Even in Darkness She Chose to Rise (Tatiana and Jasper) novel Chapter 81

81 Vanished

He slowly knelt, pulling back the sheet to reveal the mattress underneath.

There, stark against the pale fabric, was a dark reddish–black stain.

It looked like dried blood.

Blood?

Why would there be blood on the bed?

Ajolt of alarm shot through him.

He pulled out his phone. Abandoning his usual restraint, he called her number directly.

It went straight to voicemail.

His heart sank.

He immediately called his men and ordered them to have the stain tested.

The results confirmed his fear: it was blood. Tatiana’s blood.

Such a large stain…

Had something happened to her?

The thought surfaced, heavy and cold, before he forcibly pushed it down.

This bloodstain… she must have left it deliberately. To make me come looking for her again.

It was such an obvious ploy.

“Get rid of the mattress.” He paused, then added, “Clear out everything in this room.”

Soon, the room was completely empty, every trace of her presence erased.

Jasper strictly forbade anyone from even mentioning Tatiana’s name. It was clear to everyone that he was in a foul mood; only a fool would risk provoking him further.

Bianca, however, paled when she heard. She hadn’t expected Shawn to leave such a mess. So unreliable! No, this won’t do. I need to cover this up.

She had someone discreetly inquire and learned that Chandler had abruptly left town on business.

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An idea formed.

Soon, a strange rumor, spread by Shawn, reached Jasper’s cars.

“Jasper, isn’t Tatiana missing?”

Jasper’s brow frosted over. “Get to the point.”

“Well, uh, I’m not sure, okay? It’s just… they’re saying Chandler suddenly left Dalliston. Left in a real hurry. And… there was a woman with him.”

A dangerous glint flashed in Jasper’s eyes. “Chandler?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you hear Chandler chased after Tatiana back in university? Now he’s back, still carrying a torch, making eyes at her… Maybe they…”

Shawn deliberately let the sentence hang, planting the seed of suspicion, then quickly backtracked. “It’s just hearsay, probably not true. Forget I said anything, Jasper.”

Jasper hung up. A cold smile twisted his lips, his eyes filled with fury. “Tatiana… you’re playing with fire.”

Tatiana’s sudden disappearance, Chandler’s hasty departure – the timing was too convenient. The coincidence solidified into fact.

Someone started the rumor: Chandler and Tatiana had eloped.

Jasper had been thoroughly cuckolded.

The rumor spread like wildfire, impossible to contain, eventually reaching his grandpa’s ears.

His grandpa couldn’t stand it and immediately summoned Jasper back to the estate.

When Jasper arrived alone, the old man’s heart sank. His eyes searched desperately behind Jasper, hoping to find that familiar figure.

But she wasn’t there.

Jasper knew what his grandpa was thinking. He offered no explanation, his expression grim.

His grandpa clung to a final shred of hope. “Jasper, where’s the dear girl? Why didn’t she come with you?”

“She won’t be coming back.”

The old man forced a smile. “Have you two had a little fight? Did you make her angry? You’re

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about to be a father, you can’t be so petty. Stop arguing with her and bring her here.”

Faced with his grandpa’s attempt at denial, Jasper’s already dark mood soured further. He dropped all pretense. “Grandpa, she doesn’t deserve to be here.”

The forced smile slowly faded from his grandpa’s face. “What are they saying outside? What does it mean?”

“She ran off with someone else.”

The blunt, crude statement left no room for denial.

A dead silence descended. Jasper watched his grandpa closely, having already stationed an ambulance outside, ready for any emergency.

After a long moment, his grandpa let out a choked laugh. “Jasper, you’re always joking with your grandpa. How could Tatiana run off with someone else? That girl is completely devoted to you. Anyone might run off, but never her! Besides, she’s carrying our Jackson family bloodline. It’s impossible.” That was the one fact the old man clung to.

Jasper thought of the child that shouldn’t exist, and his expression darkened further. He was about to speak, but seeing his grandpa’s face, the words wouldn’t come out.

Seeing Jasper’s silence, his grandpa’s racing heart began to calm. “Women, you know… pregnancy makes them temperamental. You just need to be patient. Next time…”

Before he could finish, someone burst into the room like a cannonball, shouting before she even appeared, “I heard! That bitch Tatiana ran off with some other man, didn’t she! And the baby isn’t even yours! She got knocked up by someone else! That slut!”

“Minnie! Shut up!”

It was too late. The words were already out. And his grandpa had heard every single one.

A

“What did you just say? Say it again. What do you mean, the baby isn’t Jasper’s?”