My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 77

Of course, from Ethan’s perspective, it might have made sense to think that way, especially since we hadn’t adopted Elodie yet. But even so, I didn’t want to hear such words coming from Ethan.

It wasn’t like I was Elodie myself, but I still felt rejected and hurt.

“What’s wrong?”

When I didn’t say anything, biting my lip slightly, Ethan asked.

“…It’s nothing,” I muttered quietly, turning my head to look out the window.

“Camille.”

“I’m a bit tired. I’d like to rest quietly until we reach the mansion.”

“……”

In the end, Ethan also fell silent. The only sound that filled the space was the rattling of the carriage as it moved.

***

Ethan entered the room, taking off his outer coat.

He felt complicated in many ways.

Since then, Camille hadn’t spoken a word. It was as if her earlier excitement about the girl named Elodie had been a lie; the atmosphere had suddenly darkened.

‘…Did I really say something so terrible?’

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand.

All Ethan had done was state an obvious fact.

She really was just a child with no relation to him, so he said it wasn’t relevant. Was that such a terrible thing to say?

Of course, he could tell that Camille was very fond of the girl—she had even gone out of her way to introduce them. Maybe she had hoped to see the two of them get along.

‘…Then why didn’t she just say that from the beginning?’

She had said it had been a while since they went out together, that she was curious about the used bookstore he visited—all that, just to make him meet that girl.

He felt like a fool. If she had told him in advance, he wouldn’t have had to waste time trying to decipher non-existent meanings.

“…Damn it.”

Ethan sat on the sofa, running his hand through his hair in frustration.

Logically, it didn’t seem like he had done anything wrong, yet it felt like everything was his fault—and that made him feel indescribably awful.

***

‘…It looks like I’ll need to come up with a new plan.’

After thinking it over for a while, I reached that conclusion.

Failing to recreate their initial meeting from the original story had caused a bigger butterfly effect than I had expected.

Now, Ethan saw Elodie as just a child I happened to know—there was none of the interest or curiosity that he had shown in the original story.

At first, I had lamented why Elodie had to be reading a picture book that day, but upon reflection, I realized that was also due to my interference.

“I thought the younger children at the orphanage might like it. You read it so well last time, Duchess… I thought I could read it to them when you’re not there.”

Hearing that had made me incredibly happy, but it was a variable that wouldn’t have existed if I hadn’t volunteered at the orphanage in the first place.

‘Honestly, how could I have predicted that…’

No matter how thoroughly I calculated and planned, there were always limits.

In any case, that small variable had thrown a wrench into the very important matter of Ethan and Elodie’s initial meeting and relationship-building.

As things stood, even adopting Elodie wouldn’t be easy.

“I could understand if it were you, but she’s just a child with no relation to me.”

Recalling those words made my chest ache again.

‘I won’t let Elodie hear anything like that. Not ever.’

Ethan and Elodie were my favorite father-daughter pair—their bond was tender, loving, and unbreakable. Their warm, everyday life together had brought me to tears and laughter countless times. It had been a small comfort during the despair of my illness.

I couldn’t bear the thought that, because of me, they might never form that connection.

***

A few days later.

Today, I was scheduled to attend a banquet for the first time in about a month.

To be honest, I had no real desire to attend such gatherings. They were chaotic, exhausting, and filled with people I had to deal with.

Especially lately, I had been preoccupied with worrying about Ethan and Elodie, leaving me with even less energy to spare.

Still, I had scheduled this because of my deal with Josephine at Warnier’s Boutique. I had promised to purchase a new dress each time she bought back one of my used gowns.

‘It would be odd to buy a dress and then not attend any banquets.’

Not all dresses were meant for banquets, of course, but the most expensive and elaborate ones usually were.

Besides, once a month was hardly excessive—especially compared to Camille’s past habit of attending banquets almost daily.

Even though I still wasn’t keen on going, I ultimately decided to attend.

‘When things are tough like this, it’s important to get a change of scenery… Although I’m not sure attending a banquet will actually help.’

I put on my new dress and left the estate.

The banquet I was attending today was a masquerade ball. As the name suggested, the theme was to hide one’s true identity behind a mask or disguise. Of course, many people played along only superficially—everyone knew who was who.

‘Still, it’s better than a typical banquet, where all eyes are on you as soon as you enter the hall.’

Upon arriving at the ballroom, I saw that there were quite a few masks that made bold statements. It felt less like hiding one’s identity and more like creating a second persona.

Among them was a mask so decorated that, from behind, it looked like a peacock.

‘Wow, that must be heavy. It’d be hard to even walk around with it.’

I quickly found a corner of the hall to settle in, sipping a drink as I watched the people around me.

A few men without partners approached me, attempting to strike up conversations, but I turned them down, claiming I was tired.

After doing that a few times, I was finally able to enjoy my solitude in peace.

I was deep in thought, trying to come up with a plan to bring Ethan and Elodie closer, when it happened.

“Is this seat taken?”

A man had approached without me noticing.

His voice was strangely familiar. As I tried to place where I’d heard it before, the man leaned against the wall beside me—despite the fact that I hadn’t answered whether the seat was available.

‘He looks like trouble.’

With that assessment, I decided to be firm from the start.

“Don’t waste your time.”

“How do you know what I was going to say?”

“Whatever it is, it won’t work. I have no intention of entertaining anyone tonight.”

“You’re certainly direct.”

I didn’t reply. It was a clear indication that I had no interest in continuing the conversation. However, the man showed no sign of leaving.

“Is your husband keeping watch again tonight?”

At those words, I froze, the glass halfway to my lips.

For the first time, I turned to look at the man beside me. He wore a plain, unadorned silver mask. He lifted it slightly, revealing his face beneath.

It was Nicolas.

Or rather, Nicolas disguised as Alberto Bucci. He lowered the mask again, a sly smile playing at his now-visible lips.

“It hurts a bit that you didn’t recognize me until now.”

“…How did you know it was me?”

“How could I not? That tiny mask is hardly enough to hide your beauty.”

I was grateful to be wearing a mask—I wasn’t confident I could control my expression otherwise.

‘…Why is Nicolas seeking me out again?’

Honestly, I had assumed he’d have no reason to approach me anymore.

‘Was I wrong? No, last time he clearly left as if he had all the information he needed.’

At that point, Nicolas must have decided there was nothing more to gain from me.

‘Could something have happened in the past month to change his mind?’

Whatever it was, Nicolas showing up again was certainly not a good sign.

‘He must have a reason for approaching me again. And not as Clements or some other identity, but specifically as Alberto…’

“Why so silent? Am I unwelcome?” Nicolas asked in a subtly seductive tone.

“No, I’m just… surprised. It’s been over a month since we last met…”

“I would’ve come sooner if I could. But you’ve been keeping to yourself, leaving me no choice.”

Nicolas leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “But seeing you now, I must say the wait was worth it. I’d wait a year if it meant seeing you again.”

“……”

There was no doubt.

Nicolas was here to seduce me—and he was serious about it.