Chapter 293: Women Love to Say the Opposite

Chapter 293: Chapter 293: Women Love to Say the Opposite

Nolan Forrester hadn’t come alone. Following behind his cool, slender figure was the delicate silhouette of Shiloh Sloan.

Carla Shepherd’s gaze suddenly froze. An absurd and chilling suspicion shot through her mind.

’Could Shiloh Sloan be pregnant with her son’s child, too?’

Her eyes, beyond her control, were fixed on Shiloh Sloan’s flat stomach, filled with scrutiny and disbelief.

"I came to see you."

Nolan Forrester took a step forward, placing himself firmly in front of Carla Shepherd and discreetly blocking her probing gaze.

"To see me?"

A look of profound shock flashed in Carla Shepherd’s eyes. Her heart sank, and she instantly understood. Her fingertips trembled slightly. "You... you know everything, don’t you?"

"Yes, I know everything." Nolan Forrester nodded, his expression calm and unruffled.

Carla Shepherd’s breath hitched, her voice dry and tight.

"When did you find out?"

"I happened to walk in on them some time ago. I became suspicious then, but I had no concrete proof. I’ve been secretly investigating the entire matter these past few days."

Those few short sentences shattered Carla Shepherd’s last shred of hope.

She stood frozen in place, her lips moving silently for a long moment before she managed to force out a faint voice, tinged with an undeniable chill and sense of loss.

"If you saw them long ago, why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

Even the son she had raised with her own hands was hiding it from her, hiding this absurd betrayal.

A chill spread through her entire body. Her usual elegant and composed demeanor instantly shattered, leaving her expression utterly devastated.

"Before I had conclusive evidence, I was unwilling to believe they were involved in such a sordid affair. I had planned to get to the bottom of it all and then tell you the truth, but I didn’t expect you to find out first."

Nolan Forrester’s tone was calm, his words perfectly clear.

If the housekeeper hadn’t taken pity on her and presented her with those glaringly intimate photos, she would probably still be living under the illusion of her perfect life.

All her life, she had been meticulous in all matters, steady in every step. Her only regret was her son, Nolan Forrester, who had been rebellious in his youth and insisted on loving the humbly born Shiloh Sloan. Aside from that, her marriage, her family background, her respectability—all of it was a model of what others envied.

But overnight, all that glamour had come crashing down.

Her husband and her beloved younger sister had joined forces to deliver the most fatal betrayal.

"Your father had an affair." A bitter feeling welled up in Carla Shepherd’s throat, and her eyes suddenly reddened. Her voice was as soft as a self-deprecating whisper. "Your aunt safely gave birth to his child. I’ve already signed the divorce papers with your father. Nolan, don’t you think I’m completely ridiculous?"

She couldn’t even protect her own marriage, yet she stubbornly insisted on meddling in her son’s life and choices.

How absurd. How laughable.

"This was never your fault. No matter what you decide, I will stand by you unconditionally."

Nolan Forrester’s dark eyes were calm and resolute. He offered no superfluous comfort, but he was like a solid wall, steadily catching all her disarray and despair.

Carla Shepherd’s expression was a whirlwind of complex emotions. Grievance churned in her eyes as she remained silent for a long time.

"Let me take you home first. We can talk about the rest once we’re back."

Nolan Forrester took her cool arm and helped her into the car.

The car was dead silent the entire way, the atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Back at the huge, empty Forrester family villa, Nolan Forrester helped Carla Shepherd sit on the leather sofa. He silently handed her a cup of warm tea. The warmth barely seeped into her fingertips; it couldn’t penetrate her frozen heart.

Carla Shepherd took a sip of the hot tea. As the warmth spread down her throat, she could no longer suppress the redness in her eyes. Her voice was hoarse.

"Nolan, tell me, why... Why would they betray me like this?"

She had been married to Frederick Forrester for decades, always upholding her duties, always elegant and proper, never once stepping out of line.

Although theirs was an arranged marriage for business purposes, they had been constant companions, and their feelings grew over time. After decades of a stable and harmonious marriage, she had always believed she was the happiest woman in the world.

It was precisely because of this that she had been so insistent on her son marrying someone of equal social standing, believing that a life that followed the rules and proceeded step-by-step would be stable, smooth, and free of worry.

But now she had a sudden, painful awakening: the principles she clung to were never the standard answer to happiness.

"Mom, the mistakes adults make are complicated. Dad’s betrayal wasn’t entirely of his own volition."

"Don’t make excuses for him," Carla Shepherd cut him off abruptly, her tone bitingly cold. "Betrayal is betrayal. I walked with him through half a lifetime of storms, weathered countless hardships, and in the end, at his age, he... with my own sister..."

She couldn’t finish the sentence. Nausea churned in her stomach as a sharp spike drove into her heart, a dense, spreading pain that almost suffocated her.

She had been proud her whole life, respectable her whole life. Never had she imagined that one day she would be hit by such a vile scandal.

But she refused to cry and scream. She refused to have a messy fight. Most of all, she refused to become hysterical like all the other despairing wives, reduced to a madwoman for everyone to laugh at.

She would do everything in her power to hold on to her last shred of dignity.

Nolan Forrester watched her struggle to keep her composure and slowly revealed the truth.

"I’ve investigated it thoroughly. It was your aunt who secretly drugged Dad. He wasn’t in control of himself when he made that irreversible mistake."

"What did you say?"

Carla Shepherd’s whole body jolted. She snapped her head up, her pupils constricting, her face a mask of utter disbelief.

"She deliberately seduced him, calculating every step. After it happened, Dad wanted to handle it privately and cut ties completely, but then she unexpectedly became pregnant. You know Dad’s personality—he takes responsibility seriously, but he’s also indecisive. He ended up dragging things out, which led to the situation today."

"That heartless monster! How could she do something so shameless!"

Her pent-up grief and anger finally erupted. Carla Shepherd’s fingers clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. "I doted on her and protected her our whole lives! I gave her everything, treated her with all my heart! How could she plot against me and betray me like this!"

’How could Frederick not have told me!’

’Then again, even if he had, with my personality, I probably wouldn’t have believed him.’

’I was wrong, too. I shouldn’t have let Frederick take care of her.’

’I shouldn’t have trusted them!’

"Mom, what’s done is done. I’m not taking anyone’s side. Whatever you decide, I will absolutely respect and fully support you."

Nolan Forrester’s tone was calm. He didn’t want to get involved in the romantic entanglements of his elders, but he knew in his heart that his mother had always been decisive and ruthless, far more resolute than others imagined.

And just as he expected, Carla Shepherd took a deep breath, suppressing all the swirling emotions in her eyes. The sob in her voice faded, leaving only a cold, quiet calm.

"I’ve already made your father sign a divorce agreement where he leaves with nothing. You should go back to Forrester Corporation and take over. From now on, I will never again interfere in your life in any way."

As she finished speaking, she slowly rose to her feet. Her back was slightly hunched, as if all her spirit and radiance had been drained away. Step by step, she walked slowly and forlornly up the stairs.

Only after that frail, weary figure had completely disappeared around the bend in the staircase did Shiloh Sloan, who had been silent and invisible the entire time, lower her voice and speak softly.

"Are you really not going up to be with her? When women are upset, they often say the opposite of what they mean. She looks calm, but I’m sure she’s falling apart inside."