My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 4

Ethan lightly tapped his long fingers on the desk.

“Is your name Marie?”

“Yes, yes, Master,” Marie stammered, bowing deeply.

“Didn’t Jacques tell you what would happen if you ever spoke about that incident?”

His voice was calm and even, but it sent chills down anyone’s spine.

“I swear, I really didn’t say anything…”

“Tell the truth, and I’ll forgive you,” Ethan interrupted her. “I promise. Confess now, and you won’t be punished. But if you keep lying and I find out later…”

Tap.

At the sound of Ethan’s finger tapping on the desk, Marie flinched and trembled.

“Yes, yes. It was me. I’m sorry. I told her. I’m so sorry, Master…!” Marie burst into tears.

Ethan watched her without any expression and then asked again, “Why did you lie?”

“I was scared… I was afraid of being punished by you, Master…!”

“What exactly did you tell Camille?”

Marie sobbed as she wiped her tears. “The day I came back from delivering the letter, the Madam asked me if something was wrong. She said I looked suspicious, like I was hiding something. So I told her…”

“Camille never seemed like the type to notice such things.”

“That’s not true. She may have seemed different in front of you, but the Madam is actually very sharp and intelligent. She was the first to notice when Sophie was stealing household items.”

Ethan narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar name. “Who?”

“Sophie was the maid caught last year for selling stolen items from the mansion. She was expelled,” Marie explained.

Ethan vaguely remembered Victor reporting the incident. He didn’t recall anyone mentioning Camille’s involvement in uncovering it.

“Despite appearances, the Madam is very attentive to the household. She always checks where you are going and when. She even knows the names of the new maids shortly after they arrive…”

“……”

This was all so unfamiliar. None of it matched the Camille Ethan knew.

He had always believed her interests were limited to herself, jewels, dresses, and parties.

Ethan recalled the image of Camille confidently declaring her innocence that day.

Her eyes, her expressions, her tone—everything had seemed like she was a different person.

It was astonishing how someone could look so different despite having the same face.

‘Camille was never someone who could present such a logical argument… She wasn’t, right?’

People don’t change overnight.

Ethan was a pragmatic man who didn’t believe in anything that couldn’t be explained logically.

That left only one possible answer.

‘She must have been pretending to be less capable all along. A smart person can act foolish, but the opposite is impossible.’

It made sense logically. Yet, his heart struggled to accept it.

Despite their distant relationship, Ethan had lived under the same roof with Camille as her husband for five years.

Could she really have deceived him for so long? And if so, why?

Lost in thought, Ethan noticed Marie watching him anxiously.

“You may go,” he suddenly said.

Marie’s face brightened with relief. “Thank you, Master. Thank you!”

Marie quickly rose, bowed her head, and hurried out of the room, as if afraid Ethan might change his mind if she hesitated for even a moment.

“What do you think?” Ethan asked after Marie had left.

“About what, sir?”

“About Camille. Do you believe her claims?”

“…I’m not sure.”

Honestly, from Jacques’ investigations, it didn’t seem like Camille had any ulterior motives. She appeared genuinely infatuated with Liam Bernard, oblivious to everything else.

Considering the usual Camille, it seemed more likely that she was spinning lies to escape the situation.

The issue was that her explanations were surprisingly detailed and backed by evidence. Her demeanor was far too confident.

Someone with a guilty conscience couldn’t possibly act so nonchalant.

Moreover, the oddness wasn’t limited to just that.

“Frankly, it seems to go beyond whether I believe her or not.”

“What do you mean?”

“She was completely different from the usual Duchess. It’s almost like she had a long-lost twin who was switched without anyone knowing.”

“Your joke is in poor taste,” Ethan replied, his tone devoid of humor.

Jacques shrugged. “I’m not entirely joking. If someone seriously suggested it, they might even believe it.”

“……”

Ethan couldn’t help but sympathize with Jacques’ sentiment. Camille’s transformation was that shocking. Suddenly, Ethan rang the bell to summon the head butler. Shortly after, Victor entered the study.

“You called for me, sir?”

“There was a maid who was caught and expelled last year for stealing items from the mansion.”

“Yes, Master. That’s correct.”

Despite the unexpected question, Victor answered promptly without showing any confusion.

“Who discovered that the maid was stealing?”

“It was the Duchess, sir.”

“…Really? How?”

“She happened to see the maid taking silverware. It was something I should have managed, but…” Victor trailed off, looking a bit ashamed.

Ethan was silent for a moment before speaking again. “Has Camille ever asked you about my schedule?”

“Yes, she checks every morning and evening. She did so even today.”

“……”

The furrow in Ethan’s brow deepened.

***

“I did as you instructed, Madam.”

“Really? Did it go as I said?”

“Yes. I was shocked inside,” Marie said, shaking her head in disbelief. Her expression indicated she wasn’t lying.

“Ethan will likely ask if you told me about the intercepted letter. Deny it at first. Insist you never said anything, swear it’s the truth.”

“…But Madam, that is true.”

“I know. But Ethan won’t believe it. He’ll think you must have told me, otherwise how could I have known?”

“Then what should I do?”

“If you keep denying it, Ethan will eventually say he’ll forgive you if you tell the truth. He’ll add some threats to make it convincing. When that happens, admit you did tell me. Say you were scared of being punished.”

“But if I do that…”

“Ethan is a man who keeps his word. Don’t worry. Confessing like this will be much safer than trying to lie.”

Moreover, sticking to one lie from the start would seem less believable than admitting under pressure, making it look like Ethan’s tactics worked.

“Ethan will think he saw through Marie’s lie, so he won’t be as suspicious.”

People who consider themselves clever often fall into such traps.

In the original story, Ethan had similarly threatened Elodie when he caught her sneaking out of her room at night. He later discovered she was embroidering a handkerchief for his birthday, leading to a touching moment.

“……”

Marie looked at me, half doubtful.

I tilted my head slightly. “If you want to get kicked out right now, do as you please.”

“N-no, I’ll do as you say, Madam.”

“Tell him you tried to hide it but got caught. If Ethan is suspicious, tell him I’m actually very sharp and perceptive. Mention Sophie as proof.”

Marie looked like she wanted to ask, ‘Sharp and perceptive? Madam?’ but managed to hold back.

Sophie had been a maid at the mansion before Ethan divorced Camille. She was caught stealing by Camille and was expelled, as mentioned by the head maid, Esther, in the original story.

This incident was paralleled later in the story when a maid named Melanie was caught stealing. Melanie pleaded for mercy, citing her sick brother. Esther wanted to expel her, but Elodie intervened, asking Ethan to ensure Melanie’s brother received medical treatment.

‘It was a heartwarming episode showcasing Elodie’s kind nature.’

In reality, Sophie being caught by Camille was likely just a coincidence. The original description painted Camille as someone utterly oblivious to such things.

‘There were hardly any stories involving Camille since she exited the scene right in the prologue as an extra.’

But since I had become Camille, I had to use every bit of information available, no matter how minor.