My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 27

“…You know?”

“Yes. I received the same letter two months ago.”

It was that letter that first made Ethan suspect Camille of having an affair. He had instructed Jacques to investigate Camille and find out who sent the letter. It turned out to be Marchioness Nadia Leroy.

Nadia had approached Ethan openly when he was still single. She was not the only one, but her audacity had set her apart. She seemed to believe that Ethan was undoubtedly attracted to her and thought his rejections were just part of a game.

A deep frown creased Ethan’s forehead. Thinking of Nadia made his mood sour. She had likely attended Viscount Rochefort’s ball last night, seen Ethan and Camille together, and penned this letter as soon as she got home.

‘The last letter wasn’t as detailed as this one. She must have thought I didn’t believe her because of the lack of evidence.’

“But why does this letter matter? How do you think it’s related to the Duchess’s tears?” Victor asked.

“……”

Ethan remained silent for a moment, recalling something Camille had said early in their marriage: “Nadia Leroy disrespected me in front of everyone!”

At that time, Camille was dissatisfied with everything. She would complain to Ethan about the smallest things, often exaggerating or lying. Her brother had always indulged her, but Ethan had no intention of allowing such behavior in his home. He often responded coldly to her complaints, and that day was no different.

“It’s probably just your imagination. Who would dare to disrespect the Duchess of Dumont?”

“It’s not my imagination! She said I wasn’t fit to be a duchess!”

Ethan opened the drawer to retrieve his cufflinks, ignoring Camille’s rising voice behind him.

“Ethan, did you hear what I said?”

“…I heard you.”

“Then why aren’t you responding? Don’t you believe me? She really said that!”

Her whining voice made his headache worse. It was a particularly busy time, and he hadn’t slept well. Irritated, Ethan snapped.

“Is it really something to be so upset about? It doesn’t seem entirely untrue.”

“……”

He heard Camille’s stifled gasp behind him. It was then that he realized he had made a mistake. Every time he responded like this, Camille would invariably burst into tears and cause a scene. He honestly didn’t have the energy to deal with it right now; he had to leave soon.

But instead of the expected outburst, there was a different sound that broke the silence.

Click.

When he turned around, Camille was already gone. She had left the room, leaving the door ajar behind her. After that day, Camille never came to him to complain again.

Despite similar incidents occurring numerous times before, Ethan remembered that day.

‘…Come to think of it, that was when Camille and I really started to drift apart.’

He felt relieved that the annoying complaints had stopped, but there was also a strange unease in the back of his mind. It was only recently that he began to understand that feeling.

“Despite everything, I live in the same house as you, under the same roof. You seem to forget that sometimes.”

Why did those words, uttered by Camille so casually, bother him so much? More than when she used to cry and scream.

If Nadia had publicly insulted Camille in the past, it wasn’t unlikely that she had done something similar last night. Though the current Camille seemed unlikely to cry over mere words, the idea of her losing an argument was also hard to imagine.

However, it was also true that he couldn’t think of any other reason why Camille would have been crying.

‘…I’ll find out soon enough.’

Ethan raised his head and spoke to Victor.

“Call Jacques for me.”

***

Just as I finished getting ready for bed and was leaning back on my pillow reading a book, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

“Did you forget something, Marie?” I asked, assuming it was the maid. But the face that appeared when the door opened was unexpected.

“Reading in bed?” Ethan asked as he stepped inside.

“Ethan.”

I instinctively started to sit up, but Ethan raised his hand.

“You can stay where you are.”

“I can’t do that,” I replied, getting out of bed and slipping on my robe. Ethan’s expression looked somewhat disapproving.

“Are we really that formal with each other?” he asked.

Realizing how unnatural my actions might seem to Ethan, I felt a bit embarrassed. But from my perspective, I had only known him for about two months. Standing in front of him in my nightgown, especially one so thin and revealing in this world, was uncomfortable.

“Given how long it’s been since you last visited my bedroom, it feels appropriate,” I said coldly, deciding that being blunt might help dispel any suspicions. I deliberately tightened my robe and crossed my arms.

“So, what brings you here?”

“……”

Ethan frowned at me, then suddenly tugged at his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. His collarbone became prominently visible through the disheveled collar, causing me to widen my eyes involuntarily.

“W-what are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” Ethan asked back, puzzled, as he took a step closer to me.

Startled, I took a step back. “…What are you doing?”

He looked at me incredulously. I thought he was about to strip down, but it seemed he just wanted to loosen his tie.

“Oh, nothing. So, why are you here? What’s going on?” I asked with a deliberately nonchalant expression to hide my embarrassment.

“Victor told me that you were crying earlier. Is that true?”

“Crying? Me? Who said that?” I replied, puzzled by his sudden question.

Ethan’s frown deepened. “According to Victor, when he saw you in the hallway this morning and asked about the ball, you started to cry…”

“Oh…”

I suddenly remembered. Initially, I hesitated to answer because I recalled Ethan’s strange behavior at the ball. But then Victor had asked if something had happened, with a genuinely concerned expression for some reason.

At that moment, an impulsive thought crossed my mind.

‘Should I test the skills I’ve been practicing?’

When I had previously asked Victor to help me divorce Ethan, my tearful plea had been ineffective, which had wounded my pride. Since then, I had been practicing in front of a mirror, and it seemed to work quite well on Viscountess Grandbert.

I recalled the disappointment of missing out on tickets to my favorite concert in my previous life and bit my lip gently. Soon, my eyes welled up with tears.

“…Madam?”

Victor looked genuinely startled and unsure of what to do.

‘Oh, this works well,’ I thought with satisfaction as I left the scene.

After that, I had completely forgotten about the incident.

“Camille?” Ethan’s puzzled gaze brought me back to the present.

I turned my head to avoid his eyes. “I didn’t realize Victor saw me. It’s embarrassing.”

“…So, why were you crying?”

“……”

I remained silent, still avoiding his gaze.

I couldn’t exactly say, ‘I was testing if Victor would fall for my fake tears.’

“Did something happen at the ball while I wasn’t looking?”

“What? Oh…”

His question suddenly brought back the incident with Nadia and her group.