Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 67

If Julian ended up backing out, she would just take him to court. By then, Bella's surgery would be over, and even if her divorce from Julian became a massive public scandal, she wouldn't have to worry about the impact it might have on the older woman's health.

Bella remained as doting as ever, frequently telling Hester at the dinner table to eat more and not work herself into the ground. Hester would agree smoothly, occasionally returning the sentiment by asking about Bella's health.

Melody never showed her face again, and Caden proved to be surprisingly obedient, never once mentioning Melody in front of Hester or Bella.

Julian would casually serve Hester portions of food and initiate light conversation. Hester played along without a single shift in expression, though inside, she felt entirely numb.

Every night, the "family of four" shared dinner, painting a picture of flawless domestic harmony. Aside from Caden's addition to the household, it seemed as if nothing had really changed.

After dinner, Hester would retreat upstairs and lock herself in the master bedroom. Julian never tried to force his way in, and the days slipped by in a numb, peaceful routine.

On Hester's nightstand sat a calendar, the date of Bella's surgery heavily circled. She thought this facade of domestic tranquility would last right up until the day of the procedure, but life had a funny way of throwing curveballs.

A week before Bella's surgery, Julian stopped coming home. For three consecutive days, there was no sign of him.

His absence was a massive relief to Hester. It saved her the exhausting performance of playing the happily married wife over dinner.

Bella had proactively offered an excuse, claiming that a crisis had occurred with one of Julian's overseas projects, requiring him to fly out immediately to manage the fallout.

Only Bella would buy a lie like that. Hester didn't believe a word of it, but she honestly couldn't care less. Wherever Julian was and whatever he was doing no longer had anything to do with her.

But clearly, not everyone shared that sentiment.

On the fourth night of Julian's absence, Hester was jolted awake by her ringing phone. Still half-asleep, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and absentmindedly swiped to answer.

"Julian, gently, I can't take it..."

Using the wall for support, she dragged herself up and turned on the faucet to rinse her mouth. The freezing water splashed against her skin, the sharp chill slowly bringing her racing mind back to a calm baseline.

She looked up. The woman staring back at her in the mirror was deathly pale. Tears from the intense vomiting still clung to her eyelashes.

Hester had already guessed that Julian was spending these past few days keeping Melody company. Since Bella didn't know, she hadn't bothered to stir the pot. She was completely over Julian anyway. She didn't want to fight, and she didn't care to investigate. Her only goal was to quietly ride this out until Bella's surgery.

But for Melody to pull such a sickening stunt... did she really think Hester was just going to roll over and play dead?

Hester could walk away from Julian. She could swallow her pride and play the good wife one last time for Bella's sake. But that didn't mean she was going to tolerate Melody's endless provocations!

If Melody was practically begging for a death wish, she couldn't blame Hester for going straight for the jugular.

Hester walked out of the bathroom, grabbed her phone, and tapped on Gael's contact. Her face was devoid of emotion, her voice pure ice. "Gael, it's time. Go ahead and leak Melody's current address to her parents."