Twenty-Six receipts of betrayal Novel novel Chapter 63

That evening, Aunt Annie took me out to dinner.

The city we were staying in was one of Africa’s more developed hubs–glittering skyline, bustling streets alive with

energy.

During the ten years I was with Sean, he’d pointed at a world map and made me promises.

He’d take me to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. We’d feed pigeons in Paris. We’d go on safari in Kenya.

We never went anywhere.

Without him, I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere alone.

Looking back now, at best, I was his mistress.

At worst? I’m just a sugar baby he keeps around, totally dependent and lost.

I let out a bitter laugh.

Neither title was exactly flattering.

Sean stared at the reply on his screen and finally exhaled in relief.

The tension he’d been carrying all day melted away.

*She’s still mad. That’s fine. That’s normal.*

But as long as she was still texting back, it meant things weren’t beyond repair.

A soft knock came at the study door. Charlotte walked in carrying a warm glass of milk.

She wore a silk nightgown that draped elegantly over her slightly rounded belly.

Behind her trailed a little figure in cartoon pajamas, rubbing sleepy eyes.

Charlotte set the glass gently on his desk, one hand holding back their son.

“Sean, my father wants me to bring Nathan home for dinner tomorrow.”

Sean didn’t look up. He just grunted.

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Chapter 8

“Fine.”

Charlotte hesitated, a barely perceptible tension creeping into her voice.

“I think… he knows. About the divorce. And the pregnancy.”

Sean’s hand, which had been massaging his temple, froze. He looked up sharply, his gaze cutting straight through her.

“You told him?”

Charlotte shifted uncomfortably but stood her ground.

“Even if I didn’t say anything, they’d figure it out once I start showing! I can’t keep hiding it from my parents forever!”

The temperature in the room plummeted.

Nathan looked between them, his little mouth turning down into a pout as he mumbled in his tiny voice, “Mommy,

Daddy, are you fighting?”

His small hand clutched Charlotte’s sleeve as he tilted his head up, wide eyes filled with confusion.

“You said you were giving me a baby sister. Why are you fighting?”

The frost on Sean’s face melted instantly. He bent down and scooped hisson into his arms, his voice deliberately soft.

“Nathan, sweetheart, Mommy and Daddy aren’t fighting.”

“We’re just talking about grown–up stuff.”

Nathan blinked up at him, resting his little head on his shoulder.

Then, as if remembering something, his voice turned small and wounded.

“Daddy… they said you’re getting me a new mommy. Is that true?”

“I don’t want a new mommy. I already have a mommy.”

Sean’s body went rigid.

Behind his furrowed brow, a storm was brewing.

A minute later, he picked up the intercom on his desk, his voice cold as ice.

“Everyone. My study. Now.”

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Twenty–Six Receipts of Betrayal: My Silence Was the Countdown to His Eternal Regret

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Chapter 8

The butler, housekeepers, driver–every member of the household staff stood trembling outside the study door.

None of them had ever seen Sean this furious.

Sean’s gaze swept over their terrified faces. Then, in one sharp motion, he swept the glass of milk off his desk.

It shattered on the floor, milk splattering everywhere.

“Next time anyone dares to talk trash behind my back, they’re done for!”

His voice shook the whole villa.

“Just get the fuck out!”

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