Chapter 28%
The soft, golden glow of the room danced in Hayden’s eyes, but suddenly, I felt a lump rise in my throat.
I leaned into his chest, the steady beat of his heart like a drum against my ear, and murmured, “But I still want a child.”
Hayden went still, his entire body locking in place.
I closed my eyes, my voice as light as a summer breeze. “After the miscarriage, I always felt that child was still with me. She didn’t want to leave, and I couldn’t let her go.”
I had been afraid, afraid of pregnancy, of childbirth, of losing myself.
But the ache I had felt the day I bled and collapsed, that pain still lingered.]
It wasn’t the fear of physical agony but the helplessness of losing something that had truly belonged to me.”
So, I wanted her back, no matter what.
Hayden was silent for what felt like an eternity, and then, without warning, he lowered his head and kissed me fiercely.
“Natalie…” His voice was rough, raw. “Then let’s have our child, okay?”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I lifted my leg, hooking it around his waist.
He froze for a moment, his gaze darkening.”
“You…”
I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer. “Don’t speak.“}
Tonight didn’t need words.
We understood each other perfectly.
That night, there was no hesitation, no restraint, just the steady pull of desire dragging us deeper into a world of body and emotion.
Ever since returning to the Murphy family estate, Brynn had grown increasingly silent.
He barely spoke anymore, spending his days sitting in his wheelchair, clinging to an old photo frame.
Odessa couldn’t help but feel her heart tighten at the sight.
She had always believed that her son was cursed from birth, destined to face one trial after another.
After much contemplation, she remembered the “divine fortune–teller” from ten years ago.”
Determined, she had people search for him.
“Keep searching. I don’t care if you have to tear up the earth; bring him back. I need him to look again. Why is my son’s life falling apart?!”
But after several days, that so–called “divine fortune–teller” seemed to have vanished without a trace. Not even a single clue remained.
Odessa’s frustration reached its breaking point, ready to explode when the usually quiet housekeeper spoke up.§
Aunt Isabel, an older woman who had worked for the Gibson family before following Sylvie into the Murphy family, stood in the doorway.
“Madam,” she murmured, “stop searching. That fortune–teller wasn’t a real master.“}
Odessa frowned, confused. “What do you mean?“}
Aunt Isabel hesitated, then, with a tight–lipped sigh, confessed.
“That man was just an old drinking buddy of your father. A gambler, deep in debt. It was Old Master Gibson who forced five thousand dollars and a gold chain into his hand to make him come and ‘read the fortune.“}
“Old Master Gibson had already planned for Sylvie to marry into the Murphy family. He knew you were hesitant, so he came up with this scheme. Everything that fortune–teller said, Old Master Gibson had his say.”
“All that nonsense about ‘wife’s luck‘ and ‘matching birth charts‘ was just empty talk.”
Odessa was stunned
She couldn’t believe it, but at the same time, she couldn’t deny it either.
“You mean…” Her voice wavered. “This whole thing was a lie?”
Aunt Isabel lowered her head, her voice soft but firm. “I’m just a servant, so I don’t know much. But her father once let it slip while drunk during his illness. He said the one thing he was most proud of in life was marrying Sylvie into the Murphy family.”
Odessa swayed, nearly losing her balance.
Her chest tightened, and she gasped for breath as she stumbled onto the sofa.
She remembered how she had once gritted her teeth, forcing her son to marry Sylvie because of that fortune–teller’s words and how she had poured her heart into treating Sylvie with such care.
D
10:58 AM
