Chapter 15
Elise was forced to terminate her pregnancy. Still weak and pale, she was thrown straight into a psychiatric hospital.
She lay motionless on the bed, like the life had been sucked out of her. Her face was white as a sheet, her body hollowed by despair.
Charles appeared at the door, his eyes cold and merciless. He flung the stack of evidence right at her face.
“You really thought no one would find out what you did?”
“You laid han
laid hands on your own son. You don’t deserve to be called a mother.”
Elise glanced at the photos and documents. Her face turned even paler–because she knew it was all over. Everything she’d done had come to light.
Her lips trembled as she tried to explain, but nothing came out. There was nothing left to say.
There was nothing but coldness in Charles’s eyes as he looked at her. “I gave you so many chances, Elise. You were the one who chose to throw them all away.
“For the rest of your life, you’re not allowed to see Aiden again. Get used to this place–because you’re staying right here.”
Elise stared at Charles’s retreating figure, her heart consumed with hatred.
She hated how cold and ruthless he had become. Not long ago, he had still been whispering sweet nothings in her ear–and now, he’d turned on her like a stranger.
Sheb
hated Aiden for being useless. He was her son, and yet he couldn’t even save her.
But most of all, she hated Irene. Why did Irene get everything, while she ended up in this hell?
But right now, Elise had no power to fight back.
And the psychiatric ward was far more terrifying than she’d imagined.
Meanwhile, across the ocean in London, Irene was in a quiet old manor, spoon–feeding Noah his dinner.
“Irene, you’re the best. Do you think Mom and Dad don’t want me anymore?”
Noah had played outside in the
yesterday and ended up with a nasty fever.
To make things worse, Diana and her husband, William, had taken off on a morning outing, leaving their sick child in Irene’s care.
All she could do now was look after him and try to comfort him. “Noah, that’s not true. Your mom and dad didn’t leave you. They just… they just…”
But Irene couldn’t even find an excuse.
Thankfully, Noah, sweet boy that he was, pushed through his sadness and ate everything on his plate.
Watching his soft, innocent face, Irene felt something warm bloom in her chest.
Her own life was a complete mess. But having Noah around made it a little more bearable.
After taking his medicine, the little boy soon drifted off to sleep.
Only then did Irene breathe a sigh of relief. She sat by the bed, watching his flushed little face, her heart aching with tenderness.
For some reason, her thoughts wandered to Alden.
That day in the hospital–he’d looked just like this
Julian had said Alden got sick because he hadn’t been properly cared for.
But Trene remembered clearly; there had been no rain in Halston that night. So how had Alden caught a cold?
Chucker 15
Unless…
Unless Elise had done it on purpose deliberately let him get sick just to take him to the hospital and win Charles’s sympathy.
Just the thought of it made Irene shiver.
How could a mother use her It was beyond cruel–it was monstrous.
own child like that?
She’d been in the UK for over a month now. Even without checking the news, the Whitmores were all over the trending topics. There was no escaping it.
The birthday party had been canceled. Aiden’s parentage had come under question. And the Whitmore Group had been rocked by a full–on scandal.
Charles had been nailed to the wall as a cheating scumbag. If not for his public image as a devoted husband over the years, he’d be just another rich playboy at this point.
But he had loved Irene for years. And still, he’d gone behind her back, fathered a child, and shattered every illusion the world had of
him
And his revenge on Elise? Brutal.
Someone at the hospital had seen Charles escorting a woman into the OB–GYN department. The woman then reportedly went mad and was sent to a psychiatric facility.
News like that could’ve easily been covered up–but instead, it sat glaring at the top of the trending list. Clearly, Charles wanted her to
see it.
He was trying to show her he’d realized his mistakes. That he was making amends
But what did it matter now?
Irene let out a bitter laugh, her eyes dull and empty.
What’s broken is broken. No amount of patchwork could undo the damage.
All she wanted now was to stay in the UK and quietly heal.
She leaned by the window, gazing out at the twilight haze… and then froze. Down at the gates of the manor standing there.
A familiar figure was
Charles?! He had found her!
