Chapter 179 The Cost of Silence

Chapter 179 The Cost of Silence
The next morning, Lena woke to the sound of her phone going off.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

She groaned and dragged the blanket over her head.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

The phone vibrated across the nightstand, inching closer and closer to the edge.

Then it started ringing.

Lena reached out from beneath the blanket, fumbling until her fingers found it. Without even looking at the screen, she answered the call.

“Hello…”

“YOU STINKING BRAT!”

Her father’s voice exploded through the speaker.

Lena flinched so hard the phone slipped from her hand and landed on the bed.

“All this has been going on, and you couldn’t even tell your own father?!”

She hurriedly picked up the phone, her heart pounding against her chest.

“Are you trying to send me to an early grave?”

“Dad—”

“Come home this instant! Are you even there? Hello? Hello!”

Lena ended the call.

She stared blankly at the screen, her hand trembling.

“…What’s gotten into him?”

She rubbed her forehead as a dull ache settled behind her eyes.

‘Wasn’t he the one who insisted I get married?’

Before she could gather her thoughts, her phone rang again. She almost declined the call. But then she saw the caller’s name.

Lena quickly answered.

“Lena, oh my God.” Evelyn’s voice came through sharp and strained. “What is wrong with you?”

Lena winced and instinctively pulled the phone away from her ear.

“You told me you wanted to divorce Rhys. I thought things just didn’t work out between you two. You even told me you got involved with his cousin…” Evelyn’s voice shook. “But you never told me you had a miscarriage.”

Lena’s throat tightened.

“You never even told me the Adler family treated you like that.” Evelyn’s voice cracked with emotion. “What has gotten into you?”

“Eve… Eve…” Lena interrupted, pressing a hand against her temple. “Can you stop yelling? It’s still early.”

“Don’t you dare tell me to stop yelling—”

“Aren’t you worried Noah will—”

A baby’s cry suddenly rang through the phone.

Moments later, Roman’s calm voice was heard in the background, quietly trying to soothe him.

“See?” Lena muttered. “I told you. It’s too early to be screaming.”

Silence answered her.

When Evelyn spoke again, her voice had dropped, but the hurt inside it hadn’t.

“You think this is funny?”

Lena said nothing.

“You think this is something to joke about?”

She slowly lowered the phone and stared at the floor.

“Do you even see me as your friend anymore?” Evelyn asked quietly.

Lena froze.

“Because it feels like you know everything about me…” Evelyn continued. “But I know nothing about you.”

Every word landed heavily.

“I come to you whenever something happens in my life, Lena. I know things became difficult when I got pregnant. We barely saw each other anymore.” Evelyn sniffled. “But I did see you a few times.”

Lena slowly closed her eyes.

“You weren’t pregnant. You were just getting thinner. I should’ve noticed something was wrong. Every time I asked, you smiled and told me you were fine.”

Lena’s vision blurred. “I…” Her voice caught in her throat. “I know.”

She swallowed. “I know I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Her voice cracked on the last two words. “I didn’t want you worrying while you were pregnant. I didn’t even know I was pregnant until much later. I never showed. My stomach stayed flat the entire time.”

“I was already four months pregnant before I realized. I was under so much stress. I thought I could handle everything myself. But—”

“Really?” Evelyn interrupted. “You thought you had everything under control?”

Silence filled the line. It was so quiet Lena could hear herself breathing.

“…Where are you?” Evelyn finally asked.

Lena sniffled. “I’ll accept your lecture later.”

She forced out a weak smile that Evelyn couldn’t see. “But I think… I owe my father an explanation first.”

“…Okay.” Evelyn’s voice softened. “You do that.”

She hesitated before speaking again. “But honestly, Lena… it doesn’t feel like you see me as your friend anymore. And that hurts.”

The call ended.

Lena remained frozen, staring at the dark screen in her hand.

The room suddenly felt unbearably quiet. She sat there for a long time, unable to move.

Then a broken sob escaped her lips. “I locked everyone out.” She whispered out. 

Tears gathered in her eyes. “Why did I lock everyone out?”

Lena covered her face with both hands, trying desperately to hold herself together. But the tears still came.

A few moments later, her phone vibrated again.

Ding.

She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and glanced at the screen.

At the top of her notifications was a message from Theon.

‘Are you okay?’

Lena stared at it for a few seconds before taking a shaky breath.

‘I’m fine. I’m on my way to my dad’s house.’

She had just pressed send when her phone started ringing. Theon’s name flashed across the screen. 

Lena answered after a brief pause. “Hello.”

“Lena.” His voice was surprisingly very calm, but she could hear the concern beneath it. “Do you want me to take the video down?”

Lena’s sobs died down almost at once. Her nose flared. "No, Theon. I literally dug those videos up to leak them."

“Oh…” He paused. “I just thought… they’re unbearable to look out.”

“I know.”

Her voice came out quiet. Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Then Theon broke the silence.

“Do you want me to drive you to your dad’s place?”

Lena shook her head before realizing he couldn’t see her. “No.”

She rubbed her swollen eyes. “Just… help me however you can from where you are.”

“I can get to my dad’s house myself.”

A faint smile tugged at her lips. “Maybe after all this, I should buy a sports car like yours.”

Theon chuckled softly. “I can recommend one.”

Lena leaned against the headboard and drew in a slow breath.

“Anyway… I need to explain everything to my father. If things don’t look favorable, he might have to let go of the law firm.”

She lowered her gaze to the blanket gathered in her lap. “The merger involved both families, so this isn’t just about a divorce anymore.” 

Another sigh escaped her. “I think it’s time for him to retire. He’s worked long enough. After everything that happened with his heart… I don’t want him carrying this burden because of me.”

She laughed bitterly. “And I certainly can’t run a law firm.”

Theon listened without interrupting.
Only after she finished did he speak.

“I respect your decision.” He paused for a moment. “But… you didn’t walk into that marriage empty-handed. Are you really planning to leave with nothing?”

Lena rested her head against the wall behind her. “I think I’d be freer that way.”

Silence lingered between them. Then she let out a small laugh. “Just kidding. I’m asking for liquidation. The assets can stay if they want them. But they have to compensate me. My shares. The merger. The emotional damage.”

She swallowed.

“And everything I went through after the miscarriage. The Adler family has more than enough money to compensate me.”

“They can,” Theon agreed quietly. “But…”

He hesitated. “Will your father be able to accept it? You know what this means for him.”

“Theon.” His name left her lips in a calm but firm tone. “I’m choosing my mental health this time.”

She looked out the window, watching the pale morning light spill across the city.

“I hope my father learns something from all this. You can’t force a relationship based on assumptions. Or business. What I felt for Rhys wasn’t love. It was attachment. And that attachment cost me my peace.”

She closed her eyes. “I’ve already lost my child. I nearly lost my best friend. And I almost lost myself.”

She took a long, steady breath. “I want it to end.”

Theon remained silent. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer than before. “Then let’s end it properly. I'll find a way to make sure the liquidation happens. You focus on your father."