Chapter 336

"What really happened with the baby switch all those years ago?"

"Isn't it obvious? Evelyn Sinclair swapped Margaret's real daughter with her own."

"God, what a calculated move! Turning her bastard child into the legitimate heir overnight. Evelyn played this perfectly! Margaret must be boiling with rage after raising her enemy's child all these years."

"She didn't just steal her husband - she stole Margaret's baby too. That's a new low, even for Evelyn."

"Thank heavens Evelyn Carter was found. Can you imagine if she hadn't been? She'd have lived her whole life in that nightmare."

"Let's be honest - both Margaret and Evelyn are the true victims in this mess."

The whispers swirled around Richard Hayes, who stood frozen, the weight of these revelations crushing him.

His silence only stoked Margaret's fury higher. "You vile witch!" she screamed, her palm connecting with Evelyn Sinclair's cheek again. "How could you do this to my child? What kind of monster are you?"

Each slap left Evelyn's face more swollen, the humiliation burning deeper.

Trapped in Margaret's wrath, she couldn't even raise her hands to defend herself, her desperate eyes pleading with Richard for intervention.

Margaret trembled with barely contained fury, her voice sharp as shattered glass. "Richard, while I was giving birth, you and that woman secretly switched my daughter. Did you really think I’d just vanish into thin air?"

Her finger jabbed into his chest like a dagger. Richard paled, his breath hitching.

The truth was, Richard had been oblivious to the swap when it happened.

It wasn’t until Margaret uncovered the deception that he reconnected with Evelyn Sinclair.

At first, he had been horrified by Evelyn’s decision.

It was cruel.

Unforgivable.

But when Evelyn broke down, confessing how she had endured society’s judgment while raising her child alone, he understood.

She hadn’t wanted her daughter to grow up labeled as a bastard.

So she had taken Margaret’s child instead.

"Where is the other girl?" Richard had demanded.

Once Evelyn confessed, he tracked down Evelyn Carter—his flesh and blood, no matter who raised her.

Margaret's accusations hung heavy in the air between them.

Richard couldn't betray Evelyn Sinclair now.

Doing so would only redirect Margaret's fury toward her, escalating the conflict further.

"Evelyn has been found, and that chapter is closed. Why dredge up the past?" Richard replied, forcing his voice to remain calm.

Tears welled in Margaret's eyes, her voice trembling with raw emotion. "Finding her doesn't erase the pain she endured!"

"Richard, you owe us both! I want a divorce—and you will walk away with nothing!"

A cold mask settled over Richard's features.

Decades of marriage had entangled their families' fortunes. Untangling them now would be catastrophic.

A public divorce would force a complete restructuring of Horizon Enterprises, triggering media chaos and a devastating stock plunge.

Who could survive that fallout?

Richard assumed Margaret was merely lashing out in anger. He stepped closer, his voice low and measured. "Let's not cause a scene. Too many people are watching."

"A scene?" Margaret's laugh was sharp, brittle. "This isn't some petty argument!"

Margaret Hayes stared at Ethan Caldwell, her hands trembling with suppressed fury.

This man—the one she had shared her life with for decades—now felt like a complete stranger.

She was the victim here, yet he dismissed her pain as if it were nothing more than a dramatic performance.

All she wanted was answers.

A confrontation about his betrayal.

But he acted like it was just another petty disagreement.

Her chest tightened as she thought of Evelyn Carter.

How devastating it must have been for her to endure this kind of cruelty in the past.

The realization hit her like a physical blow.

She wasn’t just fighting for herself anymore.

She was fighting for every woman who had ever been silenced.

Her voice hardened.

“You don’t get to walk away from this.”

Ethan scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Margaret, don’t be ridiculous. You’re making a scene.”

Her nails dug into her palms.

Making a scene?

If he wanted a scene, she’d give him one.