Chapter 167
Chapter 167:
“You can keep him,” Eliza said, picking up her bag. “He’s entirely yours. Especially now p>
She turned toward the door. “I’m leaving. This is a circus p>
“Eliza p>
The voice came from the staircase like a thunderclap.
Anson stood on the landing. He looked disheveled and gaunt — shirt unbuttoned, hair unkempt, eyes burning with a feverish, manic hope as they fixed on Eliza. He did not glance at Claudine once.
“You came back,” he whispered, descending the stairs with slow, deliberate steps.
“To say goodbye, Anson,” Eliza said clearly. “Especially now that you’re going to be a father p>
Anson stopped on the bottom step. He turned and looked at Claudine as though seeing her for the first time.
“Father?” he repeated. The word left his mouth like a curse.
The air in the room grew suffocating. Anson didn’t look like a man receiving good news. He looked like a man realizing, for the first time, exactly how small his cage had become.
𝘚а𝘃𝘦 𝘆𝗼𝘶r 𝗳𝗮𝘷о𝗿𝘪𝘵e ո𝘰𝗏e𝘭𝗌 𝘰n
“You’re pregnant?” Anson crossed the room toward Claudine, his voice dangerously quiet.
Claudine lifted her chin, though her hand trembled against her stomach. “Yes. The doctor confirmed it this morning p>
“That’s impossible,” Anson said, his tone dropping to a lethal calm. “We haven’t slept together in two months p>
Claudine went pale. Her eyes darted to Victoria, then back to him. “It must be from before. The dates are fuzzy. Doctors are often wrong about these things p>
Eliza watched them. It was pathetic. It was a tragedy she was no longer part of.
“Well, fuzzy math or not, a baby is a blessing,” Eliza said cheerfully. She meant it as a knife twist, and it landed perfectly. “I wish you both a very happy life. Truly p>
She smiled — a genuine, utterly dismissive smile.
That smile broke him.
“Stop it!” Anson roared. He lunged across the room and seized Eliza’s arm. “Don’t smile at me like I’m a stranger! Scream at me! Hit me!” He shook her. “Show me you care p>
“Anson! Let her go!” Victoria cried, dropping her teacup. It shattered on the floor.
“You are hurting me,” Eliza said, her voice perfectly level, though her arm throbbed under his grip. She didn’t struggle. She simply looked at him with empty, patient eyes.
“Tell her you hate her!” He pointed a shaking finger at Claudine. “Tell her you love me p>
“I don’t hate her,” Eliza said quietly. “I pity her. She has to live with you p>
Anson’s face contorted. The vein at his temple stood out sharply. “You think you’re better than us? Because of Koch? Because your new husband bought you a new life p>
“He didn’t buy me,” Eliza said, her voice like drawn steel. “He treats me like a person. That’s something you never understood p>
From the corner, Claudine let out a shrill laugh. “He’s using you! You’re just a flavor of the month — a charity project with a pretty face p>
“And you’re a trap that failed,” Anson spun on Claudine, his rage pivoting with terrifying ease.