She had no lies.

Carin, who had been bottling up her frustration for days, turned on her brother Andy and let him have it. But Jamison didn’t wait for her to finish. His expression level, he cut her off. “I love Ivy for her, not for her ability to give me children. Even if we never have kids, that won’t change how I feel about her.”

Before Carin could snap back, he hung up.

If it wasn’t his sister who’d spilled the secret, then who was it? Jamison briefly wondered if his eldest brother or sister-in-law had let something slip, but his brother was still on a business trip, and Davina Foster had her hands full juggling work and the kids—she hadn’t been back to the estate in days.

That left only one possibility. He’d have to go home and ask his mother directly.

The luxury car swept through the gates of Ludwig Mansion. The butler bowed as Jamison stepped out. “Welcome home, Mr. Jamison.”

Jamison didn’t pause to respond. He strode straight for the main house. Inside, his parents were just rising from the living room, heading for dinner. At the sound of the door, they both looked up.

Seeing her youngest son storm in, Adela Ludwig gave a chilly, theatrical scoff. “Well, well—Mr. Jamison still remembers where home is.”

Her sarcasm only hardened Jamison’s suspicions—Ivy must have been bullied by her. So he didn’t bother with pleasantries. Voice cold, he said directly, “Why did you go see Ivy today? Since you already know the truth, you should understand how serious I am about her. No matter what happens, I won’t leave her.”

Adela was momentarily stunned by her son’s defiant tone. Before she could recover, Danny’s cane came flying across the room like a missile, aimed straight at Jamison.

“You ungrateful brat! Who taught you to talk to your mother that way?” Danny’s booming voice echoed through the hall as he leapt to his wife’s defense.

Jamison didn’t move—he could have dodged, but instead, he let the cane strike him squarely. He knew he’d crossed a line and deserved the rebuke. But standing up for his wife was, in his mind, the bare minimum a man could do. He’d take the punishment and keep going.

He barely flinched at the blow, just frowned and remained silent.

Adela, now regaining her composure, glared at her son, equally furious. “What did Ivy tell you?”

“She didn’t say anything. She respects you and doesn’t want to put me in a difficult position. Of course she wouldn’t complain. But you know the truth now, and I know you’ll never treat her kindly. You never truly accepted her to begin with, and now that you know she might not be able to have children, you’re just going to make things worse for her.”

Adela shook her head, lifting a trembling hand to point at him. “You—you really are the type to forget your mother as soon as you have a wife. You think I’m some kind of monster?”

Worried about Adela’s health, Danny hurried to comfort her, then called out in a stern voice for Lanny. “Bring it here.”

Lanny hurried off to the study and quickly returned with a manila envelope. Danny took it and, without warning, slapped it into Jamison’s chest. “See for yourself!”

Expressionless, Jamison caught the envelope as it dropped. His eyes grew colder, his gaze sharper. He half-expected it to be divorce papers between him and Ivy—and was already bracing himself to tear them to shreds.

But when he opened the envelope and saw what was inside, his brow furrowed, and for a moment, he was completely stunned.