Chapter 522
The man stood before the hearth in the living room. His gaze was fixed on the landscape painting hanging above it.
In rural America, it was customary for each household to hang a painting like that, a symbol of bellef, used in celebrations and festivities.
Typically, by 11 or 12 at night, most people in the village would have retired to bed, leaving only the sounds of chirping crickets and hooting owls.
Unexpectedly, Thalassa found her living room fully lit at that late hour.
The man standing in the center of the room had chestnut hair and donned a black and white tracksuit.
His attire was casual and youthful, but the figure he cut, staring at the painting, was desolate and melancholy.
The man was tall and slender, radiating an aura of cultured warmth.
It was Leopold!
Upon seeing him, Thalassa’s breath hitched.
Amelia, having said that Leopold was missing, had used all her connections to search for him but to no avail.
Yet, here he was in her house.
Upon seeing him, Thalassa’s emotions swirled, and there was a cocktail of feelings.
Hearing the noise behind him, Leopold turned around, and his eyes landed on a woman entering with two children. His gaze then shifted to a familiar face.
A smile broke out on his melancholy face as he said, “Thalassa…
He was about to engage in small talk when his eyes fell on the two other little girls Thalassa was holding.
They were short, chubby, and utterly adorable.
Leopold’s eyes flickered and his smile froze as he asked, “Thalassa, these children are…”
They are Thalassa’s quadruplets,” Evelyn interrupted before Thalassa could respond. Her voice was filled with indignation.
Upon hearing that, Leopold was shocked, and disbelief washed over him, followed by a wave of pain, like a heavyweight punch.
He had vaguely guessed the children’s identity, but hearing it confirmed had knocked the wind out of him. His mind buzzed and went blank.
Evelyn, holding Dorian and Atticus by the hand, glared at Leopold, “What are you doing here in the middle of the night? You should be over at Isabella Everhart’s house!”
Evelyn’s words were laced with hostility and anger.
Five years before, when Thalassa had first mentioned having a boyfriend, she had told Evelyn it was serious. She said that they were talking about marriage.
But then Leopold slept with Isabella Everhart!
That was why Thalassa had broken up with Leopold.
Evelyn once asked Thalassa if Leopold was the father of her children.
Thalassa denied it.
Seeing Thalassa’s firm denial, Evelyn knew she was telling the truth.
But no matter how much she probed, Thalassa claimed not to know who the father was and refused to discuss what had happened.
Evelyn, not wanting to push too hard, dropped the matter.
But the pain Leopold had inflicted on Thalassa was real.
Only a mother could understand how heartbroken and helpless Thalassa felt when she found out about Leopold’s betrayal.
Thalassa had become pregnant with the children after their breakup.
It must have been due to the deep hurt she felt that she made a decision she would regret, a decision that resulted in her children.