Chapter 97: Confession

“Richard... Richard is your child,” Eleanor said, her voice trembling as she finally let the words spill out. Stephen froze, his hand halfway to the door. He turned slowly, his eyes narrowing as he took in Eleanor’s tear-streaked face. “Stop lying to me, Eleanor. I have no child. My wife was sick for years before she died, and she left me no child. You know that since then, I’ve remained unmarried. So what the hell are you saying?” Stephen demanded, his voice rising with each word. Eleanor’s lips quivered, and her gaze dropped to the floor as she struggled to maintain her composure. “Stephen, please, just hear me out,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Remember the night I visited you? A few months after my wedding to Joseph?” Stephen’s heart pounded in his chest, memories from that time flooding back. He remembered the night she was talking about, but he didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to acknowledge it. “That night, you were heartbroken,” Eleanor continued,