Chapter 2The Bastard’s Price

A week passed before I could claw my way out of the suffocating fog of grief. I started eating a little, walking around the house like a specter in my own home.

I made my way downstairs, only to be met with a sight that stopped my heart. Anthony, who hadn’t been home all week, was walking through the front door with Cathy and her twins in tow.

He met my furious gaze without flinching and cut straight to the point. “Well, the secret’s out, so there’s no point in hiding them anymore. To make things easier, I’ve decided to move Cathy and the children in with us. I expect you and Leo to coexist peacefully with them. It’s time I enjoyed the pleasures of having all my children under one roof.”

His shamelessness was so profound it was almost comical. My son was dead, his body barely cold, and this man was talking about domestic bliss with his mistress and her illegitimate children.

A wave of white-hot anger washed over me, extinguishing the last embers of my love, leaving only the cold ash of disappointment.

“Anthony,” I said, my voice raspy. “Let’s get a divorce.”

His face darkened instantly. “Elara, what is this now? Another one of your tantrums?”

A tantrum? He had the nerve.

It was true, when I first found out about his other family, I had lost my mind. I’d screamed, I’d cried, I’d thrown things. I couldn’t stomach the fact that the man who had sworn his undying love for me had betrayed me within two years of our wedding. I had been hysterical, demanding he cut ties with Cathy, demanding he send her and her bastard children away. I had even hidden the twins.

And for that, my own son had paid the ultimate price.

Never again. I would never cause a scene again.

I cleared my ravaged throat and spoke, my heart a dead weight in my chest. “Anthony, you and Cathy have a family now. I’ll step aside. I’ll make it easy for you.”

“Elara!” he thundered, a storm cloud gathering in his eyes. “Every man I know with my kind of money has a second family. I’m only providing for two households. Is it really necessary to make such a scene?”

He took a step closer, his voice dropping to a low, menacing growl. “And even with Cathy here, nothing changes for you and Leo. You will always be my wife. Leo will always be my firstborn son, the heir to the Johnson fortune. No one can ever touch your position. You should be grateful.”

Grateful?

A bitter, hysterical laugh escaped my lips, followed by a stream of hot tears.

My mind flashed back to the beginning. We’d met in college. He’d pursued me relentlessly for three years, wearing down my defenses with grand gestures and promises whispered like prayers. On the day he proposed, he had sworn on his life that he would love only me, that he would never betray me.

Now, here we were. His vows were dust, our love a forgotten memory. He had even orchestrated the death of our child.

And he wanted me to be grateful?

Cathy, seeing her opening, put on a show of magnanimity. “Anthony, darling, if Elara can’t accept me and the children, perhaps it’s best if we leave. I don’t want to be a source of pain for her…”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Cathy,” Anthony said, pulling her into a gentle embrace. “You and the children are staying. I own this house. No one is kicking you out without my permission.” He shot a pointed look in my direction.

I turned away, my stomach churning. As I did, my eyes fell on the twins. They were reaching for a set of three custom-made porcelain figures on a display cabinet.

A jolt of panic shot through me. “Don’t touch those!” I shrieked.

Startled, the twins dropped one of the figures. It hit the marble floor with a sickening crack, shattering into a dozen pieces.

“Waaah!” Both children burst into tears.

Cathy’s eyes immediately welled up. “Elara,” she choked out, her voice thick with accusation, “if you have a problem with me, I can leave. But why would you scream at the children? What have they ever done to you that you must torment them like this?”

Anthony’s face was a mask of fury. He strode over and slapped me, the sound echoing in the cavernous hall.

“Elara, can’t you find it in your heart to be a bigger person? They’re just children! They were born premature. You’ve already terrified them once. If your hysterics make them sick, will you be able to live with yourself?”