Chapter 266 Pretend Play Turns Real
“Let her go if you love her, treat her like a loved one,” all these are self–deceptive words.
He didn’t know when, but at some point, his heart had changed.
At first, he only saw her as a partner, not as a wife. But after three years of being together, he had fallen for her.
“It’s all my fault.” His tone was full of self–reproach, “I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
He knew that the wound wouldn’t heal so easily. All he could do was to treat her better in the future, and strive to make up for it for the rest
of his life.
Claudia shook her head, her eyes red–rimmed like a rabbit’s, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t control my emotions.”
A thought occurred to her and her tone softened, “You found me a good lawyer, you helped me in the end. That could be considered a consolation to my grandmother’s spirit in heaven.”
Upon reflection, it wasn’t just Edmond’s fault, her grandmother’s death, she was also to blame.
If she hadn’t married Edmond, none of this would have happened. If she had explained to her grandmother earlier about her marriage to Edmond, her grandmother wouldn’t have been so shocked.
Upon hearing her words, Edmond’s eyes darkened. His grandmother was her last relative, and he shouldn’t have let his pride get the best of him, directing all his anger at her that night.
He chose to hurt her when she needed him the most.
Grandpa was right, it was his fault, he was not worthy. It was perfectly normal for Claudia not to look back, but he would not give up.
“It’s my fault, I will make up for it.” He wanted to say something more, but Claudia cut him off indifferently:
“It’s all in the past, no need to bring it up again. After finishing this meal, let’s go see Tristen.”
She quietly changed the subject.
After a meal, she was flabbergasted. Edmond had been serving her food and peeling shrimp for her the whole time, which made her feel uneasy.
Fortunately, she quickly became full and almost fled from the
restaurant.
In the prison. Claudia sat nonchalantly in front of Tristen
Upon seeing Claudia, Tristen’s gloomy face grew even colder: “A rare visitor.”
He was imprisoned for the crime of organ trafficking, with little hope for a positive outcome, and his fate was already sealed.
“How is Rosalie?” Tristen asked again, his face filled with anxiety.
Claudia watched him in silence.
For/so many years, Tristen had been behind Rosalie. Had it not been for Rosalie’s mishap, he wouldn’t have appeared so hastily.
He gave his true heart to Rosalie.
“She was just like you, the only difference was, she was a death sentence.”
Upon hearing the words “death penalty“, Tristen’s face suddenly contorted: “No, she won’t be sentenced to death, she’s pregnant, she’s carrying my child!”
He remembered Rosalie saying that her period hadn’t come for a long time and she was probably pregnant.
As long as Rosalie was pregnant, under Adron’s law, she would not be sentenced to death.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, she’s not pregnant,” Claudia said, her face pale. “Even though she slept with different men every night, she didn’t get pregnant. That’s fate.”
Tristen was taken aback, “Different men…”
“What, you didn’t know?” Claudia added with a laugh, “She was afraid you wouldn’t be up to the task, so to increase her chances of getting pregnant, she slept with different men every night…”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Tristen interrupted her, “Rosalie is my wife, and she only loves me! She carried Abel for ten months and gave birth to him for me, how could she possibly do such a thing!”
Having relations with other men every night, he couldn’t accept it!
Tristen broke down in hysteria.
“You still knew Abel was your child,” Claudia sneered, showing no sympathy for his madness. “I came today to tell you that Abel has nothing to do with you anymore. He said he doesn’t recognize you as his father.”
Tristen stared at her blankly.
Claudia stood up, thinking that Rosalie’s successful mischief must have involved Tristen’s help behind the scenes.
These two couples were fundamentally malicious
Fortunately, Abel was still young, and with proper education, it was not too late to pull back from the brink.
“Seraphina!”
As she was about to leave, Tristen suddenly called out to her.
“Edmond is not a good man,” Tristen stared at her intently, “That fire was deliberately set to harm me, whether you believe it or not. I’m telling you this because you spoke up for Abel. He is my brother, I would risk my life to save him, how could I possibly harm him? I’ve seen through him.”
“He, Edmond, is even more vicious than me,” Tristen said, gritting his teeth word by word, “If you’re smart, you’ll stay away from him, or else you won’t even know how you end up dead.”
Claudia pursed her lips, feeling as if a heavy stone was pressing on her heart.
“Thanks for the reminder, I knew what kind of person he was.”
In her view, no matter how ruthless Edmond was, he was not as ruthless as Tristen.
She glanced to the side, Edmond was standing there, his figure standing tall, lonely and indifferent.
Edmond also heard what Tristen said.
Being speculated like this by his own brother, he probably didn’t feel good.
Walking side by side with Edmond out of the prison, Claudia
pondered for a moment before asking, “You two must have had a good relationship, how did it turn out like this? He always said that someone set him up in that big fire, maybe there really is some hidden truth…”
The person who was willing to risk their life to save him, now hates him so much, there must be a reason.
Edmond stared at her steadily and asked, “Do you think I am the person he said I was?”
Claudia held her breath, suddenly unsure of how to speak.
Could it be that she really had wavered?
Seeing her reaction, Edmond nodded in understanding, “I will investigate thoroughly.”
He couldn’t let Claudia harbor such doubts.
***
In the Ferguson’s manor, the lights were brightly lit.
Horace’s parents, grandmother, and other relatives were all sitting in the living room, staring at the gentle and refined man in front of them.
“Break off the engagement? On what grounds does she, Seraphina, think she can just call it off! Does she even regard us, the Ferguson family, at all?”
Horace’s father, Kingston Ferguson, slammed the table and stood up.
He had just finished informing his friends, but when he got home, he was told by his own son that he was not getting married anymore. The other party wanted to call off the engagement!
“I’m sorry, Dad, it’s all my fault. I didn’t explain it to you properly. Actually, my marriage to Seraphina… was just an act.”
“Acting?” Kingston’s resolute face wrinkled, “What do you mean, your love was fake?”
Horace nodded with a bitter smile.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became oppressive.
“Bastard! How could you play act such a thing!” Kingston was so angry that his teeth were chattering, “My friends and I have all been told, and you’re telling me now that this was just a play?!”
Horace’s brow furrowed gradually, “How did you notify so quickly? Didn’t I tell you not to notify in advance?”
Selena was also furious, “You know what your father is like, he can’t keep a secret. As soon as you two got together, he started telling his friends and classmates. Horace, you’re being foolish. She’s a divorcee who doesn’t care about her reputation, why are you acting so recklessly with her? Even if your marriage is a sham, it will still disgrace both of our families if word gets out. The Friedan family may not care about their reputation, but we do.”
Although scolded by his own parents, Horace remained as calm as
water.
As far as he knew, Seraphina had not told her family about the fake marriage either, which indicated that she had indeed considered being with him.
If it hadn’t been for today’s accident, perhaps she really would have married him.
It’s a pity there are no ifs.
“I’ll go explain to my dad’s friend,” Horace said, a hidden pain shimmering in his eyes.
“Explain what? No more explanations!” Kingston sneered coldly, a chilling aura surrounding him. “The wedding will proceed as planned. Whatever drama you’re talking about, I don’t acknowledge it. The invitations have already been sent out. You and Seraphina must get married.”
“Acting, let’s make it real!”
He wanted to let the Friedan family and the Johnson family know that they, the Ferguson family, were not people who could be easily fooled!
