Chapter 344

"I meant every word," Ethan stated flatly, his breathing even.

At this point, the baby and Vivian were gone. Whether the secret stayed hidden or came out no longer mattered.

"W-what?" Nathan stammered, stunned.

Dominic reacted similarly. It took him nearly ten minutes to process everything.

Finally, he exhaled sharply. "Nathaniel, you're an idiot. This must be eating you alive."

Ethan's voice was icy. "I'm fine. My brother saved my life. I owe it to him to fulfill his last wish—but I failed."

His fist slammed onto the table. His eyes burned with guilt over Sebastian.

"Of course you're fine. It's your wife who suffered!"

Nathan couldn't stay silent. "If you want to carry the guilt for Sebastian's death, fine. But why punish Vivian? You did everything for Cassandra and her child—what about Vivian? She was married to you for four years, and the moment she slipped up, you threw her out. You—"

"Enough!" Dominic snapped, cutting him off.

"Weren't you the one pushing Nathaniel to divorce her? Why the sudden change of heart? Do you want to make this worse? Hasn't he suffered enough?"

"That's not what I meant. I just feel for Vivian. What did she do wrong? She's—"

"I get Nathaniel."

Dominic's gaze softened as he took in Ethan's grim expression. "He wanted to give Cassandra legitimacy so her child could have a stable life. Besides, he didn't love Vivian then, and she didn't seem to love him either. A loveless marriage was doomed from the start. Her leaving was inevitable. Cassandra and the baby just sped it up."

Nathan rubbed his jaw. "Fair point. Everyone here is a victim. But I disagree about Vivian's feelings. Anyone could see she was in love with Nathaniel before!"

"Let's not dwell on the past. Focus on fixing the present."

Dominic turned to Ethan, who had been silent. "Nathaniel, have you thought this through? The baby's gone. You won't marry Cassandra now. Will you remarry Vivian?"

"Never." The answer came instantly. He'd rather stay alone forever than wed the woman who killed his brother's only child. Doing so would haunt him for life.

"Then why search for her? There's too much bad blood between you. Maybe it's best to let go and never see her again."

Dominic sighed. "No wonder she disappeared. I'd have done the same."

Nathan nodded. "Ethan, maybe you should stop looking. There's no future for you two. Dragging this out will only hurt you more."

Ethan seemed deaf to their words. His cold eyes lifted. "Did I go too far?"

Nathan blinked. "Huh?"