When His Perfect Mask Shattered I Awoke (Anneliese) novel Chapter 746

If Anneliese truly had a child from her underage years—and if that child belonged to Steven, Jonathan's closest friend—then the outcome was obvious.

Jonathan and Anneliese would be finished. Divorce would be inevitable. The so-called problem would vanish. Jonathan would stop pressing the Holf family, and the tension choking Elizabeth's side would finally ease.

He might even look back and think Elizabeth had been right all along—that she'd seen through Anneliese early and acted only for his sake.

Mother and son could reconcile. The Holf family would survive.

That was exactly why Edison hadn't bothered to verify anything.

The moment the rumor surfaced, he took screenshots and sent them straight to Elizabeth. He wanted her to confirm it. He never expected the timing to be so disastrous—Elizabeth happened to be with Anneliese, and Anneliese happened to be holding Ellie.

Elizabeth had already been backed into a corner by Anneliese's refusal. She was furious, humiliated, and desperate for leverage. When she saw those messages—and then saw how closely Anneliese guarded the child—she convinced herself the rumor had to be true.

So she exploded without evidence.

Now, watching Jonathan stand there, calm and unreadable, Elizabeth felt her confidence drain away.

Any man, hearing that his wife had secretly given birth to another man's child, would lose control—rage, doubt, disbelief. Yet Jonathan's face never changed.

He flipped through the screenshots slowly, one after another.

He wasn't reading the words.

He was memorizing the names. The profile photos.

He would deal with them later. Every last one.

"Jonathan, you've seen it," Elizabeth pressed, voice sharp. "I'm not targeting her for no reason. Her disgrace is already circulating. People are laughing at you, laughing at the Fullbuster family."

Jonathan finally raised his eyes.

A short laugh escaped him. Then another.

Elizabeth's scalp prickled. "What are you laughing at?"

"But Mom," Elizabeth protested, breathless. "Didn't you see the child? She looks just like Anneliese. And she's sick—clings to her like she's her whole world. That kind of attachment doesn't come from nowhere. There's no smoke without fire."

Penelope pinched the bridge of her nose, a headache pounding.

Before she could respond, a calm voice drifted in from the elevator.

"People resemble each other all the time. Just because they look alike doesn't mean they are related."

Anneliese stepped out.

She had already taken Ellie upstairs and settled her in the bedroom she shared with Jonathan, turning on cartoons to distract her. The child seemed calm, unharmed by the chaos.

Elizabeth's eyes sharpened. "Then explain why that child is so attached to you."

Anneliese met her gaze evenly. "There's nothing to explain."

Elizabeth choked. The flat, matter-of-fact delivery hit harder than any insult.