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But Bianca raised her head slowly, her voice cold.
“I didn’t want to expose this, but you don’t even have a decent attitude, so don’t blame me for revealing your dirty secrets. Are you really saying it was just one drunken mistake? How do you explain the child?”
The moment those words left Bianca’s mouth, everyone was stunned.
The family members Bianca had brought with her were all unaware of the child. Even Riley hadn’t known, so she was the most shocked. She almost stumbled back, too stunned to process what she had just heard. Her heart felt like it was shattering. Bianca had also been uncertain at first. But after the incident at Arcane Sanctum, she had sent someone to investigate Viola. They had found a physician who, by chance, had some connections with her husband.
When asked about why Viola’s child with the Jaffes hadn’t survived, the physician shared his theories. One possibility was that she had suffered a miscarriage in the past, which had damaged her ability to carry a child.
Of course, the physician had no idea of the full extent of the situation. He just thought that it was common for women to miscarry. If a miscarriage wasn’t properly cared for, it could harm future pregnancies.
Bianca hadn’t known whether Viola had ever had a child with Thomas. She had no way of digging into the Farrell family’s private matters, and all of her suspicions had been based on conjecture. She just wanted to give Viola a strong warning, telling the latter to stop avoiding the issue and clear things up properly.
The moment she said it, Zoey and Viola had gone pale. With that, Bianca knew her guess was correct.
Viola’s body went weak, and she collapsed onto the ground. She didn’t realize that Bianca was testing her. She thought the older woman already knew everything.
Riley’s tears streamed down. “So I wasn’t overthinking or being jealous! You really wanted to see him! Things between you two weren’t that simple, and you even had a child together. Your intentions were clear, but he didn’t avoid you even when you went crying to him. He should have kept his distance, but he didn’t. You two have no shame! You two even blamed me, saying I caused trouble and ruined your reputations!”
Viola felt like she was drowning, overwhelmed with a sense of impending doom-just as she had when she first found out she was pregnant with Silas’ child.
It was the same feeling of having nowhere to turn, utterly trapped.
Back then, Zoey had saved her.
Viola looked at Zoey. Suddenly, Zoey’s body swayed dangerously before she collapsed forward in a faint.
Sophie rushed forward to catch her but was too late. Zoey had already hit the ground, injuring her forehead.
Sophie’s hand came away slick with blood as she touched Zoey. She could feel the feverish heat radiating from Zoey’s face and forehead, the latter’s body burning with a terrible fever. “Get the physician!” Luna cried, seeing the blood on her sister-in-law’s face. She was horrified and began shouting in panic.
Riley was clearly shaken as well. She instinctively moved closer to her mother but quickly straightened up and cried, “I’m so sorry! It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have come here to make a scene.” Her face was as pale as death as she watched Zoey being carried out, blood dripping from her forehead and staining the floor. The red liquid spread little by little, creating a terrifying sight. Luna stood and bowed deeply to Bianca.
“Madam Claude. Regardless of who is right or wrong in this, it’s clear we’re beyond resolution now. You came here seeking an explanation and the Earl of Silverstone’s household will give one. But please understand my sister-in-law has been ill for several days, and she has only come out today out of sheer will. Please consider-“
Before she could finish, Bianca quickly bowed back, cutting her off. “There’s no need to say more. No talk of explanations or justice. This situation has already gone too far, and we failed to consider the consequences. We apologize. Truly, we’re sorry.”
Bianca’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, realizing how out of hand things had gotten. Even innocent people had been dragged into the mess. She felt a deep sense of regret.
The women withdrew, leaving the room eerily quiet. Riley was left in a daze, needing help to be guided out. As she passed the doorway, she glanced back at Viola, who still sat on the floor, stunned.
For some reason, the words slipped from her lips before she could stop them, “You can have him. I don’t want that man anymore. He’s yours.”
Viola had her back turned to Riley. She closed her eyes, tears falling freely.
Yes, she had deliberately sought out Silas-but she never intended to marry him.
Silas had no official position. He was a procurer at Arcane Sanctum. Many high-ranking officials and nobles had to ask him to buy medicine and send him money, but that wasn’t the kind of support she was looking for.
She was simply tired of the constant arguments with Blake, tangled in endless disputes and feeling trapped. She wanted someone to talk to.
At first, she hadn’t planned on saying those things to Silas at Arcane Sanctum. But when she saw him, he looked as handsome as ever, his eyes tired yet still gentle. Somehow, all the frustrations and grievances she had been feeling came rushing out, and she couldn’t control it.
It was such a huge misunderstanding and an unfair accusation.
She never once thought of marrying Silas!
–
Sophie sent someone to Arcane Sanctum to bring Ivy over.
Thankfully, the wound on Zoey’s forehead wasn’t deep. The bleeding had stopped quickly with no serious consequences.
However, Zoey had been feverish for several days, and her body was already weak. After getting so upset, her temper flared and she ended up spitting blood. Now, she was feeling lightheaded and faint.
Tears flowed continuously from the corners of Zoey’s eyes no matter how much Sophie wiped them away, as though they couldn’t be stopped.
“Ivy, how is she?” Sophie asked after Ivy had finished examining Zoey.
Ivy sighed heavily.
“Mrs. Prince has had a high fever for days. I just tapped her back, and it seems her lungs are affected. Her liver is severely stressed, and there’s a significant buildup of toxins and poor blood circulation. The medicine she took before this was too mild to have any real effect. I’ve given her a strong dose now to clear the heat in her liver and regulate her lungs. Once she improves a bit, she’ll need to rest and recover slowly. She can’t continue working herself to the bone like this.”
Afterward, Ivy requested Sophie to step outside.
She lowered her voice and whispered, “The stress on Mrs. Prince’s liver is severe, and it’s largely due to emotional distress. I sense that she’s hiding something-something she’s unwilling to speak of. She’s bottled it up, and it’s taking a toll on her body.” Sophie’s thoughts immediately turned to Zoey’s worries-Oliver and the potential involvement in the treason case that might affect their family.
When Zoey had sent her son Cedric to train with Travis, Rafael had said that she was preparing for the worst. If she had made such preparations, then it was clear that she was constantly worried about it.
“Let’s see how she fares with the medicine first,” Ivy continued, then turned and headed back into the room.
Sophie stepped out to give instructions to the Garrison Unit, reminding them to keep their mouths shut about the events of the day. Not a word was to be spoken outside the walls of the household. As for what others might say, that was beyond the Garrison Unit’s control. Once the orders were given and the guards had dispersed, Sophie turned to find Viola leaning against a pillar, her eyes swollen and red from crying. She just stared at Sophie, looking fragile like a piece of glass, as if she could shatter at any moment. “Lady Sophie, I want to ask you something.” Viola’s voice was thick with congestion. It seemed her nose was completely blocked.
“Go ahead,” Sophie replied.
She smiled bitterly. “You’ve opened Skye Embroidery, claiming it’s to give women a voice. Then, let me ask you-if a man had done what I did, would he have been criticized? Or would people have praised him for his ability to win over so many women?”
Sophie looked at Viola, thinking for a moment before answering, “Has anyone praised Mr. Lewis for being capable? General Farrell was criticized because of your affair with Mr. Lewis, but he didn’t do anything wrong did he? I know you want to say that men and women are treated differently-that we’re not given fair treatment, that our status is lower than men’s. Yes, that’s the truth. But isn’t that exactly why we women have to strive so hard?”
Viola’s smile twisted into something more bitter. “Does it even matter? Women can’t even stand up for one another. Don’t you think Mrs. Lewis shouldn’t have come to me? She should have gone to Silas and held him accountable.”
Sophie said firmly, “You have no fet right to say that. Do you remember Amelia? She came from a lower background than you, and you looked down on her every chance you got You never treated her like a sister-in-law. You may not have been the one to kill her, but her death is on your hands. As for the rest, I won’t waste time explaining. You already understand everything. You’re just pretending to be confused. I don’t have time to play along with you.”
Without waiting for Viola’s response, Sophie brushed past her. She ignored Viola’s desperate sobs as she headed toward the back courtyard to Zoey’s room.
Ivy prepared the medicine and gave Zoey needle treatment. Slowly, Zoey began to recover, but her expression remained blank. She mumbled one sentence:
“Now, whatever dignity and reputation this family had is lost.”
She was suddenly overwhelmed with a splitting headache. She knew she had to figure out a way to secure a future for her children, for all the concubines’ sons and daughters under this roof, and for the children of the second branch of the family. How would they find a match to marry? Did they even have the right to be choosy about whom they wed?
Luna was crying beside her. In a fit of frustration, she muttered, “If she had just gone to the countryside villa sooner, wouldn’t that have been better? Even if the situation had reached her, at least it’s secluded and fewer people would know.”