Chapter 313

Henry refused to look at Eloise, keeping his gaze fixed as he laid out his plan.

He said, “After all these years of our joint efforts, haven’t we been doing all this to advance Nicolas’ prospects? Now that we’re facing difficulties, we certainly can’t let him shoulder this burden alone.”

At this point, Henry finally raised his eyes to meet Eloise’s gaze.

Henry grasped Eloise’s hand and enunciated each word deliberately. “When the incident occurred years ago, you were commended for reporting the crime. Now that this serious case is being reopened, Athena won’t let this rest. Eloise, you must understand what I’m implying.”

Eloise finally let out the breath she’d been holding.

Eloise stared at Henry in disbelief, tears streaming down her face. “Your Grace, you want to sacrifice me to protect Nicolas, right?”

Henry gazed at her. Though it pained him deeply, he knew this course was unavoidable.

Henry nodded slowly. “Athena won’t let you off the hook,” he said gravely. “Rather than seeing both you and Nicolas go down, it’s better to sacrifice just…”

The one to be sacrificed could only be Eloise.

She was deeply implicated in this case. Only by seeing Eloise convicted would Athena’s wrath be appeased.

To put Eloise’s mind at ease, Henry earnestly assured her, “Rest assured. I’ll pull all the right strings and make all the necessary arrangements to ensure you won’t suffer. When the time is right, I’ll have a death row inmate take your place and get you out.

“Then, you can go live somewhere remote where no one knows you. The children and I will visit you, and when the scandal blows over, we’ll find a discreet way to bring you back.”

Henry believed his words were flawless, but Eloise let out a hollow, bitter laugh. “So, after all that, it’s still just about protecting the duke’s estate. A woman like me is disposable, so be it. But the Monson family will go on basking in glory and honour.”

Having lived with Henry for over twenty years, Eloise had a good understanding of Henry’s true nature.

Eloise knew Henry would stop at nothing to get his way; she didn’t believe a single word of his claims about arranging a substitution and promising to bring her back.

Eloise’s heart turned ice-cold. She glared daggers at Henry and said through clenched teeth, “Don’t pretend you’re out of options. You do have a way to save Nicolas. You just refuse to use it unless you’re truly desperate.”

Henry hadn’t expected Eloise to see through him. His eyes flickered uneasily before he denied, “You’re overthinking this.”

“Am I overthinking this, or do you now see me as someone to be casually discarded like trash?” Eloise sneered at him, her words cutting deeper with each syllable.

Eloise glared at Henry and demanded, “Wasn’t the only reason you married me back then because you coveted the Monson family’s lavish wedding gifts? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have abandoned my sister and married me instead!”

With that last word, Henry bellowed, “Enough!”

Henry fixed Eloise with a venomous glare and spat through clenched teeth, “You’ve clearly lost your mind. How can you spout such nonsense?”

Eloise let out a cold laugh. “Back then, the Perkins family had two daughters. You were deeply in love with my sister. Had she not passed away so suddenly, I would never have married you. To you, any bride would do, as long as she served your interests.

“I should have realized long ago what kind of person you are. You are just a cold and calculating opportunist. You put on a pleasant face for those who serve your purposes, then toss them aside like trash the moment they’re no longer useful.”

Although Eloise also wanted to save Nicolas, she absolutely refused to be Henry’s tool.

Eloise was disgusted to the core by Henry’s hypocritical facade.

Eloise thought bitterly. “Margaret holds an imperial noble title. If she would plead with the King, given that she once saved the late King’s life, His Majesty would surely grant clemency in this case.

“Yet Henry wants to have me take the fall. How could I possibly accept such injustice?”

Eloise had dragged Henry’s darkest secrets into the light, leaving him utterly exposed.

Eloise’s mention of her late sister ignited a volcanic fury in Henry.

“Shut up. I told you to shut up!” Henry bellowed in a fit of uncontrollable rage, he landed a resounding slap across Eloise’s face.

Eloise let out a sharp cry as Henry’s blow sent her sprawling to the floor.

Dazed, she saw the world spin before her eyes as a deafening ringing filled her ears.

Eloise felt a sharp pain in her scalp as Henry yanked her hair. “You’re not even worthy to mention your sister’s name. In my heart, you’ll never hold a candle to her. If you hadn’t been so vicious as to expose Kurtis, you wouldn’t have ended up like this. I tried to leave you with dignity, but you insisted on forcing this confrontation. Eloise, I’ve already gone above and beyond for you.”

Eloise let out a decisive, almost unhinged laugh. She shoved Henry away and jabbed a trembling finger at his nose, her voice rising with fury. “Henry, how dare you claim you’ve gone above and beyond for me?

“All these years, I’ve devoted myself to your Manson family. I used my father’s wedding gifts to prop up the duke’s estate, cut ties with my own father, and even severed all ties with the Monson family for your sake. After everything I’ve done, you repay me with such ingratitude. How can you possibly do this to me?”

Henry showed not a flicker of remorse. Now that the last pretense had been shattered, he didn’t even bother to keep up the act.

Henry swept his eyes over Eloise with undisguised contempt. “Don’t forget that you desperately insisted on marrying me back then. I’ve spared you the humiliation by never taking another woman. What more could you possibly want?”

“Henry, you can’t do this to me!” Eloise’s voice trembled as she saw the indifference in Henry’s eyes. She started to panic. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll expose the truth?”

She thought, “Henry could abandon even his mother, what hope do I have?”

Henry remained unfazed. “You won’t. You’re far too concerned with your standing. Nicolas is your eldest son. So long as the duke’s estate stands, he’ll have a chance to rise again, and you can rely on him to help you return to Fidence City. You’d never risk throwing all that away.

“So you’ll take all the blame, Eloise. You’ve got no other way out.”

Eloise looked at the cold, selfish Henry, and all the fight seemed to drain out of her.

Eloise let out a self-mocking, resigned laugh. “I’d take the blame for my son. Even if you didn’t force me, I’d still do it. I just never imagined you could be even more heartless than I thought, Henry. Let me ask you one last question.”

Henry’s brows knitted sharply. “What?” he snapped.

“After all these years as a couple, did you ever have even a shred of affection for me?” Eloise’s eyes brimmed with tears as she gazed desperately at Henry. She was longing for the answer she so desperately craved.

However, Henry merely gazed at her coolly and said nothing.

Chapter 313

His reaction extinguished the last shred of hope in Eloise’s heart.

Eloise let out a hollow, self-mocking laugh, her face clouded with unspeakable despair. “You wouldn’t even bother to humor me with…”

Henry turned away impatiently, his tone icy. “You’re no better. You married me because you coveted the status. We’re birds of a feather... it’s getting late. I won’t see you out, Nicolas is waiting for you.”

A sudden, sickeningly metallic taste filled Eloise’s throat, but she swallowed it down with gritted teeth.

She wished she could tell Henry that it was never about being Duchess. All she ever wanted was to be with Henry.

But he never loved her. So she felt that there was no point in telling him that.

After what felt like an eternity, Eloise slowly rose to her feet and shuffled out.

She moved like an empty shell, her limbs rigid, yet her eyes held a steely glint.

Eloise thought, ‘As long as Nicolas is still around, there is still hope. I haven’t lost yet.’