Chapter 115

A wave of gasp rippled through the crowd. Hannah had been unfaithful? Whispers darted from table to table, eyes glinting with hungry curiosity. Wasn't it just proven that the sex tape was a fake, Hannah's image stitched together with Al trickery?Was Brinley still pushing her point?

Vincent's patience snapped. "Brinley, enough already. Stop spouting nonsense!"

Brinley squared her shoulders, defiance in her eyes. "That's not nonsense!"

She snatched her purse from the table and rifled through it with trembling hands, finally revealing a document and waving it for all to see.

"Here. This proves Hannah's been unfaithful for a long time-she's even pregnant with another man's child." Brinley jabbed a finger at the abortion record, her gaze never leaving Vincent's face as she waited for his reaction.

Instantly, the ballroom buzzed with speculation, the din rising to a fever pitch. Hannah simply crossed her arms, lips curled into a chilly smile, and surveyed the unfolding spectacle.

Vincent stood paralyzed, his face a blank slate as he stared at Hannah. Just as he reached for the document, Danica snatched it out of Brinley's grasp.

"Hannah, seducing men is bad enough, but getting knocked up by one? That's just utterly shameful!" Danica's voice was sharp with contempt as she raised her hand, ready to slap Hannah across the face.Hannah's reflexes were faster-she seized Danica's wrist in midair and shoved her back with force. Danica staggered awkwardly, only staying upright because Brinley caught her at the last second.

A cold, mocking smile tugged at the corners of Hannah's mouth. So Brinley had really dug up dirt on her-even managed to uncover her miscarriage. Every move was orchestrated,every detail planned. Brinley was as ruthless as she was meticulous.

Danica's chin shot up, her voice sharp. "What? Dare to abort the child but lack the guts to admit it? You've been married to Vincent for five years without a child. Yet, the second you're with someone else, you turn up pregnant. Unbelievable, Hannah.Truly unbelievable."

Danica's cheeks burned with fury, and Brinley hovered close,quietly trying to steady her.

Vincent silently took the abortion record from Danica. His eyes locked on the date-just two weeks ago. Back then,he and Hannah had barely spoken, locked in endless arguments because of Brinley. They hadn't even touched each other. The truth hit him, cold and merciless-this child couldn't possibly be his.

A flash of realization hit him-Hannah and Felix had been nearly inseparable lately. And she'd taken birth control pills after being intimate with him.

A sudden ache twisted in Vincent's chest. Without warning,he strode forward and seized Hannah's wrist, his grip tight enough to make her flinch. His face was shadowed, his words razor-sharp."When did you get pregnant?"

Hannah let out a cold, brittle laugh. "You want an answer?" Her eyes glittered, but her voice was all ice. "I honestly don't remember." She'd buried the memory of that miscarriage deeply since the pain of it was something she refused to drag out again. She couldn't recall the exact date of that long-ago pregnancy-those details had blurred with time.

Vincent's fingers dug into her wrist, his voice low and tense."Don't remember? Then what do you remember? The man you slept with behind my back?"

The question hit Hannah harder than any accusation. For a moment, her calm facade cracked, disappointment flooding her eyes.

All this time, she'd believed V/incent's questions about the pregnancy came from regret-a hope that maybe he'd finally cared, even a little, after seeing the proof of her miscarriage.She'd thought his anger was rooted in the pain of discovering they'd lost a child together. But now she saw the truth: he'd believed every poisonous word Brinley whispered. In his eyes,she was nothing but a liar who'd betrayed him.

Hannah yanked her hand free, a sharp, cold smile curving her lips. "Oh, I remember him," she replied, her voice edged with defiance."And honestly? He was a thousand times the man you'll ever be. I think of him often-and I don't regret a second of it."

"That's enough!" Vincent's face clouded over, his chest rising and falling with rage. "Tell me-whose child is it?" he demanded firmly.

Hannah shot back, her tone sharp and mocking. "How many tímes do I have to say it? You don't get to question me about the child."

"Oh, I don't?" Vincent's fury surged as he closed the distance between them, hands clamping down on her shoulders,knuckles white with frustration. "Then who does? That man you slept with?" His hold was bruising, and Hannah struggled in vain against his iron grip. "Yes, anyone would have more right than you ever did."

Every mention of the child sent a dull throb twisting through her gut, a wound that never healed. She never wanted to relive it, but Vincent refused to let it die, digging into the scar until she bled. Her defenses crumbled, raw grief flickering in her eyes.

Vincent's fingers clamped down harder. Hannah's struggle aggravated her injury from the car incident. She gasped,the sound slipping through clenched teeth.

But Vincent seemed not to notice. He bore down,his tone glacial. "It's Felix's, isn't it?"

A tremor ran through Hannah, but not from fear or chill-only from the bone-deep ache of profound disappointment and heartbreak.He must have rehearsed this scenario in his mind countless times to ask with such certainty. He'd never really trusted her. This marriage was a complete failure.

Swallowing the hurt, Hannah lifted her chin, a bitter smile playing on her lips. "That's right. The child is Felix's. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

A furrow creased Vincent's brow as every suspicion he'd harbored now made perfect sense. No wonder he'd caught Hannah with Felix so often lately. He was supposed to see the truth in all those little details. His gaze flickered, torn between anger and hurt. "Give me an explanation."

Hannah didn't bother to lookup, her voice clipped and cold."There's nothing to say. You already made up your mind.Believe whatever you want."He could accuse her all he liked-she was done trying to justify herself. Yet, a pang of guilt twisted in her chest for dragging Felix into this mess.

Vincent finally let her go, stepping away with a bitter laugh."Did you get rid of your child with him out of guilt for me?"

Hannah rubbed her sore shoulders, her voice carrying a hollow pain. "You've got it all wrong. I never wanted to end the pregnancy. I wanted that child, but fate wouldn't let me have it."

Vincent's eyes burned with barely contained anger. "So you loveFelix that much? Enough to want to give birth to his child?"

He was livid. In stark contrast, one intimate night with him,she'd taken birth control without a second thought.

"That's right." Hannah met his gaze head-on, refusing to waver. "I love Felix. I wanted a child with him. Is that the answer you're looking for?"

Something in Vincent's expression shifted, his lips curling into a cold, bitter smile. "So that's it. All those times you demanded a divorce-you just couldn't wait to run to Felix."

A sharp, humorless laugh escaped Hannah. "You finally figured it out."

She dug into her bag and pulled out a stack of papers, setting them on the table between them. Her voice was flat, almost businesslike. "Here's the divorce agreement. I've already signed.No point dragging this out any longer. Let's get divorced."