Chapter 10 An Unexpected Turn

• A strong wave of sadness hit me, and I was almost in tears, my clenched fists shaking.
• The man I had loved for so many years, in front of all our relatives, was defending a woman who betrayed him, and giving me no respect.
• My mother-in-law couldn't stand it anymore and said firmly, "That's enough! Jass is right. The Campbells will never accept a child with an unknown background."
• My mother-in-law's brief but pointed remarks helped me save a bit of face. The Campbells, being so prominent, were especially careful about matters of bloodlines.
• Carol took out a report from her bag and handed it to my mother-in-law, crying pitifully, "It's all my fault. Brian has suffered so much because of me."
• Suffered?
• I scoffed inwardly. What kind of suffering was she talking about? Even though I hadn't been back to the Newton villa in years, I knew she had been living quite comfortably.
• My mother-in-law looked at the report, her expression changing suddenly as she quietly gave the butler a quick instruction.
• I felt even more anxious, my nerves on edge.
• Less than five minutes later, the butler returned and nodded to my mother-in-law.
• Her face brightened with a smile as she handed me the report and said without hesitation, "Jass, you haven't had any children for years, so having a child now is a good thing."
• Boom!
• The situation changed so quickly that it felt like a bomb had exploded in my head, leaving me speechless for a long time.
• My fingers trembled as I opened the report, feeling a chill all over. They even had a paternity test report ready, and here I was, looking like a fool.
• I felt like I couldn't breathe, and tears started to flow. "Mom … "
• My mother-in-law suddenly snapped, "Do you want Henry to be left without a child?"
• Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, leaving me frozen in place and unable to respond.
• Henry was now in charge of Eastwood Corporation, so it was easy to see how important a child was to him. Yet, despite four years, I hadn't been able to get pregnant, which must have caused some dissatisfaction from my mother-in-law.
• I couldn't tell her that Henry didn't want a child. What could I do about it?
• But it seemed I was wrong. It was not that he didn't want a child. It was that he didn't want a child with me.
• I glanced at the indifferent Henry, lowered my eyes, and answered in despair, "I was just momentarily confused."
• Momentarily confused—falling for a man who would never give me a second glance.
• Carol, with a look of reluctance, said softly, "I'm willing to let Jass have the child, but if I'm not with him at night, he won't be able to sleep."
• In other words, she wanted to stay with the child and live with us.
• I took a deep breath, my anger making my head throb. "Carol, you're really playing this game well! You schemed against my mom before, and now you're trying to do the same to me?!"
• Even someone naive wouldn't back down, but I didn't expect my usually sharp mother-in-law to speak up for her.
• My mother-in-law pinched the child's rosy cheek and sighed, "Alright, he'll stay here tonight. Tomorrow, Brian will move to Henry and Jass's place. You should stay and be with him for a while."
• I couldn't believe it. I instinctively wanted to argue, but suddenly felt disheartened, as if I were the outsider.
• It felt like a knife had stabbed my heart, the sharp pain spreading. My feelings for Henry seemed to fade away little by little amid this indescribable hurt.
• My mind went blank as I stumbled out of the Campbell residence. I got into my car, not knowing where to go.
• Everywhere was lit up with neon and buzzing with activity, but none of it felt like it belonged to me.
• After a moment of hesitation, I drove toward the hospital.
• Four years ago, my mother's surgery wasn't very successful, and her condition had been fluctuating ever since. Under Henry's arrangements, she was transferred to this top-notch private hospital.
• I tried to hide my emotions while chatting with her. I waited until she fell asleep before I couldn't hold back my tears any longer, feeling weak and wanting to cry out all my frustrations.
• When I got back to the villa, it was already close to midnight.
• I had expected Henry to stay at the Campbell residence, but as soon as I returned to my room and finished my shower, someone pushed the door open.
• Henry walked in, his presence radiating coldness as if he was barely keeping his anger in check. His voice was deep and serious, "Why did you leave the Campbell residence without saying a word?"
• Oh, so he came back in the middle of the night just to confront me about this.
• If someone didn't know better, they might think he was worried about my safety.
• I swallowed the sharp bitterness and looked up at him. "Do you expect me to just stand by and watch your happy family?"
• He slowly lit a cigarette and said, "Callie will only stay for a while. Once Brian gets used to it, she'll leave on her own. Can't you accept that?"
• I was so angry I wanted to laugh. I knew better than anyone that taking care of Brian was just a cover for Carol. Her real target was the man standing right before me.
• Years ago, she looked down on Henry, thinking he was just a small company owner, and then she slept with my dad.
• After all these years, I thought she had accepted her fate, but she still wasn't willing to let go.