Thinking of this, Sebastian stood frozen in place. Although he had suspected that Cordelia was behind this, suspecting was one thing, confirmation another.
He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, so intense that he almost forgot to breathe. He kept murmuring, "Impossible, Cordelia can't be the one who killed Connie, she can't be Isabella's biological mother. If that's true, why would she push me and Isabella together? Wouldn't she fear incest?"
Theodore looked at his pained expression and sighed, "I had my doubts too, even suspected that you might not be Cordelia's son."
Hearing this, Sebastian grabbed him by the collar. "It's not impossible. I need to get a paternity test. If she's Isabella's mother, then she can't be my mine."
With that, he turned to leave, but Theodore grabbed his wrist.
Theodore took a paternity report out of his pocket and handed it to him. "I had a paternity test done for you and Cordelia, and I even went to three different institutions. All the reports show that you're Cordelia's son."
Sebastian stared at the report in disbelief. "How is that possible? Is Cordelia insane? She knew Isabella and I were siblings and still wanted us to be together."
Theodore replied, "She said that since Isabella can't have children anyway, what does it matter?"
Hearing this, Sebastian's back slammed heavily against the edge of the table. The pain in his waist was nothing compared to the hurt in his heart. This was his mother, willing to put him in such a terrible situation for her own purposes. Sebastian quickly searched his pockets, trying to find a cigarette to light. But after searching for a long time, he couldn't find a single one.
He looked at Theodore with deep eyes and asked in a low voice, "Got a cigarette?"
Theodore handed him one and helped him light it.
Sebastian, as if in a frenzy, kept the cigarette in his mouth, smoking it incessantly. In no time, he finished one cigarette. Before the butt was even extinguished, he lit another one.
He smoked three in a row until Theodore's voice broke the silence. "Smoking yourself to death won't change the facts. Cordelia not only killed my mother but also caused Joyce to be estranged for years. To prevent her from returning to her family and affecting Isabella's status, she even harmed Joyce multiple times."
"Sebastian, what do you think Joyce will do when she finds out about this?"
Sebastian's eyes turned bloodshot as he yelled, "Don't tell her! She's injured, vulnerable. Do you want to kill her?"
Theodore said, "But this can't be hidden for long. Now that we have all the evidence, I will immediately sue Cordelia to seek justice for my mother. Once Cordelia is prosecuted, there will be a trial. Given Joyce's status in the legal community, do you think no one will tell her?"
"Let Julian handle the case. I'll find a way to keep it confidential during the trial. Joyce is pregnant; she's been through a kidnapping and an assassination attempt. She can't take any more. After she gives birth, I'll find a chance to tell her the truth. Whether she stays or leaves, I'll let her decide. But for now, please don't tell her. I'm begging you, okay?" Sebastian's eyes were moist as he looked at Theodore.
The usually arrogant Sebastian now had a pleading look in his eyes. Because he knew, with this evidence, both Theodore and the Taylor Family had the right to take Joyce away.
Even if Joyce loved him deeply, even if she had said before that she wouldn't let Cordelia's actions affect him, this time, it was different. This was a mother's murder. She had just felt Connie's motherly love, only to be told that the person who took that love away was her lover's mother. Such a shocking truth would be too much for Joyce to bear.
He didn't want to see her go through any more trauma.
Hearing Sebastian's words, Theodore sighed deeply, "If I didn't care about Joyce's feelings, do you think you could have had a normal wedding? I knew the truth before you got married. Cordelia admitted it herself. But when I went to confront her again, she denied it."
"Even if the evidence was insufficient at the time, if I had revealed the truth, I believe Joyce would have chosen to delay the wedding. I just didn't want to see her long-awaited wedding fall apart. "She's my sister, and I want her to be happy. But she will have to face this cruel truth sooner or later."
Hearing this, Sebastian looked deeply at Theodore, gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Thank you."
As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.com is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away! Then he clenched his fists tightly and looked at Kyle. "Cordelia's imprisonment, Isabella's kidnapping of Joyce, and the assassination attempts on Joyce who ordered you to do these things?"
Kyle shook his head. "I don't know who it is. Every time we met, he wore a black cloak and sat in a wheelchair. I couldn't see his face. He arranged everything. If I didn't comply, he would kill my entire family. Mr. Winters, I've told you everything. Please don't harm my family." He crawled on the ground, begging bitterly.
Sebastian kicked him away and said coldly, "Hand him over to the police. Re-interrogate Cordelia. We need to know Mrs. Guise's identity and the secrets of the person behind all this from her. But rest assured, I won't save Cordelia. This is the punishment she deserves."
With that, Sebastian turned and left.
Watching his desolate figure, Theodore felt a pang of sadness. He couldn't help but say, "Having a mother like that must be really tough for him. Let's not hold him responsible for her crimes."
Leonard nodded affirmatively. "I think this matter is more complicated than it seems. There must be another truth hidden behind this one that we haven't uncovered yet."
Theodore looked puzzled. "Are you saying Cordelia might not be the real culprit?"
"I don't know how to put it. Even if Derek cheated on my mother and had a child, with the Winters Family's power, wouldn't it have been easy to abort the child and send my mother abroad? Why go through all the trouble of disfiguring her, setting her on fire, and then hunting her down for years? Doesn't that seem strange to you?"
"So, you think Mrs. Guise knew about some conspiracy of Cordelia's, and that's why she wanted to silence her?"
"That's one way to put it. It might involve both the Winters Family and the Vale Family. But I don't think Cordelia will confess on her own. To find out the truth, we'll have to wait for my mother to regain her memory."
Thinking about this, Leonard felt a pang of pain in his chest. The last time, the psychologist said that one way to recover memories was through re-enactment.
Letting Elise experience a fire again might help her remember something. But if they really did that, it would surely plunge her into agony.
The past must have been like hell for her; otherwise, there wouldn't have been so little progress after so many years of treatment. There must be a huge secret buried in her memory. It was this secret that had made her the way she was now. The two of them organized the statements, handed over the evidence and Kyle to the police, and reopened the Winters Family warehouse fire case and Connie's car accident case.
Sebastian drove straight to the hospital. When he pushed open the door to the hospital room, Joyce was in so much pain that she was drenched in sweat, letting out low sobs.novelbin
Benjamin was tenderly wiping her sweat, gently stroking her forehead, and softly telling her favorite childhood fairy tales.
Seeing this scene, Sebastian's long-suppressed emotions erupted. Tears rolled down his cheeks, dripping onto his expensive shirt. He questioned in mind, 'Why, after all the hardships I and Joyce have been through, couldn't we live happily together? Why does fate have to test our love with such trials? If I could, he would rather be the one in pain than have Joyce make such a painful choice.'
Sebastian stood outside the door, composing himself before daring to enter. He took the towel from Benjamin's hand and said softly, "Dad, you go rest. I'll take over."
Benjamin's eyes were red with sorrow. "She's been restless all night, hasn't slept at all."
"I know, the wound is at its most painful now. I'll find a way to comfort her."
Benjamin sighed deeply, "Why does my daughter have to suffer like this?" He couldn't help but shed tears.
Sebastian patted Benjamin's shoulder and said, "Dad, it's my fault. I didn't protect Joyce well. You go rest; I'll take care of her."
Reluctantly, Benjamin left the room.
Sebastian used the towel to wipe Joyce's forehead and then kissed it gently, his voice hoarse. "Joyce, if crying makes you feel better, then cry. Benjamin has left." Joyce finally opened her eyes, looking at him through tears. Her voice was weak. "Sebastian, it really hurts. I can't bear it."