Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121 Freezing Outside Her Iron Gates

I stood in the small kitchen. The northern woods stretched out in every direction, a silent ocean of white snow and dark pine trees. The safe house provided a secure boundary against the chaos of the capital. I poured a cup of black coffee. The steam røse in thin, gray ribbons.

In the living room, Elias sat on a thick wool rug. He wore a heavy knit sweater. He pushed a wooden toy car across the floor, making, soft humming noises. Lucia sat near the fireplace, watching him with a gentle smile.

The peace in the room felt fragile. It felt like a glass bubble resting on the edge of a knife.

The heavy front door opened. A rush of freezing air swept into the cabin.

Eduardo Valdez stepped inside. He wore a thick tactical jacket. Snow clung to his dark boots. He closed the door and threw the

deadbolts. His face was a mask of hard, grim tension.

He looked at me from across the room. He gave a short, subtle shake of his head.

I set my coffee mug on the counter. The ceramic clicked against the stone surface. The sound echoed in the quiet kitchen.

“Keep him in the back bedroom,” I told Lucia. I kept my voice level. “Read him a story. Do not come out until I open the door.”

Lucia understood the shift in the atmosphere. She stood up, gathered Elias into her arms, and carried him down the short hallway.

The bedroom door clicked shut.

I turned to Eduardo. “How did he find us?”

‘He did not use his corporate intelligence teams,” Eduardo explained. His voice was a low, rough rasp. “He tracked my personal

vehicle. He bribed a surveillance contractor monitoring the highway toll cameras. He drove here alone.”

“Where is he?” I asked.

“Standing at the main gate, Eduardo replied. “He left his car on the dirt road. He is on foot. He demands entry.”

I walked to the front closet. I pulled my heavy wool coat from the hanger. I slipped it over my shoulders and fastened the dark

buttons. I wrapped a thick scarf around my neck.

“I can turn him away, Miss Hayes, Eduardo offered. He stepped into my path. “I can threaten to call the local authorities. He is

trespassing.”

“No,” I said. “He will not leave. He is a man obsessed. If we ignore him, he will find a way to breach the fence. I need to end this

right now.”

I opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch.

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Chapter 121 Freezing Outside Her Iron Gates

I walked down the long driveway. The biting cold stung my cheeks.

A tall figure stood on the other side of the iron gate.

Tristan Johnston.

He wore a dark charcoal suit and a thin dress coat. The expensive fabric offered no protection against the brutal northern winter.

His shoulders shook with visible, violent shivers. Snow dusted his dark hair. His hands gripped the black iron bars. His knuckles

were stark white from the cold and the strain.

The sharp, handsome lines of his face were drawn and hollow. The bruised shadows under his eyes looked darker in the harsh

morning light.

I stopped ten feet away from the gate. I kept a safe distance between us.

Tristan stared at me.

“Let me in, Minerva, Tristan pleaded. His voice cracked.

“You are trespassing on private property,” I stated.

“I know he is in there,” Tristan said. He pressed his face closer to the iron bars. His steel-gray eyes searched the dark windows of the

cabin behind me. “I saw him at the hospital. I saw my own face. I know the truth.”

“The truth is you are freezing to death on a dirt road,” I replied. “Go back to your car. Drive back to the capital.”

‘I am not leaving without my son,” he vowed.

“He is not your son,” I declared.

Tristan let out a broken sound. He rested his forehead against the cold metal. “Do not lie to me. Not anymore. Please. I know he is

my blood.”

“Blood is a accident,” I told him. “Blood requires no effort. Blood requires no sacrifice.”

“I made sacrifices!” Tristan shouted. He raised his head. “I signed the Whitmore contract! I traded my entire life to Thomas

Whitmore to save a hundred thousand workers from bankruptcy! I walked away from you to keep Harriet from sending you to

prison!”

I looked at him.

“I know about the contract, Tristan,” I said.

“Diego tracked the financial ledgers,” I continued. I kept my voice devoid of pity. “I know Harriet tanked the Asian tech expansion. I know the banks initiated a margin call. I know Thomas Whitmore demanded the marital alliance as collateral.”

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