The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles) novel Chapter 846

Noelle stared at Charles, utterly stunned by what she had just heard. She shifted her gaze between Charles and Clarisse, her expression reflecting a mix of disbelief and revelation.

Moments ago, she had wondered if Charles was being too harsh toward Clarisse, questioning whether his behavior was unfilial. Now, those thoughts had vanished entirely.

Charles had seen with his own eyes how his mother had drugged his father and involved an innocent woman in the process. Hearing about it gave Noelle a new understanding of everything.

She suddenly recalled Charles mentioning a woman named Liliana in the past—his half-sister. Could she be the child born to that woman from the night Charles witnessed as a child?

"No, Charlie, let me explain! I did it only because—"

Charles interrupted, his tone sharp, "Only because you wanted to divorce my father? And then you tried to ruin Uncle Henry's marriage? You wanted to break up Uncle Henry and Aunt Nancy so that you could marry him instead?"

"I…"

Clarisse stumbled backward, visibly shaken. She had never imagined that the dark secret she had kept buried for so many years would be uncovered by her own son. Now, it was dragged into the open by Charles himself.

"You believe my father violated you, don't you? But do you even know who drugged my father 35 years ago?" He kept his gaze on her, unwavering. His expression was devoid of pity.

"I warned you that staying quietly with the Bakers was your best option. But since you chose to return and involve yourself in all this mess, I won't stop you. However, you'll pay for what you did.

"I'm your son, after all, and my heart reflects yours. If you can be ruthless to the one you love, why should I hesitate to be ruthless to you or the Bakers?"

This was his final warning. Charles' words were a cold ultimatum, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Enough said."

Charles gave a slight nod. "Yes. Liliana was born from that woman—one of the many tangled threads in the Hoffmans' complicated web. Beyond the few people I've told you about, you should trust no one else."

He gently squeezed Noelle's hand, patting it softly. "Liliana is the child of that young university student."

"Then…"

"You want to know about the young woman?" Charles asked knowingly.

Noelle nodded. She could not help but wonder about the young woman's fate. She was innocent, just an unfortunate victim of someone else's cruelty.

Had it not been for that night, her life might have taken a completely different path.