Mag-log inNora’s question left Javier unable to hide behind silence any longer. He stared at his wife for a long moment before finally letting out a slow breath.
“Yes.”
Just one word.
Yet that one word was enough to change the entire atmosphere in the room.
Javier lowered his head slightly.
“I did have a relationship with Kate.”
There was no defense in his voice. There was no excuse he tried to use to make his actions sound less se
Nora thought for a moment. Then the corners of her lips lifted slightly.“That sounds good.”Clara immediately called Elena, while Nora looked out the window again. Not long afterward, the car stopped at an intersection. Clara would return to the house to get Nora’s things, while Nora continued on to a hotel not far from Virelle Maison. After making sure everything was settled, they finally went their separate ways.When she arrived at the hotel, Nora went straight to the room Clara had booked. She only had a few belongings with her. For the time being, she did not want to think about anything involving the house, Javier, or what would happen after tonight. Yet even after the door to the room closed, her mind was still not truly at ease. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly ahead, then slowly rubbed her face. Only now, when there were no Laurent or Beaumont family members surrounding her anymore, did everything that had happened that
On the way, Clara glanced several times at Nora, who sat silently in the back seat. Since leaving the Laurent residence, the woman had barely said a word. Her face remained calm, but every now and then, her hands would clasp together on her lap before slowly releasing again. There were no tears. No anger. Yet Clara could see that the calmness did not mean Nora was fine.“Mrs. Nora, how are you feeling?”Nora was silent for a moment before finally letting out a small laugh. But there was no happiness in her laughter. Only a bitterness that was difficult to hide.“What do you expect, Clara?”She turned her face toward the window. The city lights moved past her view, but her thoughts were still left behind at the Laurent residence. On Javier’s face when he admitted to the affair. On Kate standing before everyone while announcing her pregnancy. On the simple question she had asked her husband, and on Javier’s silence, which
Kate’s gaze slowly changed. She waited for the next sentence, but it never came.Javier did not say that he would leave Nora. He did not say that he would marry Kate. He did not even give the slightest hope that their relationship would return to the way it had been before. He only spoke about his responsibility as a father.And that was precisely what made Kate grip his hand tightly again. She had gotten his acknowledgment of the child, but not the Javier she had wanted all this time.Nora slowly raised her face. All this time, she had only been listening, allowing everyone to speak without trying to interrupt. But now, her question made everyone’s attention in the room turn back to Javier.“And me?”Her voice was so soft that Javier was left speechless.He looked at Nora.There was no demand on his wife’s face. No anger demanding an explanation. No tears forcing him to defend himself. Only one simple qu
Nora’s question left Javier unable to hide behind silence any longer. He stared at his wife for a long moment before finally letting out a slow breath.“Yes.”Just one word.Yet that one word was enough to change the entire atmosphere in the room.Javier lowered his head slightly.“I did have a relationship with Kate.”There was no defense in his voice. There was no excuse he tried to use to make his actions sound less serious. For the first time, he said it openly in front of Nora’s family.Nora remained silent.Her expression did not change. She simply lowered her gaze again, as though trying to accept an answer she had actually heard from someone else just a few minutes earlier.She did not ask when it had started.She did not ask why.Nor did she ask Javier to explain what had happened between them.Nora’s silence only made the atmosphere heavier.
“Javier.”That one name fell from Kate’s lips.The room immediately fell silent.Lilian stared at Kate with widened eyes, as if she could not believe the answer she had just heard. Alistar slowly shifted his gaze to Javier. His expression turned serious, while Keith remained seated calmly without showing any excessive reaction.Lilith actually already knew the answer. However, hearing Javier’s name spoken openly in front of the Laurent family made her face grow even more tense. Until now, she could still hope that the matter would be resolved without causing a scandal. Now that hope was gone.Alistar looked at Javier.“Is that true?”Javier rubbed his jaw briefly before answering.Kate spoke first.“This child belongs to Javier.”Lilian instinctively covered her mouth.“My God...”Alistar did not take his eyes off Javier. “So you and K
That night, the Laurent family home was once again filled with people who had sat in the same room several times before, but this time, the atmosphere felt completely different.There were no light conversations like usual. No laughter that truly sounded sincere. Everyone had come knowing that there was one problem that had to be resolved tonight.Keith and Kate’s engagement.Nora arrived with Javier. Her hand was still in her husband’s grasp as they entered the family room. From the outside, Javier looked like a husband accompanying his wife to a family gathering. But Nora could sense something different in the way the man held her hand.Too tightly.Javier had even let out long breaths several times since they arrived.Nora said nothing. She simply allowed herself to remain calm, as though unaware of the uneasiness that was clearly evident in her husband’s manner. Her face remained directed forward, her eyes closed as usu







