My Husband Never Dies - Chapter 63

Hair far too brilliant to be mistaken for the soft fuzz of a newborn spilled across the white pillow in gleaming strands of gold. Sensing her presence, the baby stirred. Slowly, tiny eyelids fluttered open. The instant their eyes met, Evelyn forgot to breathe.

They were an impossibly clear and vivid green.

“Ah!”

A newborn shouldn’t have been able to focus its eyes. Its vision should still have been too underdeveloped.

And yet the tiny creature lying in the crib followed Evelyn’s face with perfect precision. Its gaze never wavered.

It was like staring into a mirror. Those eyes — they were identical to her own.

The baby’s slender wrists looked delicate enough to snap at a touch. Its chubby cheeks and flawless little face were so innocent, so impossibly lovely, that anyone who saw it would have called it an angel.

But a cold shiver slithered up Evelyn’s spine like a snake.

This was no human child.

It wasn’t the product of a natural conception or birth. It was an exquisitely crafted imitation. A thing the monster of Brumfield had fashioned by tearing away pieces of his wife’s flesh and coloring them into shape.

Still holding Evelyn’s gaze, the baby curled its lips into an innocent smile, as though it knew nothing at all. The air in the room seemed to freeze.

“Oh my! I think the little one is happy because you’ve come, my lady. I told you; there’s nothing better than Mama.”

Unlike Evelyn, who could feel every instinct in her body recoiling, Laura chattered away as though nothing were amiss.

At last, Evelyn forced her trembling lips apart.

“What the hell is this?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you think this joke has gone far enough?!”

Evelyn’s furious shout left Laura staring at her in bewilderment.

“M-My lady! You’ll frighten the little—”

“The little one? For fxck’s sake…”

Grabbing a fistful of her own hair, Evelyn failed to contain the rage surging through her. She slammed her fist down hard against the sturdy crib.

Bang!

Startled by the deafening crash, Laura hurriedly scooped the baby into her arms.

“M-My lady…”

Even the trembling edge in Laura’s voice couldn’t calm Evelyn’s anger. She seized the solid frame of the crib and violently overturned it.

Crash! With a tremendous clatter, the heavy crib toppled onto its side.

“Eek!”

Clutching the infant tightly against her chest, Laura stumbled back several steps to shield the child from Evelyn.

“M-My lady… what’s gotten into you…?”

A mocking smile tugged at Evelyn’s lips as she stared coldly at the maid.

“Oh, spare me the ‘Mama’ nonsense. That isn’t my child. I’ve been in Brumfield for less than six months. And you’re telling me I gave birth?”

“My lady…”

“Put it down, then get out.”

At her command, Laura only clutched the baby swaddled snugly in its blanket even tighter and shook her head.

“N-No… Please, my lady, I beg you…”

“You want me to repeat myself? Put it down and get out!”

“I can’t, my lady.”

Certain that obeying Evelyn now would only bring harm to the little one, Laura refused with a firm shake of her head.

“Please… Why are you doing this, my lady? This is all my fault. I should have understood what you wanted. I was the one who failed you. So please, for the baby’s sake…!”

Just then, a cry burst from within the blankets.

Waaah… aaah…

It was a frail, utterly helpless wail. Glancing nervously at Evelyn every few moments, Laura gently rocked the baby in her arms.

“There, there… it’s all right, little one. Did I frighten you? It’s okay… Everything’s all right…”

Evelyn ground her teeth together. The sight of Laura terrified of her, constantly watching her every move, yet still cradling the baby with such desperate tenderness—

It drained the strength from her all at once.

The maid believed the thing in her arms was the Duke and Duchess’s child. It wasn’t merely a matter of belief or acceptance. To Laura, it was the truth. Which was why she looked at Evelyn with such naked horror, She was a mother trying to harm her own baby.

They had been married in early spring. Summer had only just given way to late summer. How could she possibly have given birth in that span of time?

Questions like that would never reach Laura. Not when she couldn’t even recognize that there was no gardener in this estate. No head chef. No other maids. No guards.

“Get out.”

Evelyn didn’t want to witness this madness for another second. At the abrupt order, Laura offered no protest. Holding the baby tightly against her chest, she hurried from the room.

As Evelyn stared down at the overturned crib lying on the floor, a cool mist drifted toward her. The fog curled and coiled like a serpent before slowly taking shape behind her.

“What a cold-hearted mother.”

“Shut up.”

Without so much as turning her head, Evelyn spat the words through clenched teeth. A moment later, strong arms slid around her waist, enclosing her as though she were being imprisoned.

“Didn’t you like your gift?”