Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 76

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Hearing the violent retching echoing from the bathroom, a complex emotion flickered in Chiara's eyes. She stood up, walked to the bedroom door, and locked it.

The throwing up finally stopped. Chiara walked to the bathroom doorway.

Hester stood over the sink, pale and trembling, turning on the faucet to rinse her mouth.

Chiara just stood there, watching her in silence.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Hester gripped the edges of the marble vanity and looked up into the mirror—only to find Chiara's reflection staring right back at her.

Chiara's eyes were sharp, calculating.

Hester's heart skipped a beat. The color drained entirely from her already pale face. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the counter, her mind racing in a blind panic.

Oh God. Does she know?

Chiara stepped into the bathroom. Hester stared at her in the mirror, holding her breath.

Chiara's gaze dropped to Hester's flat stomach, then back to her eyes. She lowered her voice. "You're pregnant."

Hester whipped around. "No, I'm not!"

"Don't bother lying to me," Chiara said, her tone steady and entirely certain. "I've been pregnant before. That was morning sickness."

Hester's pupils dilated. Chiara... was pregnant?

For a second, she was completely speechless. She didn't exactly have the kind of relationship with her sister where they traded dark, devastating secrets.

As Hester scrambled for an excuse, Chiara spoke again. "If I had to guess, you have zero intention of letting Julian know this baby exists. You want a divorce, and you're terrified he'll use his power to rip the child away from you. Am I right?"

Hester's brows pulled together tightly, her bloodless lips pressed into a hard line.

Seeing her defensive posture, Chiara gave a sad, wry smile. "You don't need to treat me like the enemy, Hester. To be completely honest... I'm just like you. I lost a baby once too. In a way, we're in the same boat. I think you can afford to trust me."

*I lost a baby once too.*

The words hit Hester like a physical blow. The adrenaline that had been holding her upright suddenly evaporated. Her legs gave out, and she would have collapsed if Chiara hadn't lunged forward to catch her.

Chiara gently guided her out of the bathroom and helped her sit on the edge of the bed. Hester gripped her own hands tightly, shutting her eyes. Her eyelashes fluttered as a single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.

Chiara pulled a tissue from the nightstand and pressed it into her hand. "As daughters of the Carrington family, we don't get the luxury of choosing who we love, or who we marry. Did you know that? Back when you went to war with Dad over Julian, ready to completely sever ties just to fight for your own happiness... I actually admired the hell out of you."

Hester froze, her eyes snapping open to look at her sister.

Meeting her gaze, Chiara offered a faint, heartbreaking smile. "I wasn't as brave as you. The man I fell in love with came from an ordinary, working-class family. Dad hated him. And unlike Julian, my boyfriend didn't have the power to fight back. He was a firefighter. It was a brutal, dangerous job, but it meant everything to him. I didn't want him to get crushed by our family, so... I broke up with him. I thought I had handled it quietly, but Dad found out I was pregnant anyway. He forced me to get an abortion. The baby was three months along. It wasn't even the size of my palm."