Marry Ex's Billionaire Uncle After Divorce (Aurora and Jasper) novel Chapter 39

Chapter 27: No Misunderstanding

(Author’s POV)

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It was nearly eleven o’clock at night when Jasper finally walked through the front door of the Everett estate. He expected darkness, but the living room was ablaze with light.

Victoria Everett sat rigid on the velvet sofa. Her expression was severe, her posture

unyielding.

Jasper paused, surprised. “Mother? Why are you still up?”

Victoria’s gaze swept over him, cold and assessing. “I thought you were taking Rosie to Malibu for a getaway. Why are you back here alone?”

Jasper shifted his weight, avoiding her piercing eyes. He raised a hand, awkwardly rubbing

the back of his neck.

“Everything is fine,” he lied, his voice sounding strained. “Rosie was having so much fun she didn’t want to leave. I had urgent business at the company, so I asked Sienna to stay with her. I’ll go back in two days.”

Victoria let out a short, humorless laugh. “I didn’t realize they built a hospital right on the

beach in Malibu.”

Jasper froze. His hand dropped to his side. He realized the charade was over.

“She has pneumonia,” Jasper admitted, his shoulders slumping. “I didn’t want to worry you.”

“You hid something this serious?” Victoria snapped.

“Sienna took her to the ER,” Jasper explained quickly. “Don’t go visit, Mother. She’s contagious, and she’ll be discharged in a day or two. It’s under control.”

Victoria frowned, her eyes narrowing on his cheek. “And that bruise? Did you trip on the sand

in Malibu too?”

Jasper touched the tender spot where Gavin had punched him. “I fell. It’s just a scratch.”

Victoria fell silent. The image she had received on her phone–Jasper clutching Sienna in that hospital hallway–flashed through her mind. It was improper. But looking at her son’s exhausted face, she rationalized it. Perhaps Sienna was just comforting him. Perhaps she was applying medicine to that bruise.

Still, the optics were terrible. Sienna was playing mother to his child while his pregnant wife

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was missing.

“Go to bed,” Victoria said finally, her voice softening slightly. “But be careful washing your face.”

(Victoria’s POV)

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I tossed and turned all night. The suspicion planted in my mind grew like a weed, choking out sleep.

By morning, I needed answers. I needed to prove that my son hadn’t crossed the line. I marched straight to the master bedroom Jasper shared with Aurora.

I pushed the door open and stopped dead.

The wall above the bed was bare. The massive wedding portrait that had hung there for three years was gone. A square of pale, unfaded wallpaper stared back at me like a blind eye.

“Mrs. Potts!” I called out.

The housekeeper hurried in. “Yes, Madam?”

“Where is the painting?”

“I… I don’t know, Madam. It was there yesterday.”

A cold knot formed in my stomach. If Aurora was just throwing a tantrum, why take the portrait?

I began to search the room. I didn’t know what I was looking for until I pulled open the top drawer of the nightstand.

A thick, manila envelope lay inside.

My fingers trembled as I unwound the string and slid the contents out. It was a legal document. A divorce agreement.

I flipped to the last page. There, in black ink, were two signatures. *Jasper Everett. Aurora Su.*

The papers slipped from my numbing fingers and scattered onto the carpet.

He signed it. My son never told me.

Aurora wasn’t bluffing. She wasn’t just acting out. The marriage was actually over, destroyed by his affair with Sienna.

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I sank onto the edge of the bed, feeling lightheaded.

“Madam?” Mrs. Potts stepped forward, eyeing the papers.

“Leave me,” I ordered sharply, kicking the envelope under the bed frame to hide it.

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I sat there in the silence, my mind racing. This couldn’t happen. The scandal would destroy our reputation. And Aurora… she was carrying the Everett heir.

I had to get her back. If she returned, we could bury this. Jasper would come to his senses for the sake of the family name.

(Author’s POV)

Victoria dialed Aurora’s number. She expected the voicemail, but the line clicked open.

“Hello?” Aurora’s voice was weary. She had clearly pressed answer by mistake.

Victoria swallowed her pride, forcing a tone of maternal concern. “Aurora. It’s Victoria.”

Silence on the other end.

“I found the papers in the nightstand,” Victoria said hurriedly. “We need to talk. Please. Think of the child you’re carrying.”

“There is nothing to talk about,” Aurora replied, her voice cold.

“Just meet me,” Victoria insisted. “One coffee. Then I’ll leave you alone.”

Aurora sighed. “Fine. I’ll send you the address. After work.”

Victoria arrived at the upscale café early. When Aurora walked in, Victoria was shocked. The girl looked thinner, her face pale, dressed in a sharp business suit that seemed to swallow her petite frame. She had already started a new job.

“You’ve lost weight,” Victoria said as Aurora sat down. “Come back to the manor. We have chefs who can take care of you.”

“If you saw the agreement, you know I’m not coming back,” Aurora said, checking her watch.

“I will not accept a divorce,” Victoria said firmly. “Think about Rosalind. Think about the baby. Do you want to tear this family apart over a rough patch?”

Aurora looked at her mother–in–law with detached hazel eyes. “I won’t fight for custody of Rosalind. She calls Sienna ‘Mommy‘ anyway. She’ll adjust.”

“You-” Victoria gasped.

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