Chapter 56

Vivian met Ethan's icy glare with equal composure.

"She was slapped. End of story."

It didn't matter if he thought her unreasonable or disgraceful. There was nothing to explain.

The Blackwoods meant nothing to her the moment she decided to divorce Ethan.

And honestly? It was just his mistress and his shrew of a mother.

Margaret trembled with outrage. "See? She admitted it! What are you waiting for, Ethan? Make her kneel and beg for forgiveness!"

Sophia, who had been silently observing, finally snapped. "Fuck your forgiveness! I wouldn’t have hit her if your mother and this homewrecker hadn’t called Viv a parasite and barren!"

Ethan’s brows furrowed sharply. He turned to Margaret and Cassandra. "Is that true?"

Cassandra choked on her words, guilt flashing across her face.

Margaret, however, lifted her chin defiantly. "It’s the truth! She can’t conceive. If she’s ashamed of it, that’s her problem!"

Sophia looked ready to explode. "Why the hell do you think Viv is infertile?" She yanked Vivian forward. "Let me spell it out for you. Viv is pregnant. Almost a month along. And guess what? Twins!"

Her words detonated like a bomb.

Silence.

Vivian was the most stunned of all.

What the hell? I never told Sophia about the pregnancy. How does she know?

Margaret’s gaze dropped to Vivian’s stomach, her expression twisting. "Ethan, you said you didn’t love her. So how—?"

Ethan’s lips pressed into a thin line. His cold eyes locked onto Vivian’s abdomen, his expression darkening.

They hadn’t slept together. How could she be pregnant?

Sophia smirked, relishing their shock. "Don’t flatter yourselves. Who said the babies are Ethan’s? Since he cheated, it’s only fair Viv returned the favor!"

Vivian caught on immediately. Sophia was bluffing—spectacularly.

Ethan’s voice was dangerously low. "Whose are they?"

"Fraternal twins. Obviously, they’re Liam’s!" Sophia declared triumphantly. "The Osbornes have a strong genetic history of twins, you know."

Vivian bit her lip to keep from laughing.

God, Sophia’s full of it. If I actually have twins, I’ll never live this down.

Ethan’s gaze could have flayed her alive. "Is this true?"

Vivian hesitated.

"Of course it is!" Sophia cut in, giving Ethan a pitying look. "At least Viv knows who fathered her children. Can you say the same about this one?" She jerked her chin at Cassandra.

Vivian coughed, signaling Sophia to stop before she pushed Ethan too far.

"Let’s go, Soph. Mr. Blackwood has baby clothes to pick out."

With that, she hooked her arm through Sophia’s and strode off, ignoring the lethal glare burning into her back.

Ethan watched her leave, his expression unreadable.

Margaret huffed. "I knew that woman was trouble. Good riddance!"

Ethan’s voice was steel. "Impossible."

"What?"

"She wouldn’t dare cheat. And she definitely wouldn’t get pregnant." His eyes sharpened. "She knows the consequences."

Cassandra’s nails dug into her palms. Even now, he defended Vivian?

A dark idea took root in her mind.

I’ll make sure she’s gone for good.