Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 78

Hester's gaze darted from face to face. Only Chiara looked back at her, her eyes filled with a helpless, quiet devastation.

Finally, Hester's eyes landed on Julian. He was staring right back at her, his face completely devoid of emotion. His fathomless eyes reflected her own pale, horrified expression.

Hester's hands balled into fists, shaking with a furious, sickening realization. "Julian... what did you say to them?"

Julian slowly closed the distance between them. He slipped out of his suit jacket and draped it over her trembling shoulders. "It's late," he murmured. "You're exhausted. Let's go home."

The scent of juniper and his lingering body heat wrapped around her like a straightjacket. The very things that used to make her feel safe now made her want to vomit.

It felt like she was suffocating. She was terrified she might smell another woman's perfume on the fabric...

Hester violently shoved the jacket off, screaming, "Enough! Is this fun for you?! Does humiliating me get you off?!"

The expensive jacket hit the floor. Julian stared at her flushed, furious face, his jaw clenching tight.

"Hester, what is wrong with you?!" Miranda lunged forward, snatching the jacket off the floor and turning her fury on her daughter. "Are you throwing another tantrum?! Julian is working himself to death, yet he still made time to celebrate your father's birthday! If you don't want to be grateful, fine, but to cause a scene and scream about a divorce over your own paranoid delusions? You are so utterly spoiled!"

Charles stared at Hester, his face darkening with absolute authority.

"There isn't a marriage on earth without arguments! It is completely normal for powerful men to have a few rumors flying around. Hester, as Mrs. Weston, you are expected to handle these things with grace. You've known Julian for years. Your bond goes far deeper than some cheap fling. You need to trust your husband. And let me make this very clear—marriage is not a game. I never want to hear the word 'divorce' out of your mouth again!"

Cyrus stood up next, adjusting his cuffs, slipping seamlessly into the role of the disappointed older brother. "Hester, we let your little rebellious phase slide in the past, but you're a married woman now. It's time to grow up. Julian is the CEO of Weston Corp. You cannot humiliate him in public like this."

Chiara remained in her seat, staring at Hester with heartbreak.

Julian's jaw tightened. He said nothing.

Hester slowly turned her venomous gaze back to Charles. "Since the day I married Julian, the Weston family has easily funneled billions of dollars into Carrington Corp. Dad, selling your daughter for a multi-billion dollar return is the investment of a lifetime. Why are you still so greedy?!"

"You ungrateful wretch, you—" Charles was so furious his face turned an alarming shade of crimson, his body swaying slightly.

"Charles!" Miranda screamed, rushing forward to catch him as he collapsed onto the sofa. She whirled on Hester, her eyes blazing with hatred. "Your father has high blood pressure! Are you trying to kill him?!"

Hester stared at the two people who had brought her into this world. Her heart felt like it had been encased in a block of solid ice.

With Miranda's vicious screaming still ringing in her ears, Hester turned her back on her family and walked out the door.