Their Secret Child, My Sterile Husband Chapter 08
Chapter 8 “You Can’t Glue a Shattered Mirror”
“Shut up!” Jayden’s voice cracked like a whip. “Ariella, you did all of this just to drive Rebecca away and take the title of Mrs. Richardson, didn’t you? Now you’re scared? What about Rebecca? She went through that abortion alone, and then she went to Devotion Point-do you have any idea how terrified she must have been?”
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Ariella collapsed into sobs, shaking her head wildly, her words dissolving into broken fragments. She could no longer form a proper defense. Every lie she had layered so carefully was peeling off in front of him.
Lily hid behind Jayden’s legs, peeking out with frightened, watery eyes. The child trembled, caught in a storm she did not understand. For a moment, Jayden’s gaze softened when it fell on her.
Then it hardened again.
“Send her to the Richardson Foundation orphanage,” he said quietly to his assistant. “And call the men.”
Within minutes, several men in dark suits stepped into the room, their presence heavy and deliberate. The air seemed to thicken instantly. Ariella’s panic shifted into raw terror.
“Jayden! What are you doing?” she screamed. “I didn’t kill her! Rebecca’s death has nothing to do with me! You can’t do this-you can’t hurt me!”
Jayden did not even look at her.
“Take her downstairs,” he ordered coldly. “Let her experience the methods you’re familiar with. You know better than I do how to make someone beg for life and pray for death.”
Ariella thrashed as they dragged her out. Her voice shrieked through the corridor.
“Jayden, you monster! Did you think this wouldn’t happen when you chose me? Rebecca jumped to escape you! You’re the real killer-your lies drove her there!”
Her voice faded as she was pulled away.
The bedroom fell silent.
Jayden stood motionless for a long time. Then, without warning, he began to laugh. The sound was hollow, fractured, almost mad. It twisted into something dangerously close to sobbing.
In his memory, Rebecca had always been proud. Even if betrayal had shattered her heart, she would never throw her life away over a faithless man like him.
And yet-
she had gone to Devotion Point.
As for the chaos unfolding in the Richardson household, I knew nothing about it.
And I had no desire to know.
At that moment, I was lying in a hospital bed in another country, receiving follow-up treatment. Not long ago. I had been caught in an avalanche while skiing and trapped inside a cave for seven days. By some
miracle, the rescue team never gave up and eventually pulled me out.
After weeks of recovery, today was the first time I was allowed to try walking on my own.
I moved slowly down the hallway, one hand braced against the wall for support. My body still felt weak, every step careful and measured. Then a familiar figure entered my line of sight
Jayden.
He was wearing this hospital’s patient gown.
Instinct hit me immediately. I wanted to turn away, to disappear, to pretend I hadn’t seen him. When I left. had asked a trusted friend to help stage my death and erase my identity. I never imagined I would run into him like this.
“Rebecca,” he breathed. “I finally found you.”
His voice trembled.
“Why are you hiding from me?” he asked hoarsely. “Do you know how hard I’ve been searching?”
My chest tightened, but I forced myself to stay steady. I turned my head slightly, refusing to meet his eyes.
“Jayden,” I said calmly, “let the past stay buried. We’re over.”
But he acted as if he hadn’t heard my refusal at all. He stepped in front of me in a few quick strides, blocking my path.
“I know I was wrong,” he said urgently. “Ariella deceived me. I trusted her, and that was my mistake. If I had uncovered the truth sooner-”
He swallowed hard.
“I just had surgery. The doctor says my fertility has returned. Rebecca… let’s start over. I swear I won’t let you suffer again. Not even a little.”
I gave him a cold once-over, and in that instant, I already understood exactly why he was here. And yet that reason struck me as utterly absurd.
A wrong was still a wrong.
Life did not come with a reset button.
“Jayden,” I said evenly, “the real problem was me. I overestimated my place in your heart. I was willing to ‘endure anything for you. You said you liked children, so I endured needle after needle. You said you wanted a warm home, so I learned to cook and made that house feel alive.”
I met his gaze directly.
“And what did I get in return? Lies.”
His face drained of color. He opened his mouth to speak, but I continued before he could interrupt.
“Now you say you regret it. You say you were fooled. You say your fertility is back, so we can just start over?”
My voice remained calm, but each word was sharper than the last. “Jayden, are you serious?”
I stepped slightly to the side, forcing him to look at me.
“You can glue a shattered mirror back together,” I said quietly, “but the cracks will always be there.”
