Chapter 5
Chaos.
That was Caspian’s first thought when he opened the door.
The entire living room was wrecked beyond recognition. Amid the shattered remains, Shannon sat on the floor, knees drawn to her chest, head buried.
He didn’t stop to ask questions. He rushed over and pulled her into his arms.
“Babe, are you hurt?”
Shannon lifted her head. The worry in his eyes was so real that it was hard to believe this same man had betrayed her.
She shoved him away. Her voice was icy as she asked, “Who’s Elsie Barker?”
Shock flashed in Caspian’s eyes, and his lips turned pale. “Who’s that? I don’t know any Elsie Barker.”
Shannon let out a bitter laugh and threw that pregnancy test report at him. “You don’t know her? Then why is your name on here?”
His entire body stiffened. His breath hitched. “Babe, I—”
But Shannon was done listening. She wiped her tears away and said clearly, “I know everything, Caspian. Stop lying. Let’s just get a divorce.”
Caspian panicked completely. He held her tight, his voice trembling as he said, “No. No, I don’t want a divorce!”
She looked up at him, heart twisting with irony. “But you’re already dirty to me.”
His face went ghostly white. “That was an accident, Shannon. It only happened once. I swear. I’m not dirty.”
“But to me, you are.” Her voice didn’t waver. “You betrayed me. You betrayed us!”
Shannon closed her eyes. “Let’s just end this, Caspian. We can still part on good terms.”
Caspian held her tighter. “Shannon, please, don’t leave me. I’ll do anything you want. Just don’t divorce me.”
Shannon shook her head. “Your promises mean nothing to me now. Let me go, and I’ll let you go too.”
Then she turned and walked away.
As Caspian watched her walk away, his trembling fingers clutched his chest as if trying to squeeze out the pain inside, but all he felt was an even deeper agony.
“Shannon, are you really leaving me?”
“Yes.”
Her voice was steady, but he could see her fists clenching at her sides.
Something in him snapped. He sucked in a deep breath and turned to the house staff.
Shannon shut her eyes, forcing herself to stay calm.
Caspian couldn’t hold back anymore. He took a deep breath, then turned to a maid. “Take Shannon to her room. No one lets her out unless I say so.”
Shannon turned around in disbelief, staring at him. “Caspian, are you seriously locking me up?”
He shook his head. “Not locking you up. I just need you to cool down. Shannon, listen to me. She looks like you, so will the baby. Once she gives birth, I’ll send her away, and we can go back to how things were. Just like before, okay?”
Shannon found his words utterly ridiculous.
He had a baby with someone else, and he actually thought they could pretend it never happened?
She looked at him in despair. “That’s impossible. The second you got her pregnant, you destroyed us.”
Caspian trembled, his face turning pale, but he remained stubborn. “It doesn’t matter, Shannon. We have time.”
After speaking, he waved his hand, signaling the maid to take Shannon back to her room.
“Make sure she stays in her room. No one sees her except me.”
