Chapter 4
Eileen didn’t have time to think–she rushed straight toward the parking garage.
The elevator doors slid open, and there they were, Julius and Paula, locked in a feverish kiss at the front of his car.
Instinctively, Eileen clamped a hand over her mouth, desperate to keep her sobs silent.
Julius was breathless, his body already responding, and in the next moment, he pressed Paula against the hood.
“You little vixen, you drive me crazy,” he murmured.
Paula wrapped her legs around his waist, eyes smoldering with seduction.
“Look at you, so impatient. Your wife just left! Besides, I didn’t come here for this–I came to update you about the kid…”
“Whatever it is, it can wait. Let’s take care of the important business first.” Before Paula could finish, Julius tore her dress off with rough hands, leaving her pale legs exposed to the light.
Paula cast a smug glance out the window. “Mr. Swanton, you really are heartless, aren’t you? That’s your own child we’re talking about! I heard he’s not doing well–no parents, bullied all the time. Don’t you ever think about bringing him home?”
Julius paused for a few seconds, then slumped to the side, rubbing his temples in frustration. “Forget it. After all these years, if Eileen ever found out Archie isn’t really her son, she couldn’t handle it.”
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Paula huffed and turned away, pretending to be angry. “So in the end, you still feel sorry for your wife! And what about me and our son–where do we fit in?”
Julius pulled her back into his arms with a soft laugh. “What are you talking about? You and our son are my top priority. Why else would I go to such lengths to bring Archie into the Swanton family? It’s so he can inherit the family name, so you both have a secure future.
“As for Eileen… We grew up together. She gave me a child. I can’t just turn my back on her.”
At that. Paula threw another triumphant glance out the window–and her eyes met Eileen’s, pale and stricken with shock.
“You’re really not going to bring that child home? You’re just going to keep this secret from Eileen forever?”
Julius let out a weary sigh. “Let’s leave it as it is. Eileen has Archie; that’s enough for her. As for the other boy, check in when you can, send more money.”
Paula tugged at Julius’s tie, her fingers trailing up his thigh. “Mr. Swanton, I know I can’t compare to Ms. Greymoor. But every mother
wants the best for her child. Archie should have to live his whole life
with the label of illegitimate. So… I’m sorry.”
Julius’s expression softened instantly. He pulled Paula closer. “Don’t apologize. I chose this willingly. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s fate. That boy was just unlucky enough to be born to Eileen.”
He reached up, gently wiping away Paula’s crocodile tears, his tenderness like a knife twisting in Eileen’s chest.
Her nails dug into her palms until blood trickled between her fingers, but Eileen felt nothing.
Chapter 4
What was physical pain compared to the agony inside her?
When Eileen finally left the hospital, she was in a daze.
She wandered under the blazing sun, drifting across busy streets like a ghost.
Sweat and tears blurred her vision, soaking her blouse, but she didn’t notice–she just kept walking, aimless and numb.
She didn’t know when she’d lost her shoes; her feet were torn and bloody.
Blood streamed from a gash on her forehead where a car had clipped her, but she kept moving.
She walked the entire day before finally reaching the Swanton’s estate.
The butler’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of her. He rushed to her side, concern etched across his face. “Mrs. Swanton, what happened to you? Mr. Swanton’s been searching for you all night–he’s worried sick. Have you seen him?”
Eileen forced a twisted smile, one that was hollow and bitter.
Everyone thought Julius was madly in love with her.
Only she knew–it was all a lie.
She shook her head, her voice hoarse. “I’m fine. I just need to rest.”
She staggered upstairs and locked herself in the bathroom.
She sat on the floor behind the door, Julius and Paula’s tangled bodies flashing through her mind. She couldn’t hold it back anymore–she bent over and vomited.
She’d thought she’d come to terms with the truth, but seeing the betrayal
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with her own eyes tore her wounds open all over again.
Her cries echoed through the tiny bathroom, and not even the roar of the faucet could drown them out.
She wanted so badly to ask Julius how he could play the part of a loving husband while cheating on her with the woman he’d sponsored through college.
She sat there all night, numb with grief, until dawn finally broke.
Today was the day she’d scheduled her work visa appointment–she couldn’t afford to miss it.
After carefully tending to her wounds, she applied heavy makeup to hide the bruises, changed into a smart outfit, and left the house.
Julius called her countless times, sent video requests–she ignored them all.
It was almost noon by the time she’d finished all the paperwork and returned to the mansion, exhausted and hollow. And there, in the living room, was Paula–sitting with Archie, playing games as if she belonged there…
Chapter 5
