Cold Husband Burning Regret: The Divorce He Couldn't Handle novel Chapter 271

When Jonathan found out his mother had gone to the hospital to confront Charlotte, he burst into the hospital room, his voice ringing out so loudly it almost echoed down the hallway.

“Who told you to go see her?” he demanded.

Chrystal stared at him, stunned. “Jonathan, are you seriously yelling at your own mother over that woman?”

Abner, having heard the commotion from outside, hurriedly pushed the door open. “Jonathan, that’s no way to speak to your mother. Calm down.”

Jonathan rubbed his temples, his head throbbing. For a moment, he struggled to compose himself, then shot them a steely look. “Who told you about her? Who put this in your heads?”

Chrystal was taken aback by her son’s reaction—she’d never seen him like this. All she could think was that he’d fallen under that woman’s spell. “Does it matter who told us? I’m telling you now—the Pembroke family will never accept a woman like that! You need to give up this fantasy.”

The room fell silent.

Chrystal caught sight of the bleakness in her son's face, and for a split second, she hesitated. Had she said something too harsh? Or... was he actually serious about this woman?

“She’ll never set foot in the Pembroke house,” Jonathan said with a bitter, self-mocking smile. “You really think the wife of the Howard family is going to become a Pembroke?”

Chrystal froze.

Abner frowned. “What are you saying?”

“That woman is Evander’s wife? That’s impossible…” Chrystal’s instinct was to refuse to believe it.

Jonathan let out a short, humorless laugh. “Believe what you want. For all you know, Evander might show up here any minute.”

Almost as if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Natalie walked in.

The Pembrokes took one look at her and realized, for the first time, that their son hadn’t been lying…

—

The next morning, as soon as Charlotte arrived at the hospital, Judd called her into his office.

She pushed open the door to find a couple already seated inside.

She recognized Mrs. Pembroke; the middle-aged man beside her had to be Jonathan’s father.

Abner stood up slowly. “Director Sterling, I want to apologize for yesterday. My wife acted rashly and didn’t bother to find out the facts before coming here. We’re sorry for the trouble.”

—

Tricia had already visited the Carstairs’ estate three times, but each time, the only one to greet her was the butler. Not a single member of the family had come to meet her.

She sat in the elegant parlor, acutely aware of the servants’ whispers and curious glances from behind her. Her fingers tightened nervously in her lap. After waiting for about twenty minutes with no sign of anyone, she finally stood and left.

From behind the floor-to-ceiling window upstairs, a striking middle-aged woman watched Tricia’s departure, a glass of red wine in hand. The window reflected her refined features, her beauty tinged with an icy elegance.

“She keeps coming by. Is she here for Judd?”

“I think she’s looking for the young master. This is her third visit,” a maid replied quietly from behind.

“Does Judd know about this?”

“He does, ma’am, but he doesn’t seem to care.”

The woman swirled her wine, the movement graceful and deliberate, her manicured fingers glinting in the light. “Find out who she is.”