If Anneliese truly had a child from her underage years—and if that child belonged to Steven, Jonathan''s closest friend-then the oue 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 themter. Everyst one.


    "Jonathan, you''ve seen it," Elizabeth pressed, voice sharp. "I''m not targeting her for


    no reason. Her disgrace is already circting. People areughing at you,ughing at the Fullbuster family."


    Jonathan finally raised his eyes.


    A shortugh escaped him. Then another.


    Elizabeth''s scalp prickled. "What are youughing at?"


    Jonathan''s arm moved without warning.


    He mmed the phone to the floor.


    The impact cracked like a gunshot. The device shattered at Elizabeth''s feet, fragments skidding inches from her shoes.


    She screamed and stumbled back, hands flying up, face drained of color.


    When she steadied herself, she pointed at him, shaking. "What kind of madness is this?"


    Jonathan looked at her coldly. "With a mother like you, I suppose it was only a matter of time before I snapped."


    Her chest heaved. "How can you say that to me? Your wife is the one hiding something shameful. If you''re angry, take it out on her—"


    "Enough. You believe every baseless rumor? Use your d*mn head for once!"


    Penelope''s hand struck the table.


    Elizabeth froze. She stared at her


    mother in disbelief. Even now, Penelope wasn''t questioning Anneliese She was furious wit Elizabeth.


    "But Mom," Elizabeth protested, breathless. "Didn''t you see the child? She looks just like Anneliese. And


    she''s sick-clings to her like showet


    ve


    her whole world. That kind of attachment doesn''e from Nowhere Theres 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 rted."


    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, n, unharmed by the chaos.


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


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


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