Chapter 2399:

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Rupert lingered at the doorway, reluctant to intrude.

“Thank you, Rupert,” Annabel said, her voice firm but soft. “But we need to keep our distance. You have a fiancée now, and as your ex-wife, I shouldn’t be part of your life anymore.”

It was an unwritten rule that exes, especially the qualified ones, should never show up unannounced. Despite having two children tying them together, Rupert and Annabel knew they could never go back to what they once had.

Rupert’s throat tightened as words hovered on his lips, but he swallowed them back.

𝗥e𝘢𝖽 wit𝗁𝘰𝘂𝘁 𝘪𝗇𝘵е𝘳𝘳uр𝗍𝗶оnѕ 𝗈𝗇 𝘨a𝗅n𝗼𝘷e𝗹𝘀.cоm

“You don’t need to say anything,” Annabel murmured. “I know everything.”

As Rupert drove away, the tears in Annabel’s eyes reflected the broken intimacy that had once bound them so tightly. Now, they were like two ships drifting apart on a vast ocean. Only she fully grasped the pain of their separation.

Rupert’s foot pressed harder on the gas pedal, his mind racing faster than the car. By the time he reached Bruce’s estate, anger had turned his vision into a blur of red.

“Mr. Rupert Benton, what are you planning to do?” Even the seasoned butler took a step back, alarmed by Rupert’s expression.

Rupert brushed past him and stormed into the grand foyer. His sharp eyes locked onto Bruce as he pointed at him. “I’ve given you everything you wanted. I’ve played your games and danced to your tune. Why do you still meddle in their lives?”

Bruce opened his mouth to respond, but Rupert was relentless. “I know exactly what you’re thinking. You think this is hard for you? I jumped into the sea. I risked my life for those children! The paternity test confirmed it — they’re mine. And Flora’s kids? They’re probably rotting away in some orphanage by now!”

Rupert’s eyes blazed with the fire of his revelation. He knew the whole truth.

Bruce remained silent for a long moment before speaking. “We kept you away from the children to protect you.”

Rupert’s laugh was bitter and hollow. “Protect me? Have you listened to yourself? Flora wrecked the company, and you dragged me into this mess. You made me publicly humiliate Annabel, threatening to destroy her if I didn’t comply. I’ve suffered through it all to shield her. And now you want to kill Annabel and the children?”

Every sacrifice Rupert had made was for Annabel’s sake. He knew all too well the depths of Bruce’s cruelty and the merciless nature of his family.

Annabel was just a fragile flower compared to them.

Rupert had done everything in his power to protect his family members, but now he found himself in dire straits.

“Rupert, you completely misunderstood my intentions. I never meant it that way. I just want you to find someone worthy of being your wife,” Erica intervened, desperately trying to mend the broken relationship with Rupert.

“Enough!” Rupert’s voice thundered, his eyes ablaze with anger. “I’ve already cut ties with you. Whatever I do is no longer any of your concern.”

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