The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet (Thalassa and Elowen)

She just couldn't wrap her head around it—a man like Alaric, who'd intertwined his life with another woman's to the extent of having a child with her.

It wasn't that she was a purist when it came to love, but the idea of sharing Alaric with another woman because of a child was something she found insurmountable.

Perhaps it was the depth of her love, the height of her expectations, that made accepting this version of him impossible.

Even if Hertha hadn't loved Alaric with such intensity before, hadn't yearned for a simple, undiluted life of domestic bliss with him, her sense of betrayal wouldn't cut as deep.

But it was precisely because of her deep-seated hopes that she couldn't come to terms with a blemished version of him-a man who had a child with another woman, outside of their family.

These were the thoughts swirling in Hertha's mind, unspoken to Alaric. Yet, the words she had uttered earlier made her stance painfully clear.

Alaric's once sparkling, fox-like eyes had dimmed, now filled with sorrow and pain.

his breathing heavy with the weight of his predicament, "What am I supposed to do? How can I fix this?" Indeed, everything had been orchestrated by Georgia behind his back. He had stumbled into that hotel room drunk, believing he was with

yet that conniving woman went ahead and had the baby

what he wanted, yet it had all unfolded without his

he felt powerless

despair tore at Hertha's heart, as if a

calm as she said to Alaric, "We can't

up at her,

her composure, continued, "Let's just be friends, okay? If you miss the kids, you can get in

of wanting to cut Alaric out of

realized it