Zoe Lancaster’s entire body stiffened. Her ears buzzed, making it nearly impossible to hear anything else. A bone-piercing pain spread through her. She had once thought she was already numb to it all, but at this very moment, she finally understood what true despair felt like!
Peyton Joyce was pregnant with Simon Hawthorne’s child. He had allowed her to get pregnant at such a critical juncture. To think Simon had humiliated her to this extent!
Her breathing trembled. A spasm in her stomach made her sway unsteadily on her feet. She clenched her hands into fists, gripping the fabric of her collar tightly as if that was the only way she could grasp the oxygen needed to survive. She pulled with so much force that the delicate, sparkling necklace around her neck suddenly snapped!
The flawless square-cut diamond wedding ring strung on the necklace slipped off.
CLINK!
With a crisp sound, it rolled across the floor a few times. Zoe felt dizzy as she watched the ring fall into the dust. She did not pick it up; her pride and self-esteem would no longer allow it! No matter what was happening inside that room, she resolutely turned around and walked away.
The door had been left ajar. After Elder Joy’s declaration, the room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop, making the sound of the object falling outside exceptionally clear.
Simon suddenly snapped back to reality. His heart sank endlessly as he looked toward the doorway, only to catch a glimpse of a fluttering skirt fading into the distance.
Without a second thought, he started forward to chase after her.
"Come back!" Ken Lowell’s face was incredibly grim as she grabbed Simon’s arm. She was the only one who knew what was really going on with Peyton’s pregnancy, and she couldn’t fathom how Simon could just leave!
Simon shuddered slightly, his gaze remaining fixated on the doorway.
Old Mrs. Hawthorne was also stunned for a moment before finally asking, "Elder Joy, are you sure?"
Elder Joy’s expression was solemn. "I can’t be mistaken. It’s a pregnancy pulse!"
"Peyton?" Old Mrs. Hawthorne looked surprised. "When did you start dating? Who is the man?"
Peyton did not seem all that surprised about her pregnancy. Hearing this, she nervously clutched the blanket, a flash of panic crossing her small face. "Grandma... can I... can I choose not to say?"
Old Mrs. Hawthorne frowned. "A pregnancy is no trivial matter! Since you are living with the Hawthorne family, we must take responsibility for you! Tell us who the father is, and the Hawthorne family will take charge of arranging your marriage!"
Peyton looked like she was about to cry, her eyes red. "I..." It seemed she had a hidden secret she was unwilling to voice.
This only made Ken Lowell’s heart pound even harder. She took a deep breath and asked, "Elder Joy, can you estimate how long she has been pregnant?"
Simon’s jaw tightened as he also looked over.
Elder Joy nodded. "Based on my years of experience, it should be about a month."
BOOM!
Ken Lowell swayed on her feet, hit hard by the revelation.
Simon’s expression instantly turned fierce, wondering how this could be possible.
"Do you all know something?" Old Mrs. Hawthorne’s sharp gaze swept over them. "Out with it!"
Ken Lowell gritted her teeth, realizing she could not fool the old lady. It was impossible to hide. "Mom... this child... is Simon’s!"
Peyton finally looked at Simon, her tears instantly rolling down. Filled with self-blame and sorrow, she sobbed, "I’m sorry... I’m so sorry..."
Old Mrs. Hawthorne’s expression changed. She stood up abruptly from her chair, marched over to Simon, raised her cane, and whipped it viciously against his back!
"You fool! How could you do such a thing?
"Have you forgotten your status?! You are a married man! Where is your basic sense of responsibility and accountability? Do you think you’ve done right by anyone?! You abused Peyton’s affection for you to do whatever you pleased, and you exploited Miss Lancaster’s position as your wife to hurt her recklessly! Tell me, how are we going to clean up this mess now?!"
Old Mrs. Hawthorne had not involved herself in household affairs for a long time; this was a rare display of sheer fury from her!
Simon furrowed his brows slightly. The strike from the jade-carved cane felt as though it might shatter his bones. The snake-whip wounds on his back had only just healed, and suffering another blow like this sent a piercing pain deep into his joints. Yet, he did not dodge or back away.
"Grandma, I will handle this," he said, enunciating every word, his tone laced with frost.
Old Mrs. Hawthorne barked coldly, "If you could handle it, a scandal like this would never have happened in the first place!"
With that, she turned to look at Peyton. Her voice softened slightly. "Peyton, your body needs proper rest, but this matter concerns the reputation of the Hawthorne family. If you don’t want to keep this..."
"Grandma, I want to keep the baby. This child is my emotional pillar!" Peyton replied decisively, her voice gentle yet resolute.
Old Mrs. Hawthorne’s eyes flickered before she said, "Discuss it with Simon. You must also consider his situation, unless...
"Unless you are willing for this child to be born without a proper title or status!"
Peyton’s body trembled. "But this is Simon’s child—"
"But he ultimately has his own marriage and his own wife," Old Mrs. Hawthorne sighed helplessly. "After all, this is an extramarital affair! The one truly harmed here is Miss Lancaster. Do you expect him to get a divorce just to legitimize this child? The party at fault must act like the party at fault!"
Peyton’s tears fell even harder. She had assumed that with the child’s existence, the Hawthorne family would seriously consider ending that marriage in name only. She never expected that the old lady, who had constantly pushed for a great-grandchild, would actually oppose divorce as a solution now that a great-grandchild was on the way!
Old Mrs. Hawthorne waved her hand. "Think it over carefully." She had said all she needed to say! Everyone had to face the consequences of the paths they chose.
Seeing that Old Mrs. Hawthorne was not looking well, Ken Lowell hurried forward to support her. She cast a complicated glance at Simon but ultimately said nothing. The two of them left, and Elder Joy was also escorted out. The room descended into complete silence.
Simon sat on the chair by the bed, his entire aura teetering on the edge of collapse. He stared at her stomach, his obscured gaze looking exceptionally gloomy. "I don’t have much memory of that day."
Peyton’s eyelashes trembled. "Simon, what do you mean?" He was far too calm, making it impossible to read his mind. His current unpredictable mood made her feel as though a guillotine were hanging over her head.
He did not answer, only asking, "Why didn’t you take the pill?"
Peyton’s eyes grew red. "Because that was the day I had always dreamed of. How could I bear to—"
"But I have a wife." Simon finally shifted his gaze to her face. "Peyton, are you using underhanded tactics to force me to divorce?"
He was far too blunt, completely shredding the dark, hidden thoughts she had buried deep within her heart.
Peyton froze for a moment at his calm and composed interrogation. She realized she was increasingly unable to see through him. He was untouchable, unreachable, drifting further away. All she could see in him was a chaotic, callous void.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Simon, then how do you expect me to let it go?
"I love you. I love you so much that I would give you everything! Even my own life! Back then in the Portellis, when you woke up, you said you would protect me forever. Are you... going to break your promise?"
She threw off the covers, shifted to the edge of the bed, and wrapped her arms around his neck in deep infatuation. Shrinking into his embrace, she felt his warmth and scent, completely abandoning a woman’s modesty. "I am carrying your child in my belly. We can live a happy life together in the future. You can’t just keep dragging things out with Zoe Lancaster, only to end up raising someone else’s child, right?
"Simon, get a divorce, okay?"