My Husband Caught Me Having an Affair - Chapter 87

After lunch, we moved to the garden gazebo for tea time.

Fortunately, once we were outdoors, Elodie seemed much more at ease. She relaxed, chatted freely, laughed often, and no longer showed any signs of fearing Ethan.

‘I guess I can call this plan to bring them closer a partial success. After all, you can’t expect everything to go perfectly on the first attempt.’

Of course, compared to my expectations, it was a bit disappointing. But rushing things wouldn’t accomplish anything.

From my perspective, knowing the original story, it felt inevitable that Ethan and Elodie would become the most important people in each other’s lives.

However, with the story already deviating from the original path, it would be naive to assume everything would progress naturally.

‘I need to think practically. Rather than fretting about unmet expectations, I should be satisfied that progress has been made. I’ll just have to take things slowly and look at the long-term.’

That’s the conclusion I came to internally.

Around four in the afternoon, Elodie returned to the orphanage. The carriage was loaded with dozens of books and a variety of other gifts.

Just as I had returned to the main building after seeing Elodie off, Ethan spoke up.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“What? That can’t be true. I’m so sad about parting with Elodie right now.”

“I’m not talking about that. I meant today as a whole. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so excited before.”

“Well… I’ve told you many times how much I adore Elodie.”

“…That’s true.”

Ethan murmured with a strangely contemplative expression.

“So, what about you? After spending time with her today, didn’t you realize just how adorable and charming Elodie is? Didn’t that dress suit her perfectly? She looked so good in every single outfit that I agonized over picking just one. Honestly, I wanted her to change every thirty minutes so she could try them all.”

Ethan responded dryly to my enthusiastic outpouring.

“…I realized something. That you genuinely like her a lot.”

“Why state the obvious? What did you think of her?”

“What do you mean? She seemed like a somewhat timid child. And she appeared to find me intimidating.”

“As I’ve told you countless times, it’s because you always act so cold and intense. Couldn’t you at least try smiling and being more approachable, especially around children?”

At my words, Ethan furrowed his brow slightly.

“…Smile and be approachable? Me?”

“Why not? It’s not like doing so would tarnish your authority or dignity as the Duke of Dumont.”

Ethan said nothing, his silence making it clear he thought otherwise.

‘Well, he never acted that way in the original story either. Even after falling completely for Elodie, he couldn’t abandon his tsundere demeanor.’

As I was thinking that, I suddenly realized Ethan had walked with me all the way to the door of my room.

“Why? Do you need something from my room?”

“There’s something I want to discuss.”

“What is it?”

I looked at Ethan curiously. He hesitated, looking slightly uncomfortable, before saying, “Let’s talk inside.”

I tilted my head but opened the door.

Once inside, I turned to Ethan with a questioning expression.

After a brief pause, Ethan spoke, “Do you remember saying you wanted a child before?”

I was so surprised by his unexpected words that I stared at him.

“You said that seeing Elodie made you wish for a daughter like her.”

“…Yes, I did. Why?” I asked nervously.

‘Could it be that Ethan is about to suggest adopting Elodie himself?’

Considering the topic, I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope. If that were the case, it would be a development I couldn’t have wished for more.

“Why not try for one?”

“What?”

“Child,” Ethan said.

I blinked in astonishment, looking at him with wide eyes.

“We haven’t exactly made a proper effort so far, have we? Five years into our marriage is already quite late. It’s time to start thinking about an heir.”

Ethan spoke calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I stared blankly for a moment before gathering myself enough to ask, “…W-what are you saying all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean? You’re the one who said you wanted a child.”

“Well, yes, but… that wasn’t exactly what I meant…”

“Then what did you mean?” Ethan asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

‘He really interpreted it that way?’

Admittedly, my comment could have been misleading. For a typical married couple, it would be hard to argue otherwise.

But Ethan and I had been estranged almost since the beginning of our marriage. We hadn’t even shared meals regularly, let alone a bed, for years.

And for months now, I had been expressing my desire to divorce Ethan. So, naturally, I hadn’t imagined he’d misunderstand my words in such a way.

‘I mean, saying you’d like to have a daughter after seeing an adorable child is just a casual comment, isn’t it? Like saying you’d like to travel the world someday—a vague aspiration!’

I wanted to protest vehemently but held back.

I had made that comment to lay the groundwork for adopting Elodie. If I embarrassed Ethan now, he’d never agree to the idea of adoption.

‘But… to have a child, we’d have to… that… together, with Ethan?’

The thought alone made my face heat up.

It wasn’t something I was proud of, but in my previous life, I had no experience in that area.

While I had dated a few times during school, those relationships never progressed beyond something akin to playdates. After that, I had been too busy with work to pursue anything serious.

“Camille?”

Ethan called my name, taking a step closer. Startled, I took a step back.

“No, no, absolutely not.”

“What do you mean, ‘no’? What are you talking about—”

Ethan frowned slightly, his gaze falling to my arms, which I had crossed defensively over my chest.

“I’ve wondered before, but… do you dislike the idea of me touching you?”

Ethan’s voice was low, almost hesitant.

“What? No, that’s not…”

I stammered, flustered, and Ethan let out a sigh, as if suppressing his frustration.

“I admit I haven’t been a good husband. I know you’ve felt hurt because of it. But we’re still married. And if you want a child, this is unavoidable. So…”

Ethan trailed off, his expression tightening as though he were struggling with his words. After a moment, he shook his head and muttered softly, “…No, that’s not what I should say first.”

After a brief silence, Ethan finally spoke again, “…I’m sorry. For leaving you lonely for so long.”

I was so shocked that my eyes widened.

In the original story, Ethan never apologized under any circumstances.

It wasn’t because he was arrogant or shameless. Ethan carried a deep sense of responsibility and pride for the Dumont name, passed down from his late father. To him, apologizing was tantamount to undermining the authority of Dumont.

Ethan lived with the strict belief that he should never fail or make mistakes—never create a situation that warranted an apology.

In fact, the only person Ethan apologized to in the original story was Elodie.

Knowing the weight of his apology, I couldn’t help but ask, dumbfounded, “…Why are you apologizing?”

“Why else? Because I believe I was wrong. When you’ve done something wrong, isn’t it natural to apologize?”

Hearing Ethan say such words made me feel oddly aggrieved. I shook my head and asked again, “No, I mean… why only now?”

Ethan avoided my gaze, his expression awkward, and continued, “I didn’t realize how hard it had been for you before. I heard that many other couples live that way, and you hadn’t voiced any complaints for a long time. I thought you were okay with it. But I was wrong, wasn’t I? That’s why you even brought up divorce.”

“……”