My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 115

After bribing the police, Robert staged Sarah’s death as an accident. The official story was that she had slipped on the stairs and died.

But Elodie grew suspicious. Sarah had always been athletic—so agile she could climb trees better than the boys.

Elodie approached the Gance family’s servants and uncovered the truth behind the incident. She also learned just how miserable Sarah’s life had been.

Eventually, Robert was imprisoned, and the officers who had taken bribes from him were also punished.

‘Preventing that from happening isn’t hard. There’s still seven years of leeway.’

But stopping Robert alone wouldn’t solve everything. Abusive husbands were unfortunately everywhere.

Even at this very moment, countless women were likely being exploited under unjust circumstances. The lower their status and the poorer they were, the harder it was to escape that fate.

If, by any chance, Elodie wasn’t adopted into the ducal family, I couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t suffer the same.

Ethan furrowed his brow slightly and stayed silent. He didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“Lately, through volunteer work with the Viscountess of Grandbert, I’ve seen how miserable the lives of the lower classes truly are. For them, every day is a struggle—for food, for safe sleep, for basic dignity. Things we take for granted, they risk their lives for.”

To a high-ranking noble like Ethan, it was likely a difficult concept to grasp or empathize with.

Unlike the world I lived in before, this one lacked awareness of human rights and had no real concept of egalitarianism.

Still, I brought it up because I was sure Ethan would listen.

In the original story, Elodie spent her life serving the poor. Growing up in an orphanage, she knew what it meant to have nothing.

And Ethan supported her completely. Under House Dumont’s name, he launched major public welfare projects and entrusted their management to Elodie.

Of course, his affection for her was the foundation, but even so, he couldn’t have done all that if he saw no value in helping the poor.

Ethan, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke.

“…I understand what you’re saying. But if that’s the reason, do we really need to adopt her ourselves? We could find her another good home and sponsor her there—”

I shook my head. “No, I want to adopt her myself. I want Elodie to be my daughter. I want to watch her grow up happy, enjoying everything she wants.”

“……”

After a long silence, Ethan said in a low voice, “…You’re smart enough to know how difficult that would be.”

Honestly, I wanted to retort: ‘What’s so difficult about it?’

In the original story, everything had gone smoothly. No concerns from others, no gossip caused any issues. That was because Ethan himself had made the decision.

As the Duke of Dumont, he had absolute authority, and he exercised it without hesitation.

‘But when I think about it objectively, it is an unreasonable request. In the original, Ethan was single and had vowed never to marry again before choosing adoption…’

Considering that Elodie was a commoner orphan, even more so.

“Yes, I know. That’s why it took me so long to bring it up.”

“Because it’s something you want, I’d like to grant it. You rarely ask for anything. But this…”

Ethan trailed off with a sigh.

“Couldn’t we just bring her in as a maid? She’s a bit young, but we could train her slowly as your personal attendant.”

At those words, my eyes widened reflexively.

“What? A maid? You want to make Elodie… a maid?”

“Why are you so surprised? Given her status, that makes more sense than registering her as our daughter.”

“……”

I stared at Ethan, speechless.

Logically, I understood his reasoning. But knowing the original story, the idea felt outrageous.

‘In the original, he adored Elodie so much… He loved her like no other and even passed the dukedom to her… And now he’s saying maid?’

I was lowering my head, biting my lip.

It hit me anew just how far apart Ethan and I were.

The idea of bringing Elodie in as a maid was something I couldn’t even imagine. But on the other hand, Ethan’s suggestion that it was the more realistic and natural route wasn’t completely unreasonable.

No matter what anyone said, at this point, Elodie was just a commoner orphan. In the original story, she had experienced a dramatic rise in status, but that had only been possible because Ethan, the Duke of Dumont, had strongly pushed for it.

‘…Right, that’s true. Why am I only realizing that now?’

How did it end up like this?

At first, all I could think about was surviving. That had slightly altered the course of the original plot, but I didn’t think it had affected the main storyline. I had assumed that once I divorced Ethan and left the ducal estate, everything would proceed as originally written.

Until now, I had never even considered the possibility that Ethan might not adopt Elodie.

That was the most basic premise of this world. If Ethan and Elodie didn’t become father and daughter, the story wouldn’t have even begun.

‘…It was a blind spot.’

I had to admit it—I had been far too complacent. It was such a given to me that I never even considered that it might not be.

No… maybe I had considered it, but subconsciously thought, ‘There’s no way it won’t happen.’

“Camille.”

Ethan called me gently. His eyes were a mix of worry and frustration. He seemed to be wondering whether he had upset me.

Seeing that look helped me calm down a little.

‘Right. Let’s look on the bright side. At least he didn’t shut me down with anger and tell me to stop talking nonsense.’

“Camille. Are you okay?”

Ethan spoke again.

“…Yes. I’m alright.”

I took a deep breath and turned to look at Ethan.

“I understand your point of view. So I won’t insist on having my way. If Elodie is to be adopted, she would be your daughter as well as mine. Please take your time to think it over.”

Ethan nodded with a complicated expression.

“…Alright. I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you. And by the way…”

I hesitated briefly, then continued, “Originally, I planned to bring up the adoption once you and Elodie had gotten a bit closer. But there’s a reason I brought it up so suddenly. It’s because of Girard.”

At the mention of Girard, Ethan’s gaze changed.

“What do you mean? What about Girard?”

“As I said yesterday, because of recent events, Girard is likely watching us closely and being very cautious. So it wouldn’t be surprising if he suddenly made a drastic move.”

I explained calmly.

“There are surely eyes watching me too. Which means they must have figured out that I’ve been volunteering at the orphanage for the past few months, and that I once invited Elodie to the ducal estate. So…”

“You’re worried Girard might target the child.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Ethan paused in thought for a moment before speaking again.

“I’ll dispatch knights to the orphanage. Since it’s a place you visit regularly, the priest won’t find it suspicious. I’ll also assign a separate agent to Elodie. That should do it, right?”

“Yes, that sounds good. Thank you, Ethan.”

With that, I rose from the bench.

“We’ve talked it through and rested enough—shall we head back now?” I moved behind Ethan and took hold of the wheelchair.

Ethan looked back at me and asked, “…Are you really okay?”

“Yes, of course.”

I looked at Ethan and gave him a bright smile.

It wasn’t a lie. Of course, I was frustrated and a little downhearted, but I didn’t resent Ethan. I fully understood his perspective and reasoning.

The real issue was what to do next.

‘It looks like it’s going to be a long road ahead.’

***

A high-society club located in the heart of the capital’s bustling district.

This place, like Noir Perle, was also operated by Girard.

Marlon sat alone in the VVIP room located at the farthest end of the club.

Soon, the door opened and a tall man in a fedora stepped inside. Most of his upper face was hidden beneath the wide brim, but his neatly groomed mustache stood out.

“It’s been quite a while since someone kept me waiting.”

At Marlon’s muttered reproach, the man gave a faint, wry smile.