My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 107

“How did it go?”

As soon as I returned to the office, Ethan asked as if he had been waiting. His expression held an even mix of curiosity and concern.

“I think it went well. I told him he had a day to think it over, so we’ll have to wait and see.”

“Did he talk?”

“Yes, well. He did speak, but… he didn’t exactly give us any useful information.”

“That alone is a significant achievement. Up until now, he hadn’t said a single word.”

“That’s true. Well, I doubt he’ll be able to keep his mouth shut forever.”

I shrugged as I spoke.

In the original story, Mathieu had planned to use Vincent to eliminate Mael, but the plan ultimately failed.

As a result, the next head of Girard’s intelligence unit was not Mathieu but Raymond Garel.

Once Raymond took over, he forcibly removed Mathieu from the field.

Mathieu deeply resented Raymond for this, and later, when Nicolas rebelled against his father Marlon, Mathieu sided with him.

‘Of course, he still ended up being caught by Marlon and executed…’

Regardless, the relationship between Mathieu and Raymond was something that could be exploited.

It was natural that I knew all of this since I had read the original story, but for Mathieu, it was inevitable that he would suspect a traitor’s presence.

And as I had told him, the only person who had both the means and the motive to set him up was Raymond.

Of course, I never expected Mathieu to believe me outright.

‘Raymond is undoubtedly confident that he’ll be the next head of the intelligence unit. The idea that he would ally with Dumont to suppress Mathieu is absurd. It would be like calling in gangsters to fight with one’s own sibling.’

Mathieu surely knew this too. Logically speaking, it was clear I was trying to sow discord between him and Raymond to extract information.

However, while there was no evidence that my claim was true, there was also no proof that it was false.

So Mathieu would never be able to fully erase that possibility from his mind.

‘Because it would be infuriating. If Raymond really had betrayed him, that is.’

That’s just how human psychology works. It’s the same as doubting a spouse’s fidelity—once the suspicion takes root, it won’t disappear until the truth is confirmed.

Even now, Mathieu was likely stewing in his cell, trapped in his own doubts. With nothing else to do and no one to talk to, he had nothing but time.

Most importantly, now that he had been captured by Dumont, his only way to survive was to cooperate with us.

‘Given Mathieu’s personality, there’s at least an eighty percent chance this will work.’

The rest was only a matter of time.

***

“State what you want.”

Mathieu spoke in a low, hoarse voice. His face looked even more haggard than before.

Even after the promised day had passed, Mathieu hadn’t made up his mind immediately. Another day passed, then another, with him remaining silent.

It wasn’t until four days after our first meeting that he finally surrendered.

Ethan was present as well. He studied Mathieu carefully before speaking.

“All information regarding the schemes Marlon Girard has orchestrated against Dumont.”

“…I can tell you what I know, but I have no proof.”

“You yourself are the strongest proof we need. Until now, the inner workings of Girard’s intelligence unit have remained a mystery.”

At those words, Mathieu turned to look at me.

“Are you asking me to expose everything directly before His Majesty?”

“Of course not. At least, not yet.”

“……”

Mathieu remained silent for a moment.

“Without absolute guarantees of my safety, I won’t say a word. The moment I reveal myself, I’m as good as dead.”

His gaze carried the unspoken message, You both know this as well as I do.

“As Camille told you before, we will guarantee your safety. Of course, that means your freedom will be restricted.”

“No need to spell that out. I already understand. There’s no way I could avoid Girard’s eyes on my own forever anyway.”

Mathieu spoke flatly. Ethan regarded him impassively.

“Once you’ve told us everything you know, we’ll relocate you to a safe house abroad. You’ll stay there until the time is right.”

“And ‘the time’ means…?”

“It means when we have gathered enough pieces. When that time comes, you won’t have to hide anymore.”

“……”

“Now, let’s begin.”

Ethan looked at Mathieu as he spoke.

***

The testimony continued for three days and nights. Ethan recorded all of Mathieu’s statements with Jacques and a scribe present.

What Ethan most wanted to know was whether Girard had truly been behind the assassination of Philip, the former Duke of Dumont.

However, Mathieu claimed that he did not know, as it had happened before he joined Girard’s intelligence unit.

“Is there no way to find out?”

“None. It is a strict rule not to leave any records of external operations.”

“Who would know?”

“Duke Marlon Girard. The current head of intelligence, Luc Bukriev. Those two are certain. Aside from them, perhaps Garel.”

“……”

Ethan furrowed his brows and tapped his fingers on the table.

The revelation that Marlon had ordered Philip’s assassination was the most crucial element in bringing down Girard in the original story.

At that time, a former Girard intelligence agent, Gabriel Blanchard, had served as a witness. He was the very man I had asked Arthur to find a few months ago.

If we could find Gabriel, he would be the key to solving everything, including the issue with Nicolas.

‘But the problem is, I have no idea when that will be…’

Until then, it was difficult to even bring this up to Ethan.

It wasn’t just a matter of whether we could find Gabriel or not—it was an issue that had to be approached with extreme caution.

Marlon and Girard’s intelligence unit believed that Gabriel had died during a mission. He had faked his death just to escape from Girard, so he was bound to be extremely wary of anyone trying to contact him.

Moreover, Philip’s death was a deep trauma for Ethan. When he first learned that Marlon had been behind it, he had even attempted to take revenge with his own hands.

Of course, he had been stopped by Elodie.

In the original story, Ethan was portrayed as a highly rational character, but not when it came to the assassination of his father or matters involving Elodie.

‘Another issue is that no one except Gabriel himself should know that he is still alive… If Ethan asks me how I know, I won’t have a convincing answer.’

Up until now, I had managed to get by with vague excuses, saying that I had heard it from an informant. But it was becoming increasingly necessary to come up with a backstory for this mysterious source of information.

After the third day of interrogation, I left the room with Ethan.

Unlike me, who had taken breaks and gotten enough sleep at night, Ethan had been running on little to no rest for several days.

I had repeatedly told him that we had plenty of time and didn’t need to rush, but it seemed like he wasn’t listening. Perhaps it was because he felt he had finally gained the upper hand against Girard after being on the defensive for so long.

Even now, I had to practically drag him away, insisting that Mathieu also needed to rest and that it was enough for the day.

“…Haa.”

Ethan sank deep into the sofa and let out a long sigh. With two buttons undone on his shirt, a glimpse of his well-built chest was visible.

“You look exhausted.”

“I won’t deny it.”

“That’s why I keep telling you to pace yourself. He’s cooperating willingly, so there’s no need to pressure him.”

“…I know. I do know that.”

Ethan muttered, then fell silent.

“Anyway, make sure to get some rest tonight. Should I have a bath prepared for you? Soaking in warm water might help relieve your fatigue.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Alright. Then get some rest. I’ll be going now.”

Just as I was about to leave Ethan’s side, he suddenly grabbed my hand. Startled, I turned to look at him.

“…Don’t go.”