Chapter 90- discomfort
Charles had always thought that the reason Derrick had forced Janet to terminate her pregnancy was because, at the time, she was still legally Philip’s wife. And in Derrick’s eyes, nothing was more intolerable than betrayal—especially within his own family. Charles had believed that was the whole story.
But if he had known earlier that the issue hadn’t come from them at all...
Maybe, just maybe, he would have stood up to Derrick, fought him to the bitter end—for the woman he loved and the child they lost.
Unlike Derrick, he wasn’t made of cold steel. He couldn’t be that ruthless.
"You are your own person. Charles is Charles. You deserve to have a child too," Derrick said, his tone softening slightly, but the coercion in his words remained unmistakable.
"I told you—I won’t try again. You can give up now," Philip replied, his voice laced with exhaustion. He shut his eyes, unwilling to argue over something that meant nothing to him anymore. Even if Derrick was his father, that didn’t mean he could control him forever.
"You—"
Derrick’s rising fury was about to erupt again when Charles quickly stepped in.
"Dad, let’s talk about this another time. Philip’s tired—let him rest," Charles said, holding him back.
Derrick stared at the pale, bloodless face lying on the bed and said nothing more.
When Charles returned home from the hospital, Janet was already there. As he pulled into the garage and saw the warm lights spilling from the villa’s windows, a strange, quiet contentment filled his chest. A smile unconsciously curled his lips.