Shattered Rose He Held On Tight novel Chapter 169

Chapter 169 The Last Ones Standing

Finished

Now that everyone knew, there was no point in hiding it anymore. Going forward, whether it was Fiona’s treatment or whatever Frederick might need from the Romeros, no one had the right to judge.

Downstairs, Claudia had just heard the truth from the source herself, and her pupils visibly dilated.

“Why did you just say?”

Fiona gave a quiet laugh. “With the way things blew up upstairs, this won’t be a secret for much longer.”

Seeing the overwhelmed look on Claudia’s face, like she was already mentally halfway out the door, Fiona’s eyes lit with amusement. “Don’t you want to know why I chose to have that child?”

She paused, then drifted into the memory. “Honestly, I never wanted to bring a Romero- blooded child into this world, but I wanted to survive. By the time I realized I was pregnant, it was already too late for a safe abortion. My only options were live with him or die with him.”

Claudia was still trying to process all of this. “Then why didn’t you tell Donovan?”

Given how things were back then, revealing she was pregnant might’ve saved her life, maybe even more easily than running away with Waylon.

Fiona shook her head. “I didn’t know. And … ”

She glanced at Claudia. “I didn’t know who the father was.”

If she had known back then? The whole story might’ve played out very differently.

Claudia’s eyes widened again.

Fiona remained calm. “Waylon never asked. I never went looking for answers. Not until I got sick and the whole family did those medical screenings together. That’s when it was finally confirmed.”

Holy shit.

Claudia couldn’t even describe how she felt at this point.

Was she supposed to be hearing all this?

11:40 Fri, Oct 10 d

Chapter 169 The Last Ones Standing

She glanced toward the stairs.

:

Where the hell was Sterling when she needed him?

74

Finished

Fiona followed Claudia’s glance toward the stairs. Despite being middle–aged, her face showed little sign of time, only the faint crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes betrayed her when she smiled.

She fixed her gaze on Claudia. “I’m grateful to still be alive. Donovan loved playing god, breeding venom to see which would survive. And now, he’s raised a wolf.”

She spoke evenly, almost detached, “Leon’s dead. Quinton’s paralyzed. Kenneth’s useless. Henry’s a vegetable. Waylon’s been running around like a dog for a woman. And Jackson, who seems the most stable? He’s on thin ice too. The old man spent his life scheming, clawing for control, only to end up watching his sons and grandsons fall apart, torn from each other, as he dies alone and bitter.”

She calmly poured herself a glass of water and looked Claudia straight in the eyes. “I’m curious to see if Sterling will be the lucky one. If he’ll survive this mess. And what the Romeros will look like after all this is over.”

Then she smiled again, this time with something deeper beneath the surface. “But the ones who live to see the final chapter are the real winners, Ms. Lancaster. Take care of yourself. I hope it’s you two who are still standing at the end.”

Footsteps echoed from the upstairs hallway. Someone was coming down.

Fiona rose to her feet. “Ms. Lancaster, it was a pleasure talking with you. I hope we meet again.”

Since she and Waylon were at the center of what triggered Donovan’s collapse, of course they had to go to the hospital.

The rest of the family, wanting to prove their loyalty—and probably terrified they’d miss any potential deathbed declarations–quickly insisted on going too.

Even with the rain still pouring down, a wave of Romeros rushed out of the house like a funeral procession.

Sterling reappeared briefly to explain the situation. With Donovan collapsing, the household was in chaos, and there were also some disturbances outside that he needed to personally handle.

He told Claudia not to wait too long. If he wasn’t back soon, she should return to the bamboo garden and rest.

Given the circumstances, she didn’t push back.

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