Chapter 290: Discovered

Chapter 290: Chapter 290: Discovered

The emotion in Tristan Forrester’s eyes was unreadable as he calmly withdrew his hand.

"Maybe someone will. But it won’t be me."

Justine Hughes slowly let go, forcing a bitter smile.

"I understand. You don’t have to keep reminding me. In a couple of days, I’ll go back with you for the surgery."

...

Mrs. Forrester, Carla Shepherd, had been at her wit’s end lately.

She was bogged down by complex company matters and chaotic family affairs, but what unsettled her most was her husband Frederick Forrester’s sudden, strange behavior.

Before, no matter how busy he was with work, he had always come home on time. They would occasionally share a drink and chat, passing their days in quiet affection and maintaining the appearance of a decent, harmonious marriage.

But ever since returning from his last business trip, Frederick Forrester had become a different person. He left early and returned late every day. Often, a single, sudden phone call was all it took for him to stay out all night.

Every time she pressed for a reason, he was dismissive, his face etched with impatience, unwilling to say another word.

When it came to company business, he dodged it completely, telling her only to find Nolan Forrester and have him come back to manage it.

Carla Shepherd was a proud woman, with a stubbornness in her bones that refused to bend.

She knew full well that if she took the initiative to call Nolan back, it would be the same as admitting defeat—tacitly accepting his relationship with Shiloh Sloan.

She would never compromise on this.

She remained convinced that Nolan would sooner or later grow tired of his wandering life. He would come back on his own, sever his ties with Shiloh Sloan, and once again become the obedient, dutiful son who hung on her every word.

There was a time when Frederick was gentle and considerate, when Nolan was obedient and sensible, and when everyone deferred to and respected her. But at some point, everything around her had quietly shifted, subtly slipping from her control.

By the time she finally realized it, it was too late—the floodgates had burst open, and the rushing torrent could no longer be contained.

For over a month, Nolan hadn’t returned even once, nor had he contacted her. He’d completely washed his hands of company business, acting as if he were severing all ties with the Forrester family.

In the vast Forrester mansion, she alone was left, struggling to pick up the pieces.

Carla Shepherd sank into the plush sofa, wearily rubbing her throbbing temples, her heart filled with vexation.

’How did it come to this?’

’Was I really too overbearing? Too controlling?’

’I worked myself to the bone, meticulously planning every last detail for the family, for the Forresters. Why can’t anyone understand my good intentions?’

’As if I, his own mother, would ever do anything to harm him!’

’People are supposed to aim high. Nolan’s insistence on getting entangled with a commoner like Shiloh Sloan was nothing but him cheapening himself and destroying his own future!’

Just as her thoughts were in turmoil, the butler approached slowly, his expression grave, as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.

"Mrs. Forrester, I’ve investigated the matter. The Master’s frequent excuses to go out and stay away all night... he’s been going to your sister’s, Miss Clara Shepherd’s place."

Carla Shepherd’s eyes snapped open. Her sharp gaze locked onto the butler, filled with shock and disbelief.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely certain."

’The butler sighed inwardly. He had noticed something was wrong earlier and had tried to warn her, but Mrs. Forrester had always doted on Clara Shepherd and trusted Frederick Forrester. She never took his words to heart, simply dismissing them as him stirring up trouble with wild accusations.’

Carla Shepherd froze, still trying to deceive herself as she muttered under her breath.

"Impossible. It must be a misunderstanding. Clara is my own sister; it’s perfectly normal for him to look after her a bit more. Even if Frederick had other ideas, Clara would never betray me."

The butler’s expression grew more complicated. He took a stack of photos from inside his jacket and presented them with a slight bow.

"Mrs. Forrester, you’ll understand once you see these."

Carla Shepherd’s fingertips trembled as she clutched the thin envelope, a terrible premonition washing over her.

She took a deep breath and slowly tore it open.

The photos appeared one by one, instantly shattering her last shred of hope.

An intimate embrace in the confines of a car, a stroll side-by-side down a tree-lined neighborhood path, walking close together in a shopping mall, his gentle company at a prenatal checkup... Every image was hazy with intimacy, hopelessly close.

The evidence was irrefutable, leaving no room for denial or self-deception.

All the anomalies she had ignored, the late nights she had excused, the dismissiveness she had forgiven—it all connected in this instant, laying the truth bare.

’I was so stupid, so trusting. That’s why I was kept in the dark for so long!’

"Investigate!" Carla Shepherd’s eyes were bloodshot, her voice dangerously low and seething with a towering rage. "Thoroughly investigate that boyfriend of Clara’s who disappeared back then. I want a full report on her entire past abroad—every single detail, don’t miss a thing!"

’If her beloved sister had been deceiving her from the very beginning...’ The thought was too horrifying. She didn’t dare let her mind go there.

The butler didn’t dare to delay, immediately contacting private investigators overseas to launch a full investigation.

「Three hours later.」

A detailed and complete investigative report was placed in front of Carla Shepherd.

The truth was brutal and bone-chilling.

Frederick Forrester and Clara Shepherd had begun their secret affair last year, when Frederick was on a business trip abroad.

The child Clara Shepherd was about to give birth to was none other than Frederick Forrester’s!

Her own sister, her husband—a double betrayal!

Carla Shepherd’s eyes were crimson, her blood boiling with uncontrollable rage. She clenched the report, rose to her feet, and strode out the door, an icy aura radiating from her.

The butler followed close behind.

Inside Clara Shepherd’s private villa, the atmosphere was warm and cozy.

She was nestled softly in Frederick Forrester’s embrace, her fingertips gently stroking her protruding belly, her expression gentle and demure.

"Darling, my due date is in just a few days. You have to stay with me. If I suddenly go into labor at night, I’ll be so scared all by myself."

Frederick Forrester raised a hand to gently stroke her hair, his voice full of doting affection. "I’ll make an excuse. I’ll stay here with you for the next few days, and I’ll be right here until you safely deliver our baby."

"But what if my sister notices something is wrong and gets suspicious?" A flicker of worry crossed Clara Shepherd’s eyes.

"Don’t worry," Frederick Forrester’s tone was certain. "She’s buried under a pile of crap at home and at the company. All her attention is on family matters and Nolan. She doesn’t have the time to worry about me."

"Good." Clara Shepherd’s eyes curved into a smile, her voice tinged with a private wish. "It would be best if Nolan came back a little later. That way, you could spend more time with me and the baby."

"Don’t be silly." Frederick Forrester chuckled. "The company can’t run without him. If he doesn’t come back, who’s going to support the Forrester Family and make money to raise our son?"

Clara Shepherd put on an innocent act and laughed softly. "That’s true. I just wonder if Nolan would be surprised to find out he has a new little brother?"

Frederick Forrester’s expression hardened, his tone instantly turning serious. "He must never know about this. You keep your mouth shut, and don’t let a word of this get out."

The words were barely out of his mouth when—BOOM!

The villa’s heavy main door was brutally kicked open from the outside!

Carla Shepherd stormed in, cloaked in a glacial fury, her stilettos clicking sharply on the floor.

The sight of the two of them, nestled together so intimately on the sofa, was like an ice-cold dagger plunging into her heart, shredding the last remnants of her hope and dignity.

In that moment, all warmth, kinship, and love completely crumbled!

The two on the sofa, startled, scrambled apart in a flustered mess, their eyes filled with panic.

"Carla? What are you doing here?" Frederick Forrester was the first to recover. His heart seized as he scrambled to his feet and went to her.

His answer was a crisp, loud slap across the face!

SLAP—

The sound echoed through the entire living room, sharp and piercing.

"Frederick!" Clara Shepherd cried out. She clutched her stomach as she tried to get up, looking at Carla with feigned concern. "Sis! How could you hit my brother-in-law?"

"So you do know he’s your brother-in-law, not your husband!"

Hate surged in Carla Shepherd’s glacial eyes as she swung her hand back, landing another vicious slap across Clara Shepherd’s face!

The force of the blow snapped Clara’s head to the side, her cheek immediately flaring red and swelling.

"Have you no sense of shame?" Every word she spoke was laced with pain and fury. "Seducing your own brother-in-law, getting secretly pregnant... pulling this kind of shameless, disgusting stunt! Do you have any respect for me at all? Your own sister?!"

"I gave you everything, indulged your every whim! I never denied you a single thing you wanted! And what do you do? You turn around and destroy my marriage, my family! Clara Shepherd, what did I ever do to you that you would so maliciously plot to betray me like this?!"

She was more than a decade older than Clara and had protected her little sister under her wing since they were children, doting on her completely. She had never so much as laid a finger on her.

She never would have imagined that the one to hurt her the most, to destroy everything she had, would be the very sister she had loved with all her heart.

Clara Shepherd clutched her stinging cheek, her eyes welling with disbelief as they instantly turned red.

"You... You actually hit me?"

Carla’s expression didn’t soften in the slightest as she raised her hand and slapped her again.

"So what if I hit you? I don’t need to pick a special day to deal with someone as shameless as you!"

Clara Shepherd bit her lip until it was white, her eyes brimming with tears. She put on a weak, aggrieved act and choked out a defense.

"Sis, your husband and I are truly in love. I never meant to hurt you, but I couldn’t help my feelings, I couldn’t control my heart..."

"Shut up!"

Carla Shepherd cut her off coldly, then turned to Frederick Forrester, her gaze bone-chillingly cold.

"Don’t you have a single word of explanation?"

Frederick Forrester’s jaw clenched. His expression a mixture of guilt and restraint, he spoke in a heavy voice.

"It’s my fault. It has nothing to do with Clara. I was drunk and confused... I mistook her for you, and I made a terrible mistake."

He took a deep breath, his voice laced with deep apology.

"I knew it was wrong, but I kept making the same mistake. It’s all on me. Carla, I am so sorry. Take all your anger, all your hatred, out on me."

Carla Shepherd let out a cold, mocking laugh, her eyes filled with utter disappointment.

"You’re more than ten years apart. A case of ’mistaken identity’? Do you really think I’d believe that?"

"You didn’t just cheat on me, you went to great lengths to deceive me, playing both sides between the two of us. Did that make you feel a great sense of accomplishment?" Her eyes were bloodshot, every word a shard of ice. "Frederick Forrester, the biggest regret of my life is marrying a despicable lowlife like you!"

Frederick Forrester’s face was grim, his tone filled with the cold indifference of someone who’s given up.

"The mistake has been made, and it can’t be undone. We can discuss whatever solution you want."

Seeing this, Clara Shepherd rushed forward and grabbed Carla’s arm, pleading desperately.

"Sis, I know I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. But I’m about to give birth. Please, can you forgive us just this once?"

"Don’t touch me."

Carla violently flung her hand away. Her eyes were as cold as frost, without a single trace of warmth.

"You disgust me. I don’t have a shameless, treacherous sister like you."

The moment the words left her mouth, Clara’s face turned white as a sheet. Her body swayed, and she suddenly clutched her large belly, her entire body trembling in pain.

"It hurts... My stomach hurts so much..."

A warm liquid slowly trickled down her legs, staining the hem of her light-colored dress red.