display of hurt. "Hester, I know you hate seeing me here, but Caden is just so attached to me. Could you please, for his sake, stop making this so impossibly hard?"

Hester tuned out the pathetic theatricals, staring her down with utter contempt. "Are you going to walk out on your own, or do I need to have Lena chase you out with a broom?"

Melody's face darkened drastically. Her fists clenched so hard the veins bulged on the back of her hands. Behind her fake, teary-eyed persona, a deeply twisted, violent hatred aimed directly at Hester festered in her gaze!

Seeing the woman had zero intention of leaving quietly, Hester turned to the housekeeper.

"Lena, get the broom!"

Lena had been waiting her whole life for that exact command! She hadn't forgotten the audacity of this homewrecker treating her like a servant just days prior.

"Right away, ma'am!" Lena practically threw the fruit platter onto the table and sprinted excitedly toward the utility closet.

Melody finally dropped the act, her features contorting into an ugly sneer. "Hester, you are going way too far! If you dare humiliate me like this, Julian will never forgive you!"

"Do you think I give a damn about his forgiveness?" Hester scoffed mockingly. "I am going to throw you out like the trash you are, and I dare Julian to do a damn thing about it!"

She was more than ready to test exactly who Julian valued more—his beloved grandmother's life, or his pathetic mistress!

Just then, the heavy thud of footsteps echoed from the top of the stairs.

A flash of pure malice sparked in Melody's eyes! Without warning, she let out a piercing, hysterical shriek. "Oh my god! Hester, what are you doing?! Caden, no—!"

Before Hester could even process the psychotic outburst, Melody violently hurled herself toward where Caden was sitting!

In the blink of an eye, the little boy's tiny body was shoved forcefully forward. His forehead slammed brutally against the sharp edge of the marble table!

Kneeling on the floor in her puddle of fake tears, Melody's acting was nothing short of perfection.

Hester sat silently on the sofa, her eyes frozen over as she watched the sickening circus unfold.

Just to score sympathy points and frame her, Melody was actually willing to brutalize an innocent child!

This was the woman Julian claimed was 'the most suitable' to raise his precious nephew?

He was completely blinded by lust and manipulation!

Melody continued her wailing, expertly weaving her 'apologies' with sharp accusations cementing Hester's guilt.

The chaotic mingling of the hysterical woman and the shrieking child was giving Hester a splitting migraine. She pressed two fingers to her temples.

Clutching the boy tightly to his chest, Julian rose to his full height and turned his lethal glare onto Hester. His eyes were arctic, completely ablaze with wrath.

"Hester, no matter how much of a tantrum you're throwing, you never, ever lay a hand on a child!"