Chapter 4

She was wearing the standard uniform of the staff from the Astor family’s main estate. Across the room, a little boy was gleefully making a mess of my immaculate living room.

When Isabelle saw me, she stepped away from Julian’s side, a picture of demure grace. “Madam, you’re home. The main estate sent me over to look after the young master.”

My jaw tightened. Breathing suddenly became a monumental effort.

How dare he? How dare he bring them here, into our home?

Julian saw the look on my face and rushed to explain. “Baby, I sent you a text this afternoon, you must not have seen it. This is Ethan Astor. Mom brought him home from an orphanage, said she felt an instant connection with him.”

All the pain I had felt, all the tears I had shed in that empty conference room, had burned away, leaving behind only cold, white-hot fury.

They were treating me like an absolute fool.

“Julian, are you deliberately trying to rip my heart out?” My voice trembled with rage.

He frowned, genuinely surprised by my hostility. “Baby, don’t be angry,” he pleaded, his voice laced with confusion. “You know the family needs an heir, and I know how much you’ve grieved for… for our baby. I thought… I agreed to Mom’s request for you.”

“If you don’t like him, I’ll have him sent back right now!”

Everyone knew Julian Astor’s golden rule: Elara came first. Always. And here he was, proving it again, willing to send away his own son if I just said the word.

But this time, his devotion just made me feel sick.

I was about to blow the whole thing wide open when the child, Ethan, scrunched up his face and began to wail.

“You’re a mean lady!” he shrieked, pointing a finger at me. “Daddy, why are you with this mean lady? Don’t you want me anymore?”

The child’s piercing cries grated on Julian’s nerves. He snapped, “Ethan, who taught you to speak like that!” He turned to the household staff. “Are you all deaf? Get the young master to his room, now!”

Several maids rushed forward, clumsily trying to placate the screaming child as they led him away.

Isabelle looked panicked. “Mr. Astor, it’s all my fault. Please don’t be angry with the young master.” As she spoke, she cast a look at Julian, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, a look designed to melt any man’s heart.

Julian sighed, his tone softening. “I’m not angry with him. He’s just a child, he doesn’t know any better. Go on, go look after him.”

I watched the entire exchange, the ice around my heart growing thicker. I pulled away from Julian’s touch and went straight upstairs, shutting the bedroom door in his face.

He stood outside, his voice muffled by the wood, full of frustration and pleading. “Baby, it’s my fault. I’ll send him away first thing in the morning, I promise.”

“I know you don’t want me around right now, and that’s okay. Just get some rest. We can talk about this tomorrow.”

I slid down the door, my back pressed against the cold wood, and listened to his footsteps retreat. My heart was so numb I couldn’t feel a thing.

What good would sending the boy away do? Blood is blood. A bond that can never be broken. The one who needed to leave was me.

I didn’t answer. I just turned the lock. Alone in the dark, I finally let myself collapse. I was so tired. Bone-tired, soul-tired.

I don’t know how long I sat there before my phone buzzed. A new friend request.

It was Isabelle.

[Isabelle]: Mrs. Astor, since you’ve kicked your husband out of your room, I suppose you won’t mind if he comes to mine.

My pupils contracted. I shot to my feet and threw open the bedroom door. Down the hall, a faint light seeped from under the door of Julian’s study.

The door was slightly ajar. I could hear a woman’s sultry voice from within. “Julian, you’re hurting me…”

A man’s low grunt, his voice rough with something primal. “You’re the one who lured me in here. A little pain is what you wanted, isn’t it? You’re trouble, you know that? Even with a kid, you can’t keep still.”

The world tilted on its axis. I was plunged into an icy abyss, the blood freezing in my veins.

He couldn't even wait one night.

The sounds from within continued. Isabelle’s suppressed moan. “Julian… I just saw how upset the madam made you. I thought I could… help you feel better.”

“Don’t make excuses for your own desires. And remember, if you want Ethan to stay in this house, you will not cause trouble for my wife.”

I couldn’t listen anymore. I don’t even know how I made it back to my room.

I stumbled into the bathroom and retched into the sink, my body convulsing with disgust. I heaved until my stomach was empty and cramping, then I slowly straightened up, looking at the pathetic, hollowed-out woman in the mirror.

My tears were gone. I was Elara Vance. Pride was in my blood. This was beneath me.

I don’t know how long I stayed in that bathroom. The sky was beginning to lighten when I finally crawled into bed.

This time, I was the one leaving him.