Too Late, Mr. Cooper: Your Bride Ran with Your Baby novel Chapter 161

Linton lowered his long lashes, his voice cool and raspy. "And what would you call a clean break?"

"Kicking her out of the Cooper family? And what about the debt I owe her parents?"

Lucas didn't dare speak. He could sense the raw frustration radiating from Linton.

Linton didn't need a reply anyway.

He just needed someone to listen.

Linton's gaze dropped. "If I don't get Isabella out of the family," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion, "Liliana will never forgive me."

It was an impossible situation.

Isabella's deceased parents had saved his mother's life, and by extension, his own. If they hadn't intervened all those years ago, Linton would never have been born.

And if he had never been born, he never would have had the chance to meet Liliana, the love of his life.

He brought the cigarette from his fingers back to his lips, taking a long, hard drag before exhaling a plume of smoke. The gray haze swirled around him, blurring the sharp, aristocratic lines of his face.

He had always lived with a secret terror.

What if that surgery had failed? What if his mother had died on the table, taking him with her? What would have become of Liliana?

She would have remained the cherished princess of the Hart family, growing up without a care in the world. She would have met a man she loved, had children and grandchildren, and grown old with him.

In the long tapestry of her life, a man named Linton Cooper would never have appeared, not even for a fleeting glance of pity.

He couldn't accept it.

The mere thought of that possibility made him burn with a murderous rage.

Linton's sharp features twisted into a menacing scowl, his eyes flashing with a bloodlust that bordered on madness.

He ran his tongue over his teeth and let out a cold, chilling laugh.

He would never allow that possibility to exist.

The surgery was a success. He was born. He was lucky enough to meet Liliana. She was his treasure, his alone, not to be shared with anyone.

She had to be with him. Forever. For a lifetime, until the day they died. In life, they would share a bed; in death, a grave.

He would kill anyone who dared to separate them.

His grandfather was surprised. This grandson of his was usually so distant; it was rare for him to initiate contact.

"Linton..." Old Mr. Cooper began cheerfully.

"Grandfather."

Linton's face was a mask of indifference. "I'm leaving the Cooper family," he said, his voice cold as ice.

Old Mr. Cooper fell silent. "...?"

He was utterly baffled. He thought his old ears must be playing tricks on him. "What was that?"

Linton repeated himself, his tone flat and serious. "I'm leaving the Cooper family. I'm striking out on my own."

"I'll still be your grandson, and I'll still be Dad's son, but I'm returning everything that belongs to the Coopers."

"I'll continue to support you both, but once I've left the family, I will have no further connection to Isabella. She will no longer be my sister."

It was the only way Linton could see to make a clean break.