“I already forbade the two of you from seeing each other, yet you’re still sneaking around behind my back. Unbelievable!”

As she spoke, her gaze dropped to Amara’s slightly rounded belly.

“You’re pregnant with another man’s child, for God’s sake! Have some self-respect and stop clinging to my son!”

Edith continued to berate her mercilessly. Beside her, Nathan remained silent, but he shot Amara a dark, menacing glare.

Whenever the couple was together, Nathan always let his wife do the talking, so her harsh words perfectly mirrored his own sentiments.

Amara bit her lip hard. She felt a surge of anger at the verbal assault, but she was entirely unsure if she even had the right to defend herself.

Her mind was completely overwhelmed by a tangled mess of anger, profound worry, and deep regret.

But just then, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hall.

Leather dress shoes clicked against the tiled floor in a steady, powerful rhythm, the commanding cadence alone enough to make anyone’s heart skip a beat.

As if sensing his presence, Amara instinctively turned her head and saw Finnian striding toward them.

Dressed in a crisp dress shirt and tailored slacks with his suit jacket draped casually over one arm, Finnian closed the distance quickly, clearly having rushed all the way here.

He stopped right in front of Amara, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe to make sure she was unharmed.

Only after confirming she was completely safe did the tension in his shoulders relax, and he pulled his gaze away.

He then turned his attention to Edith. “Ms. Winters, what exactly was the meaning of that?”

His expression was ice-cold as he spoke. “Keith got hurt, yes, but Amara isn’t the one who injured him. Why are you attacking her?”

Hearing this, Edith’s eyes went wide with indignation. “What business is it of yours if I teach her a lesson? Who gave you the right to interfere?”

“Oh, right, I almost forgot. The two of you are exes, aren’t you? She’s carrying your kid.”

Edith’s tone dripped with mockery, and she shot them a deeply condescending look.

Then she sneered. “Mr. Everly, you can play the knight in shining armor all you want, but do you even know what happened today?”

“My son suffered severe burns just to protect her. His entire life might be ruined! After a disaster like this, am I not allowed to give her a piece of my mind? Does that offend your delicate sensibilities?”

Finnian stared at Edith, his features carved from stone.

He had caught the tail end of her vicious tirade just as he arrived.

Her words were completely out of line. Amara had to be suffering under that kind of verbal abuse, but because Keith had indeed been injured saving her she felt she had no right to defend herself.

Recalling the sight of Amara standing there with clenched fists, swallowing her anger and forcing herself to endure it, an intense ache twisted in his chest.

The corner of his mouth curved up, and a low, mocking chuckle escaped his lips.

His laugh was laced with pure contempt, which Edith instantly picked up on. Her eyes flared. “What’s so funny?”

Finnian lifted his chin slightly. “I’m laughing at your sheer ignorance, throwing blame around where it doesn’t belong.”

Ignorance? Was Finnian Everly actually calling her ignorant?

Edith was absolutely furious and looked ready to explode.

Finnian met her glare with absolute zero and cut her off before she could speak. “Keith got hurt because he chose to step in. He made that decision on his own. Amara didn’t force him to play the hero. If you’re desperate to point fingers, point, them at your precious son. Under no circumstances do you get to blame Amara.”