My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 80

“Can you guarantee that there’s not even a one-in-a-million chance that you’ll get hurt?”

“I’d never risk something I can’t afford to lose, no matter how low the odds.”

It wasn’t just words. Ethan’s eyes, his expression, his cracked voice—all conveyed that he was utterly sincere.

Honestly, it was frustrating. Camille pitied Ethan for the past that had made him this way. But at the same time, she couldn’t deny that a small part of her felt something else—something almost like excitement.

That realization startled her. She had never really thought of Ethan as a man. At least, she didn’t think she had.

‘…No, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions.’

Maybe Ethan had reacted that way simply because she had touched a nerve. Despite everything, she was still his wife, still family—someone he felt responsible for protecting.

Logically, that made much more sense.

After all, as Ethan himself had said, she had many secrets she was hiding from him, and they still fought whenever they were face to face.

Right now, she needed to focus on practical matters, not fleeting emotions.

Even dealing with Nicolas had already strayed from the original plan. She needed to come up with a new strategy.

‘Focus. Just like always… think, plan, prepare.’

If she didn’t, she would have ended up dying alone on the streets long ago.

Camille suddenly sat up in bed and went to her desk, lighting the lamp.

***

Ethan squinted at the sunlight filtering through the curtains.

In the end, he hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. His body ached with exhaustion and a faint headache, but staying in bed any longer wouldn’t help him fall back asleep.

Ethan got up from the bed.

‘…Maybe I should head to the training grounds and swing my sword a bit.’

Moving his body might help clear his tangled thoughts and emotions.

That was when he stepped out of the bedroom.

Ethan froze at the sight of Camille sitting on the sofa in his reception room.

“You’re up early.”

“……”

Ethan looked at her silently before speaking, “As I said yesterday, that matter is settled. No matter what you say, I’m not changing my mind.”

“I know. I didn’t come to convince you,” Camille replied calmly.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. I’ll handle the matter with Nicolas as you said. I’ll tell him that I can’t do it because I’m afraid my husband might catch me.”

“……”

Ethan eyed her suspiciously. But, as always, her expression was unreadable—an impeccable poker face.

“You look like you’re doubting me.”

“……”

Camille chuckled. “At least try to deny it.”

“…Are you serious? You’re not just trying to reassure me before stabbing me in the back?”

“‘Stab you in the back’? That’s harsh. I’ve told you countless times—we’re on the same side. Under the name of Dumont.”

“……”

Ethan slowly walked over and sat across from her.

“So, what do you want to discuss?”

“How to handle Nicolas.”

Ethan narrowed his eyes. “I thought you were going to do what I said.”

“I am. Like I said, I won’t handle it directly. But I can still offer my opinion, can’t I? After all, Nicolas approached me, and I’m the one who found out he works for Girard. Ultimately, I agreed to follow your lead, so it’s only fair that you hear me out, don’t you think?”

“……”

She was always so annoyingly persuasive. Ethan sighed softly.

“I knew you had something up your sleeve.”

“This hardly counts as having an agenda. I’m just trying to have an open, fair conversation.”

“……”

Ethan stared at her before finally cracking a smile. “Fine. Go ahead.”

“Like I said yesterday, don’t try to trail Nicolas or gather hard evidence that he’s Girard’s operative. You’re more likely to get caught than succeed.”

“So, what? Just let him go without figuring out why he approached you? That’s wasting a golden opportunity.”

“Big words for someone who didn’t create that opportunity,” Camille replied, looking slightly exasperated.

Ethan ignored her and continued, “Regardless, it’s a chance to catch Girard’s trail. We even have the name and face of someone suspected to be his operative.”

“As I just said, I’m the one who gathered that information.”

“I’m not trying to take credit.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m saying you should listen to me because I know what I’m talking about. This situation requires a cautious approach. If we act recklessly, we’ll lose more than we gain.”

Camille spoke firmly, her eyebrows slightly raised in an expression that Ethan found… almost cute.

‘…Wait. Cute?’

Ethan frowned slightly at himself.

‘I really must be sleep-deprived if I’m thinking like that.’

He shook his head forcefully, which made Camille frown.

“Are you listening to me? This is important, so focus. Stop spacing out.”

“……”

It had been a ridiculous thought. Now that he looked at her again, she had her usual annoying expression.

“So, what’s your suggestion?”

“For now, do nothing. No following him, no investigating. Just pretend we don’t know anything.”

“…What? That’s basically wasting the opportunity.”

“It’s not. As you said, we know his name and face. For now, let my informant monitor Nicolas and Girard’s movements. We’ll gather information that way, and the right time to act will come.”

“You expect me to just sit back and trust some informant whose identity I don’t even know?”

“They’re reliable. Haven’t they already proven that with everything they’ve provided?”

“So, you still won’t tell me who they are?”

“It’s for security. You understand how important that is.”

“……”

Ethan tapped the table with his fingers, his expression thoughtful.

“Trust me. I’ve never failed before, have I?”

“……”

Ethan wasn’t entirely convinced. Should he trust Camille on this? Would he end up regretting it later? But she did have a point.

‘…That’s always the problem. She always makes too much sense.’

In this matter, Camille held all the cards.

She claimed to be open and honest, but there was likely still information she hadn’t shared with Ethan. Of course, it wasn’t impossible that she was actually a spy for Girard, but…

‘But that can’t be. …It shouldn’t be, right?’

Logically, the odds were slim. If Camille were a spy, many of her actions wouldn’t make sense.

‘No need to decide anything right now.’

For now, suspicion could remain just that—suspicion. And if Camille did act like a spy later, he would deal with it then.

‘Right. I’m not trusting her without any plan. That’s not what this is…’

Ethan convinced himself, almost as if making an excuse.

“Fine. We’ll do it your way, for now.”

Camille’s face brightened, visibly relieved.

“Thank you. You won’t regret this.”

“I hope not.”

“You won’t.”

After saying that, Camille suddenly hesitated, glancing at Ethan with an unusual expression.

She seemed… hesitant, which wasn’t like her.

“And, um… about what you said yesterday.”

“What did I say?”

“You said you’d never risk something you can’t afford to lose, no matter how low the odds… What did you mean by that?”

Ethan tilted his head slightly. “I meant exactly what I said.”

“If you mean that literally… then, um…”

“Like I said before, dead people don’t come back. What’s more irreplaceable than a life?”

“……”

Camille frowned slightly.