Chapter 3

Anson quickly hid the box behind his back and forced himself to stay calm. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

Eleanor let out a cold laugh and strode over. She snatched the box from his hand, and her eyes turned icy the moment she read the label.

"Anson, have you been using protection this whole time?"

Every time she had been lost in the heat of the moment, Anson had quietly made sure she would not get pregnant.

Her voice dropped dangerously low, thick with the fury of someone who had been deceived.

"You never wanted to have a baby with me at all, did you?"

Anson lowered his eyes, his tone flat. "I'm just not ready yet."

"Enough!"

Eleanor hurled the box to the floor, and condoms scattered everywhere.

Looking at Anson's calm, distant face, she felt an inexplicable surge of anger rush through her, along with a strange sense of panic.

It felt as though the man who used to laugh with her, cry for her, and get jealous over her was gone for good.

"Unbelievable." Eleanor gritted her teeth, her eyes cold. "Anson, you're going to regret this."

With that, she spun around and slammed the door so hard that the bang sent a tremor through the room.

Anson stood rooted to the spot, his eyes completely unmoved.

The truth was that he had regretted it long ago. He regretted ever meeting Eleanor, and he regretted giving her his heart even more.

When morning came, he went downstairs for breakfast. Eleanor did not like having outsiders in the house, so the Vandermeer staff only came in to work during the day.

As usual, he directed the staff to clean the house and tend to the garden, but he turned down every invitation to card games and afternoon teas.

Agnes Mulvaney, the head housekeeper, listened from nearby with a puzzled look.

"Sir, these social events matter for Ms. Vandermeer's business deals. Why are you turning them all down?"

"I won't be going to any of them from now on." Anson closed his planner, his tone even. "Also, Agnes, there are a few things I need to go over with you."

He went through them one by one. He told her which detergent brand Eleanor's dresses had to be washed with, exactly how hot her morning coffee should be, where he kept the recipe for the hangover remedy she needed after business dinners, and which allergy medications to keep on hand when the seasons changed.

The longer Agnes listened, the more uneasy she grew, and she could not help cutting in. "Sir, Ms. Vandermeer has only ever wanted you to handle these things yourself. She never let the rest of us touch them. Why are you telling me all this?"

Anson gave a faint smile.

"I won't be her husband for much longer. From now on, either remind Eleanor to take care of these things herself, or teach them to the new husband."

Agnes's expression changed. Before she could say anything, the sound of a car engine came from outside the front gate.

Not long after, Eleanor walked in on the arm of a young man.

Anson looked up and froze for a moment.

Eleanor had not exaggerated one bit when she said Rory was like a younger Anson.

The young man was simply dressed, with a cool, stubborn air about him. He was exactly who Anson had been during his Saltmere University days, before life wore him down.

Above all, the way he looked at Eleanor mirrored all the adoration and devotion Anson had once felt for her.

Eleanor noticed his lapse, and her smile deepened.

"This is Rory Castellan. Starting today, he'll be living here," she announced to everyone, then made a point of telling the staff, "Treat Mr. Castellan with the same respect you show my husband."

Eleanor had plenty of lovers, but this was the first time she had moved one into the Vandermeer mansion.

The staff exchanged uneasy glances. Was the Vandermeer household really about to get a new man of the house?

Anson, however, acted as if nothing had happened and calmly instructed Agnes, "Go get the room next to Ms. Vandermeer's ready for Mr. Castellan."

"Wait."

Eleanor's face darkened for a moment. She stopped Agnes and closed the distance to Anson in a few strides.

She sighed, her tone carrying a hint of helpless indulgence, though her eyes held little warmth.

"Anson, I really do love you. If you truly don't want a baby, I won't force you."

She paused, and her arm tightened around Rory.

"As it happens, Rory is willing to have one with me. He looks like you, so the baby will look like you too. Once it's born, it'll be listed as yours.

"It's just unfair to Rory. He loves me without complaint and without asking for any official place in my life, yet our child will never even call him Dad. So for the time being, the two of you are going to switch places."

Anson frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

Eleanor gave him a meaningful look. "It means Rory will be my husband, and you'll move out and be my lover."