The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet (Thalassa and Elowen) novel Chapter 2001

Hertha briskly pushed Alaric's arm away, her nostrils flaring with heated anger. Her chest heaved, her eyes wide with fury as she confronted Alaric, "I've made myself crystal clear before, Alaric. I have no intention of marrying you, nor do I desire any romantic entanglement with you! You're merely the father of the children, nothing more. Let's keep it friendly, okay? Alaric, please, don't blur these lines."

With that, Hertha turned and walked away quickly, her pace accelerating as if trying to escape an impending storm or a beast on her heels, eager to shake off something unwanted.

Alaric, filled with deep emotions, felt a sudden chill replace the warmth in his heart as Hertha's angry words hit him. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, cooling his ardor from head to toe.

He stood still, watching Hertha's retreating figure. The joy of a once-hoped-for proposal success was now replaced by profound sadness.

As Hertha's silhouette became smaller in the distance, it felt like unraveling a tightly wound cocoon, forcefully stripping away something from the very depths of his being.

The stripping was painful, tied to his flesh, making it hard for him to breathe.

Just as Hertha was about to turn the corner and vanish from his sight, Alaric couldn't hold back any longer. He started running after her, catching up at the corner to see Hertha again. His heart's gates burst open with impulse.

He shouted towards her back, "Hertha, I've looked into it, and I'm not Alar's father by blood. It was Georgia who bribed the hospital staff to fabricate those test results to deceive me! Alar is not my child!"

If he didn't take this step, what was being forcefully removed from his heart was his future with Hertha, hence the unbearable pain, as if a heavy stone pressed against his chest, suffocating him.

Yet, he couldn't bear the thought of having no future with Hertha or seeing her with another man.

The mere thought of her being with someone else twisted his heart in agony.

Taking a deep breath, Hertha tried to dispel that fleeting softness, continuing forward without looking back.

Falling into the same trap once could be chalked up to youthful naivety and inexperience, but twice would be sheer folly.

Alaric, catching no breath of relief and seeing Hertha remain indifferent, didn't get angry but grew more anxious. He lengthened his stride, running to catch up with Hertha, and said while following her, "You knew all along that Georgia's child wasn't mine, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me sooner? You let me be the fool, almost taking the fall for someone else's mistake. Hertha, my heart has always been with you, Julian, and Helena. There's never been anyone else. Even when I thought Alar was my son, you and the kids were my only concern. Don't you understand my true feelings yet?"

"True feelings? That would be the day when the sun rises from the west," Hertha scoffed through her nose.

A man known for changing women like clothes, what true feelings could he possibly have?