Chapter 858

The air in the restaurant was suffocatingly tense.

Ethan Roscente remained stone-faced throughout the meal, the clinking of his silverware unnaturally loud.

Vivian Laurent kept stealing glances at Theo, her eyes brimming with unspoken affection.

"Theo, come here for a moment," she called softly.

The little boy bounded over, his innocent face tilted upward. "What is it, Aunt Vivian?"

Kneeling down, her fingers trembled slightly. "Aunt Vivian has to go away for a while. It might be a long time before we see each other again."

"Huh?" Theo cocked his head. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere... very quiet." She forced a smile. "Be good and listen to your father."

Ethan's wine glass slammed onto the table.

His brows furrowed at the fragments of conversation he'd overheard.

During the car ride home, Theo pressed against the window. "Daddy, Aunt Vivian said she's going far away."

Ethan's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "What else did she say?"

"Just told me to be obedient..." Theo yawned. "She looked really sad."

The man's sharp profile cut through the darkness.

Watching the restaurant shrink in the rearview mirror, his chest felt weighed down by stones.

In the following days, Ethan conspicuously avoided Vivian.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows, Vivian absently touched her abdomen.

Perhaps this was for the best.

She began packing, methodically transferring her corporate responsibilities.

Only Isabella Langley stormed into her office with red-rimmed eyes. "Have you lost your mind? Just leaving like this?"

"Shh—" Vivian raised a finger. "Don't scare the baby."

Isabella's tears spilled over.

She clutched Vivian's wrist. "Does that bastard know?"

"It doesn't matter anymore." Vivian gently wiped her friend's tears. "This time, I'm living for myself."

At the farewell dinner, Isabella drank herself into oblivion.

"If you dare not come back..." She grabbed Vivian's collar. "I'll fly over and drag you back myself!"

Lucas Lefèvre silently handed over a warm towel. "Sis, keep in touch."

Moonlight filtered through the curtains.

Running her hand over the packed suitcase, Vivian suddenly remembered Ethan's fathomless gaze.

Shaking her head, she carefully placed the plane ticket in her bag.

By this time tomorrow, she'd be on a flight to another country.