Chapter 259

The silence outside was unsettling, making Ethan certain they had finally gone.

Then Vanessa's call flashed on his screen.

Ethan took one look and rejected it without hesitation.

He shoved open the fire exit, only to find Lucas still there, slumped against the wall.

Their gazes locked, and Ethan didn’t miss the raw anguish in Lucas’s bloodshot eyes.

"Lucas."

"Yeah?"

Ethan gave a curt nod and turned to leave, but something tugged at him.

He hesitated, then glanced back. "If you ever need someone to drink with, call me."

Lucas let out a hollow laugh. "You heard everything, didn’t you?"

"Not by choice."

The weight of those words hung between them, heavy and unspoken.

Lucas's eyes darkened with anguish. "Even if you knew, it wouldn't change anything."

"If humiliating myself could bring Claire back to me, I'd do it without hesitation."

Ethan felt a sharp sting of recognition. Seeing Lucas like this made his own emptiness ache deeper.

As a man who had loved and lost, he realized he wasn’t any better.

Ethan thought bitterly, Lucas wants Claire. He’s brave enough to admit it openly. But me? What right do I have?

A self-deprecating smirk twisted his lips.

Inside the hospital room, Vanessa noticed Ethan’s arrival and immediately rose from the bed, her movements careful but eager.

"You’ve been smoking too much."

The scent of tobacco clung to Ethan as he stepped inside, sharp and suffocating.

Vanessa poured him a glass of water, her fingers trembling slightly as she held it out. "Ethan, would you like some?"

He didn’t take it. His gaze, icy and detached, skimmed over her face. "Keep it."

Her breath hitched at the frost in his voice.

Ethan had been acting strangely all morning.

He'd taken the recording device from Evelyn and listened to it himself.

Now that the truth was out and everyone was pointing fingers at Vanessa, Ethan remained unsettlingly quiet.

The silence was deafening, like the eerie stillness before a hurricane.

Vanessa wasn’t foolish enough to bring it up herself.

If Ethan wasn’t asking questions, she certainly wasn’t going to volunteer answers.

Digging her own grave was the last thing she wanted.

With everything exposed, playing dumb was her only option.

The tension in the room was suffocating.

Desperate to shift the focus, Vanessa forced a smile. "Christmas is just around the corner. I’ve already picked out gifts for everyone at the manor."

Every year, the Caldwell family gathered at Whitmore Manor for Christmas Eve.

This year would be no different.

It was always a competition—who had the most lavish presents, the most impressive achievements.

Even though Harold had retired from running Horizon Enterprises, he was still the patriarch.

His approval mattered more than anything.

Vanessa needed to make sure she stayed in his good graces.

Especially now.

Especially after today.

The weight of Ethan’s silence pressed down on her.

She could feel the storm brewing.

And she wasn’t ready for it.

The sun cast long shadows across the manicured lawns of Whitmore Manor as guests arrived for the family gathering.

Ethan Caldwell stood near the grand staircase, his expression unreadable.

As the heir to Titan Capital Group, his presence commanded attention.

Every relative in attendance sought to impress him, offering smiles and carefully crafted compliments.

Ethan remained indifferent, his gaze distant.

Vanessa Hart adjusted the diamond bracelet on her wrist before approaching him.

"I purchased a rare masterpiece for your grandfather," she said, lowering her voice. "A 19th-century landscape from a private auction. It cost me nearly twelve million."

She had married into the Caldwell family only months ago, and Eleanor Whitmore's disapproval was palpable.

Vanessa couldn't afford missteps.

"For your mother, I secured a sapphire necklace from the royal collection," she continued. "And for the others, custom-tailored gifts—each valued over a million."

Her bank account had suffered, but this was necessary.

The Caldwells were elites who recognized true worth.

Anything less would be an insult.

She needed their acceptance.

Desperately.