The IVF Secret That Shook a Dynasty novel Chapter 611

Joseph frowned, his handsome face unusually serious as his eyes carefully studied his wife's reaction.

He wanted to see if she was truly angry or just surprised, and if angry, just how angry.

After all, Vivica was pregnant, still in the delicate first trimester. Extreme emotional fluctuations could be bad for the baby—even risk a miscarriage.

Their eyes locked in a tense, brief silence.

Then, Joseph took a step forward, grasped her hand, and gently turned her to face him.

Vivica looked up at him, her expression seemingly calm. But upon closer inspection, her eyes were trembling violently.

"Why did you hide it from me? You knew from the very beginning..." Her voice was hoarse, her emotions threatening to boil over.

Joseph crouched down in front of her, holding both her wrists. He deliberated for a moment before speaking. "Back then... we barely knew each other. I didn't dare tell you."

"Didn't dare, or didn't want to?" Vivica wasn't stupid.

It had been twenty minutes since she found the paternity test. That was enough time to think a lot of things through.

Maybe it was true that they hadn't been close at first. She had still been in her previous marriage, and given all the circumstances, his initial silence made sense.

But as things progressed, his continued concealment must have had other motives.

Like the fear that if he revealed the truth about Chaim's parentage, she would cling to him.

After all, the prestigious Baird family was a golden ticket countless women dreamed of securing. Not to mention Joseph himself was brilliant, capable, and incredibly handsome. He had definitely been guarding himself against her.

Crouched before her, Joseph was slightly lower than her eye level. He looked up, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I..."

He hesitated, unsure of how to answer. He worried that the wrong words would only make her angrier.

"I did... consider that at the time." Rather than having his denial seen through, it was better to be brutally honest.

Vivica forced a smile that looked worse than a sob.

"But we barely knew each other then," he continued. "I never in my wildest dreams imagined I'd suddenly have a biological son pop up. It was hard for me to accept, and I hadn't figured out what to do, which is why I chose to keep you in the dark."

Vivica nodded, finishing his thought for him. "And also because you wanted to let your parents have that white lie, to help them pull themselves together. You were afraid that if you told me the truth, I'd slip up and ruin it."

Joseph looked up at her, his lips pressed into a thin line, and finally nodded. "Yes..."