Chapter 514:
Bella’s POV:
The taxi stopped in front of the community where Herbert lived. I paid the driver and stepped out of the cab. Looking at the familiar surroundings, I felt conflicted. I had lived here for a period of time, and I never thought I’d return. But here I was, walking toward the villa in front of me. Standing before the door, I took a deep breath and felt the cold, hard object in my bag. I reminded myself, “If he tries anything, I’ll cut him with a knife!”
Ding dong! The doorbell rang twice before someone answered.
“Bella, come in!” Herbert called out, inviting me inside.
I stepped into the house with a neutral expression. The interior hadn’t changed. It looked exactly the same as when I had lived here. Even the curtains were the same. I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or just a coincidence, but it didn’t matter anymore.
“Do you want juice or coffee?” Herbert asked eagerly.
I didn’t answer. I turned around, sat on the sofa, and said flatly, “No need. Let’s get to the point. I don’t want to waste time.”
Herbert hesitated for a moment before sitting down on a single armchair. He looked at me and asked, “Do you hate me so much now? You don’t even want to spend another minute with me?”
Chapters live now at ɢⱯ𝓵𝓷σ𝓿𝓮𝓵𝓼.cоm
“I don’t hate you,” I said.
“But I detest you. It’s not that I don’t want to stay with you for another minute—I don’t want to stay with you for another second!”
If it weren’t for the issue with Lucas, I never would’ve stepped foot in this house again, much less sat down and spoken to him face-to-face.
Herbert lowered his head and sat quietly for a moment. He then took out a cigarette, lit it, and took two deep drags. The pungent smoke filled the air, making me cough twice. I didn’t want to waste any more time with him.
“What do you want me to say? Who gave birth to Lucas?” I demanded.
“Lucas is our son,” Herbert said, looking me directly in the eye.
“You’re saying we gave birth to Lucas? Didn’t you tell me my child died? And didn’t the hospital issue a death certificate? Was all of that a lie?” I questioned.
“It’s all fake,” Herbert replied calmly.
“I hired someone to forge the hospital’s death certificate so you’d believe the child was dead and never look for him.”
Herbert admitted it. Hearing this, I stared at him in disbelief and asked, my voice trembling with agitation, “Why did you do this? You raised our son in secrecy, in the dark, and you’re a lunatic! You treated me like a fool, and yet you still dared to make me believe you!”
What Herbert had done seemed so utterly ridiculous to me.
Herbert rubbed his hands together, then sighed deeply, his voice full of regret.
“At first, I thought you didn’t love me, that you had Hank in your heart. I couldn’t accept that. I admit, I was too conceited. I’ve always been proud of getting everything I wanted, including your love. And when you wanted to divorce me, I… I lied. I told you the child had died, so you wouldn’t fight me for the right to raise him. It was a rash decision. And as time went on, I had to keep lying to uphold that story. But now, I regret it deeply. I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry, and I’m also sorry to Lucas.”
