Chapter 29 Chapter 29: Whispers of Betrayal
Catherine’s P.O.V
I was running a little behind of schedule after finishing my shopping, juggling bags in both hands as I got out of the car and handed my keys to the valet. By the time I managed to get past the double doors, the sun was already dipping low, painting the hallway in long shadows. A maid appeared almost immediately, taking the bags from my arms with a polite smile.
“Mrs. Catherine, let me arrange these for you,” she said, her hands steady as she took the weight off me.
“Thank you,” I muttered, trying to catch my breath. I glanced around, expecting the familiar figures of Xavier and Caroline to be sprawled on the couch or in the kitchen, trying to do something productive. But the house was oddly quiet. No footsteps, no laughter, no shouts.
“Where’s Xavier? And Caroline?” I asked, tilting my head toward the maid.
The maid hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her apron. “Um… the master… he’s been in Miss Caroline’s room since you left this morning…” she said, her voice faltering.
I felt a sudden, cold sinking in my stomach. “Since I left?” I repeated, my voice tighter than I intended. “That was…hours ago.”
“Yes… ma’am,” she whispered, avoiding my gaze.
I nodded slowly, keeping my face neutral, but my heart was hammering hard enough to bruise my ribs. “Alright,” I said, and without another word, I marched down the hall toward the second guest room where Caroline was staying. My footsteps echoed louder than usual in the still house, each one seeming to drum in time with the anxiety building inside me.
A strange sinking feeling hit my stomach the moment I heard laughter drifting from outside the room, the kind of laughter that made my chest tighten and my skin crawl. Hushed voices followed, and I couldn’t help but freeze, every instinct screaming at me that something was wrong.
My mind immediately jumped to Hunter’s words, the warning he had thrown at me days ago. Was he right? Was Xavier doing something I didn’t want to know, something I wasn’t supposed to hear?
My legs moved before my brain fully registered, and I found myself standing just outside the slightly ajar door, pressing my ear against it, desperate for clarity, even though my gut twisted with dread.
“Cathy really doesn’t have a clue,” I heard Caroline giggle, and my stomach dropped. “Do you even realize what’s going to happen when she finally finds out?”
Her tone was playful, teasing, but underneath it was that sharp, cruel edge that made my chest tighten with unease. I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breath, and that’s when Xavier’s voice cut in, low and amused.
“I hope she doesn’t find out. That’s exactly why we need to finish before she gets here. Don’t you think so?”
Caroline laughed again, a high, almost mocking sound. “Oh, I’m counting on it. It’ll be priceless to see her reaction. She’s so clueless. Honestly, how does she even miss all the signs?” Her words made a cold pulse of anger and fear rise in me, and I gripped the doorframe, trying not to step inside but unable to tear myself away.
Xavier’s chuckle followed, soft but deliberate. “That’s the whole point, Caroline. Timing is everything. If she comes in before we’re done, everything could fall apart. And I can’t risk that.”
“She really has no idea,” Caroline said again, almost to herself. Then her voice suddenly dropped an octave, but still very much audible, and I felt it as if her words were meant to slice through me.
“She’ll never see it coming. Never.”
I wanted to scream, to demand they tell me what they were talking about, but my voice refused to work. My mind raced. Was this about me? Or was it something else entirely, some secret they thought I couldn’t handle? My pulse throbbed in my temples as I pressed closer to the door, straining to hear every word.
But fear had me paralyzed. I wanted to burst through the doors and demand answers, see what position they were in, but my body refused to move, refused to cooperate. And with each passing second, my worries grew.
Xavier’s voice was quiet now, almost conspiratorial, and it made my stomach twist further. “We just need a little more time, that’s all. Once we finish, everything will be easier, and she won’t even know what hit her.”
Caroline’s laugh, this time slower, almost predatory, sent a shiver down my spine. “I can’t wait. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever wanted to see someone’s face like I want to see hers.”
I froze, my hands trembling slightly on the doorframe, my mind screaming at me to turn and run, but my curiosity rooted me to the spot. What were they doing? What secret did Xavier think I shouldn’t know? Every laugh, every hushed word was like a knife twisting in my chest, and I realized with a sinking certainty that whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good.
I froze at the door, my hand gripping the handle so tightly my knuckles turned white. My heart was pounding like a drum in my chest, and I couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped me.
All kinds of scenarios ran through my head, each worse than the last, but one kept clawing at me, making my stomach twist: What if Xavier… What if he was really with Caroline?
Were they naked? In Caroline’s bed? Was Xavier really cheating on me? Was this baby even conceived through IVF? Or was she Xavier’s hidden mistress that he finally brought home after she got pregnant? Was all of this my fault? All because I couldn’t give him a child?
My knees felt like jelly, threatening to give way under me, but instead of running, instead of hiding like I wanted to, I pushed all fear down and yanked the door open, ready to catch them in the act.
“Xavier! Caroline!” I shouted before I even stepped inside, my voice sharp with betrayal. My chest heaved, and I could feel the heat rising to my face.
And then…what the hell? I blinked, confused, my mind trying to process what I was seeing.
Balloons, everywhere. Dozens of them, floating and scattered all over the room, in every color I could imagine. And there, in the middle of it all, Caroline and Xavier were both standing, grinning from ear to ear, holding party poppers as they shouted in unison:
“SURPRISE!”