Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 277

"Is there anything you need brought over?" Jasper offered warmly. "I can have Jovie or Director Carrington pack a bag for you, and I’ll drop it off later."

"I do need a few things," Hester replied. "I'll call Chiara. You’ve already wasted half your day dealing with this, so don't worry about running back and forth. My sister can bring it."

Jasper fell silent for a moment before conceding, "Alright."

Hester ended the call and slowly sat up in bed, instantly spotting Julian asleep on the sofa.

She paused, surprised he was still there.

Caden was still fast asleep.

Throwing off the blanket, she slipped quietly out of bed and slid into her shoes.

The moment she took a step, Julian’s eyes snapped open.

Their gazes locked, and Hester froze.

Julian sat up, his dark eyes fixed on her. "You aren't going back tonight?"

Apparently, he hadn't been asleep after all.

"I promised Caden I'd stay," she replied coolly. "If he gets discharged tomorrow, I'll take him back to the Inn to stay with me for a few days."

Julian stared at her intently before finally saying, "Thank you, Hester. I know it's a lot to ask."

"You don't need to thank me," she said dismissively. "What are you going to do about Seraphina?"

"She just needs some time." Julian sighed, a hint of weariness in his voice. "She agreed to keep her distance from Caden for now. She actually just called to tell me she's leaving for a work trip. You won't have to worry about her bothering you anytime soon."

"Work?" Hester arched an eyebrow.

"Yes." He looked at her. "Why?"

"Good thing I act fast. Gael Montgomery's friends are pretty resourceful. If they had dug up the dirt first, your whole plan would have blown up in your face," Declan sighed on the other end. "Julian, seriously, aren't you going to just tell your wife the truth?"

Julian frowned. "It's not the right time."

"She literally sent Gael to dig into Seraphina's maternity records! It's obvious she's already suspicious about Caden's true parentage!"

Declan paused. When Julian didn't reply, he pushed harder. "Even if you don't have absolute proof yet, you should at least give her a heads-up. Otherwise, when this all hits the fan, she's going to resent you even more for keeping her in the dark!"

"She's finally pulling herself together, and she's accepted Caden. Let's just keep things peaceful for now."

Julian rubbed his temples. "I don't want to get her hopes up if the results prove otherwise."

"I mean, we're basically 90% sure at this point..."

"Just keep running interference on your end," Julian cut in, glancing back toward the hospital bed. "I've already sent samples to Mr. Jennings for an advanced DNA analysis. We'll talk when the results are in."