Chapter 225
The gossip swirling online made Laura more and more anxious. What really terrified her was imagining Davina calling her “Mom” with that face of hers.
Trying not to think about whether she could ever really accept it, Laura’s mind kept circling back to her friends. The idea of her social circle snickering behind her back was enough to make her want to disappear.
Calvin was irritated enough himself, and Laura’s teary voice just pushed him over the edge. “Instead of whining to me, why don’t you go ask your precious son how he came up with such… unusual taste? We’re already at this point. Do you see any other way out p>
Calvin cared about dignity. If even Laura found this humiliating, he was downright ashamed. With all the drama blowing up online, there was no way to quietly make Davina leave now, no matter how much he wanted to. He was stuck. The only option left was to grit his teeth and accept things as they were.
His impatience showed in the way he eyed Laura. “Back when Barnard was still little, if you’d actually stuck around instead of leaving, would he be like this now? You have to own up to some of this mess too p>
Laura’s throat tightened as she held back words she desperately wanted to say. In the end, she just pressed her lips together and stayed quiet.
Years ago, she’d barely recovered from giving birth when Calvin announced he was heading overseas for business. She was hit hard with postpartum anxiety, spending every day afraid and restless. She worried about Calvin being by himself, but even more, she was scared some other woman might turn his head while she wasn’t around.
So, she made a choice. She hired a houseful of nannies to take care of Barnard and left to be with Calvin abroad. Back then, she convinced herself she had no idea how to be a mother. Even if she stayed, the child would have been cared for by nannies anyway. With all the cameras in the house, she thought she could just check in on Barnard remotely whenever she missed him.
It never crossed her mind that Barnard would grow distant, or that being raised by clueless nannies might twist his personality. By the time she realized what was happening, it was way too late to turn things around.
Now, with Calvin blaming her, Laura’s eyes filled with tears.
Calvin had zero energy left for comforting her. He just sighed tiredly and said, “Go talk to her doctor. Get a copy of her physical results. I want to know how she’s doing right now, and especially p>
He paused, then forced the next words out in a low voice. “Ask them if she can still have children p>
Barnard had chosen this girl for himself. Calvin had tried everything to stop him and just ended up making the family look even more ridiculous. Now he had to make a choice. He could back down and let Davina in, but only if she could give the Carter family an heir. Jasper wasn’t one of theirs, after all, and they didn’t have anyone to pass the family name on to. Marrying a woman who couldn’t have kids would just bring even more trouble in the future.
Laura stared at him, stunned. “Are you really letting Barnard marry her p>
“Unless you’ve got a better idea,” Calvin shot back. “That’s enough, just go find out what I told you to p>
It hurt him just to say it, and he didn’t want to hear Laura question him again.
After Laura left the room, Davina’s eyelids fluttered and a spark of satisfaction danced in her eyes.
Trading a child she was never going to keep for the title of Mrs. Carter felt like a win-win to her. Calvin’s worries didn’t bother her at all. After working with Carmen since she was little, she was in better shape than most women her age. If she could get pregnant after taking a tumble, no way something minor was going to stop her from having kids.
While she was still smiling to herself, Calvin’s cold voice suddenly filled the room. “If you’re awake, quit pretending. Let’s talk p>
It was two days before Camilla found out about Barnard and Davina’s engagement. She’d barely had time to breathe lately, rushing between meetings at work. Elise was the one who finally called and filled her in.
Camilla could tell right away Elise was upset. The worry stayed with her, so she swung by the hospital on her lunch break just to check in.
Switching up her care team had done Elise a world of good, and she looked healthier than she had in ages.
Looking at Camilla, Elise got straight to the point. “Camilla, the Carter family is suddenly rushing to let that woman marry in. Did your divorce get handled? They’re not making things difficult for you, are they p>
“Don’t worry about me, Mom. They’re not going to bother me, I already got everything I wanted. But is this real? Barnard is actually getting engaged to Davina?” Camilla asked, still trying to process.
Last she knew, Barnard had been picked up by Mahoney’s people and should still be locked up somewhere. How had things moved this fast?
“That woman is hospitalized here, and their parents have been showing up a lot these days. I overheard them talking about engagement plans. Pretty much everyone at the hospital knows about it,” Elise said softly.
She glanced at Camilla with worry, her voice gentle. “Camilla, please don’t be too upset. You p>