Chapter 45
“I missed you so much, Eddy,” Jeannette whimpered, her voice trembling as she tried to win his mercy.
“You missed me? Didn’t you?” Eddy’s tone was low, almost mocking.
“If you dare make a scene at the memorial, I swear I’ll kill you,” Jeannette shot back, her words sharp despite the pleading look in her eyes.
Eddy’s hand wrapped around Jeannette’s throat, his grip tightening as if he could crush the life out of her right there.
Laney was everything to him-her mother’s happiness, most of all.
He couldn’t imagine how devastated Laney would be if she ever found out
about this.
With the car’s windows tinted for privacy, Blanche could only make out blurred shadows from her vantage point. She pulled out her phone, fingers flying over the screen as she hacked into the Rolls-Royce’s security system, breaking through the video feed’s encryption.
All she could see was Eddy’s back-Jeannette was in front of him, her body moving in a way that left no room for doubt.
To Blanche, the sight was revolting.
Even hidden away like this, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
Eddy’s tender words, his promises of devotion-all of it evaporated in an instant.
He’d been lying to her all along.
Not just cheating with his body, but betraying her in every possible way.
Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the car door. She couldn’t take it anymore.
Suddenly, a crowd of reporters surged onto the narrow country lane, their
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Chapter 45
cameras trained on the car. In the midst of them, Hedwig dragged Healy along, determined and relentless.
“Aunt Blanche, did you catch the person who smashed Grandma’s urn?” Hedwig called out, her voice pitched for the crowd.
“Isn’t this my brother’s car? That maniac is actually hiding in my brother’s car!” she continued, fanning the flames.
“We should expose people like that! It’s inhuman-who would dare to desecrate the ashes of the dead?” the reporters echoed, feeding off each other’s outrage. The live stream’s audience behind the cameras was equally incensed.
“Aunt Blanche, open the door!” Hedwig pressed, impatience in her tone.
“Healy can’t wait to see the criminal who destroyed his grandma’s urn, right? Isn’t that so, Healy?”
Healy nodded eagerly, his eyes bright with excitement. “Mom, open the door!”
“Open it!”
“Open it!” The cries grew louder-the whole crowd was whipped into a frenzy.
Blanche stared at all those unfamiliar faces, pretending to stand up for her but really just here for the spectacle.
If Eddy’s affair went public, the crowd would move on, but their son Healy would be left to bear the shame. He’d be mocked, whispered about, maybe never able to lift his head with pride again.
“She doesn’t have a dad. Stay away from her.”
“Her father left her and her mom.”
Ten years had passed, but the pain of her own father’s betrayal had never faded.
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Chapter 45
Blanche’s gaze lingered on Healy’s innocent face, her resolve faltering. She couldn’t let the whole world know about his father’s infidelity.
Suddenly, Hedwig gripped Blanche’s hand. “Don’t worry, Aunt Blanche. Let me help you,” she said sweetly, but then leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper only they could hear, dripping with malice.
“I know Jeannette and my brother are in there, fooling around as we speak. There’s no hiding it, not with all these people watching.”
“Blanche, you tolerated my brother’s cheating, then encouraged Vincent and me to divorce, destroyed the Yates family, left Vincent disgraced and facing prison. You took away Tim’s father and his future.”
“And thanks to you, my own reputation is in ruins-I’ve been cast out by the family too!”
“Well, now it’s your turn. Your reckoning is here.”
“Soon everyone will know. Let’s see how long you can keep pretending, how long you can hold on to your dignity, your wealth, your charmed life!” “Your son is about to watch his own father cheating on you-just like you once did.”
Blanche spun around in shock, meeting Hedwig’s triumphant gaze.
She’d never imagined that all of this was Hedwig’s doing.
But it was too late to stop her.
Under the blinding glare of flashbulbs, Hedwig yanked the car door open with a flourish.
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