My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 1

“Explain yourself,” he said, glaring at me with cold eyes.

His tone was polite, but his voice carried an unmistakable disdain.

Usually, his striking looks would captivate any woman, but now they only filled me with dread.

“You have one minute. Speak… wife.”

He barely managed to get the last word out, as if it was too disgusting to say.

‘Wife,’ he said, which means he’s my husband.

Though it was the first time seeing his face, there was no doubt who he was. This situation mirrored a scene from a novel I had read countless times.

He is Ethan Dumont, the male protagonist of the novel “I Became the Daughter of a Distrustful Duke.”

And unfortunately, I am not the female protagonist.

I am Camille Dumont, the ex-wife who was caught cheating with another man and divorced.

And indeed, beside me stood that ‘other man’.

His jacket and vest were off, and two buttons of his shirt were undone.

Caught red-handed, undeniably so.

‘Seriously, of all times, why do I possess her at this moment? Isn’t this too much?’

This second life began suddenly and in the most absurd, ultra-hard mode that it made me want to laugh out of sheer incredulity.

***

In the novel “I Became the Daughter of a Distrustful Duke,” Camille appears only briefly in a flashback.

After his failed marriage with Camille, Ethan developed a deep distrust of women, especially beautiful ones, because Camille was a stunning beauty.

As a result, Ethan resolved to remain single for the rest of his life.

However, due to certain circumstances, he ended up taking in a little girl named Elodie, who became the female protagonist of the story. It was a typical childcare romance fantasy.

Like all fathers in such stories, Ethan fell completely for Elodie’s charm and eventually passed on the title of duke to her.

The novel was captivating, with the adorable young Elodie in the first half and the grown-up Elodie dealing with various events in the second half. It was highly popular, and I had re-read it countless times.

‘Okay, it’s fine to be transported into my favorite novel. Being an extra? That can happen. Facing a life-threatening situation? It’s a kind of trope and in a future that hasn’t happened yet. But still, this is too much, isn’t it?’

At the very least, I should have been transported before the affair, or at least given a chance to manage things before getting caught.

What was I supposed to do, suddenly finding myself in this situation with no way out?

‘Seriously, I’ve read a lot of romance fantasies, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a hopeless scenario…’

When people are utterly desperate, they laugh rather than cry. That was me now.

Seeing the bitter smile on my face, Ethan frowned.

“Do you find this situation amusing?” he asked, his words restrained but carrying deep anger.

‘True, this isn’t a situation to laugh about.’

I felt strangely calm, as if I were watching this scene from outside my body.

Perhaps it was because the reality of being transported into this body hadn’t fully sunk in, and it didn’t feel like my own.

But of course, I couldn’t stay silent forever.

In the original story, Camille had been pale and babbling incoherent excuses, eventually breaking down in tears and begging Ethan for forgiveness.

‘Though, even after all that, Ethan divorced Camille without mercy.’

Camille’s brother, the head of her family, collapsed in shock and eventually passed away. Already ill, the news that his beloved sister had committed adultery and been cast out was the final blow.

The alimony Ethan demanded for the tarnishing of the duchy’s honor was more than her impoverished family could afford.

In the end, Camille wandered the streets penniless, dying alone and unnoticed.

‘So, if I just sit here dazed, a miserable death awaits me too.’

It was clear that I had to find a way out of this situation.

But honestly, I had no idea how to proceed.

I glanced at the man next to me.

His name is Liam Bernard, Camille’s affair partner.

‘He’s handsome too. Not as much as Ethan, though. And he looks a bit frivolous…’

Liam was sweating and darting his eyes around, clearly trying to figure out an escape.

After marrying Ethan, Camille had been starved for affection.

Blessed with angelic beauty, she had been cherished at home and adored by men in society.

‘But her husband never paid her any attention.’

Though it was said that Ethan developed his distrust of women because of Camille, the truth was that Ethan had always been cold and uninterested in women. He married out of duty, to continue the family line, and nothing more.

As a result, Camille naturally began to seek solace outside.

Initially, she didn’t intend to have an affair. She simply enjoyed the flattery of young and handsome men, just as she had when she was single, to fill the void in her heart.

That’s when Liam Bernard appeared.

Liam skillfully targeted Camille’s heart, which was full of loneliness and resentment.

With a friendly smile, sweet words, and tender glances, it didn’t take long for Camille to fall head over heels for Liam.

‘To be fair, Camille was somewhat a victim too. Liam approached her with the intention of using her from the beginning.’

As I thought this, something suddenly flashed through my mind.

‘…Wait a minute. Hold on.’

A thought struck me, and I began to ponder it deeply.

‘Is this too far-fetched? No, there’s a basis for it. Even if there are inconsistencies, I can improvise to cover them…’

My mind quickly pieced together the puzzle.

Before possessing Camille’s body, I had been a successful saleswoman.

I frequently ranked first in performance and was often called an ace, so I was quite confident in my speaking and situation-handling skills.

‘Though I ended up with a terminal illness at a young age due to overworking…’

I cursed the heavens for my misfortune countless times.

Perhaps this second life was given as compensation for that.

‘Yes. It’s not about whether it will work or not. I just have to make it work somehow.’

No matter how desperate the situation, it was a hundred times better than illness. At least I could resist with my own strength.

I cleared my throat slightly and stepped forward.

“It’s a misunderstanding, Ethan.”

“So, you finally decided to speak, and that’s all you can say?” Ethan retorted coldly. His eyes clearly conveyed that he wouldn’t believe any nonsense. “Go ahead. Explain exactly what part of this is a misunderstanding.”

“All of it. I know it looks like I’ve done something improper, but that’s not the case.”

Ethan let out a cynical laugh. “Do you really expect me to believe that?”

“I have evidence,” I said, maintaining a calm expression. “I knew you were coming here today.”

“What?”

“You began suspecting my frequent outings about ten days ago. You had me followed starting a week ago. You were convinced of the affair the day before yesterday when you intercepted the letter I sent to Baron Bernard.”

“……”

For the first time, Ethan’s eyes wavered.

“You intercepted it from the maid, Marie, whom I sent on an errand. That’s how you knew Baron Bernard and I would meet here today. But you let the letter reach him to catch us in the act, ensuring I couldn’t deny it.”

“……”

Ethan stared at me in silence, completely taken aback.

He was visibly more shocked now than when he first witnessed his wife’s infidelity.

‘Well, in truth, I was just reciting the lines from the original story.’

Camille had denied her guilt vehemently even when caught in the act. Those were the words Ethan had used to interrogate her.

Liam was just as surprised. His eyes were wide as he stared at me.

‘Of course he’s shocked. He probably thought I was a foolish woman who would fall for his sweet talk.’

I had gained the upper hand. Now it was time to move to the next step.

Looking around, I noticed a desk in the corner and immediately walked over to it.

“…What are you doing?” Ethan’s voice came from behind me, but I ignored him as I examined the books on the desk.

Although the books were written in a script I had never seen before, I could miraculously read and understand them without any issues.

‘It must be here somewhere… Ah, this is it.’

I picked up a leather-bound book without a title on its spine.

“Camille… I mean, Duchess Dumont!” Liam exclaimed in horror as he stood up.

However, he was quickly restrained by the knights who had rushed over at Ethan’s signal.

I walked back to Ethan and held out the book to him.

But he didn’t take it. He didn’t even seem inclined to open it.

Ethan kept his gaze fixed on me and asked in a low voice, “Why is this here?”

“I took it from your library’s safe earlier,” I replied.

“How brazen of you. Do you even realize what you’ve done? That book is…”

“A list of people indebted to the Dumont Duchy… Or rather, a fake list disguised as such. The real one is not in your library’s safe but in the VIP vault at the Imperial Bank.”

Ethan’s eyes widened in shock.

He looked at me as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

“How on earth do you know that?”

“I’ve been your wife for five years now. I know at least that much.”

“That’s impossible. The only one who knows about it besides me is my secretary, Mathis. And he would never reveal it without my permission.”

I shrugged. “But I do know, don’t I?”

I had no intention of letting fate lead me to a powerless death. Not this time.