The Full Story of an Incomplete Divorce - Chapter 39

Probably a feeling similar to not being able to easily pass by a puppy abandoned on the street.
But it didn’t matter if it wasn’t love, merely pity. If he revealed his wounded, vulnerable inner self, Charlotte would never be able to turn away or leave him.
So, as he had done until now, he resolved to hide it with all his might. She would never have to know his ugly nature and the sinister desires rooted within him.
“…I love you.”
Forever.

***

Thud.
At the sound of the bedroom door closing, Charlotte’s closed eyelids fluttered faintly. After confirming the sound of Lucius’s footsteps ascending the stairs, she quietly opened her eyes and stared at the closed door.
After the incident in Kelston, Lucius no longer suffered from nightmares. Ironically, from that day on, Charlotte could hardly sleep deeply due to the dreams she had every night. They were mostly dreams about Lucius from their childhood.
Boring days followed, devoid of any activity. It wasn’t due to reasons like being unable to recover from the shock of witnessing a death, or suffering from feelings of helplessness or depression. Her mind was simply a mess.
Lucius had said that when he arrived, Ben was already unconscious and collapsed, and that he had passed away while he was gone to call a doctor. According to the doctor, Ben’s cause of death was an acute lung disease. Considering he had a chronic illness and lived drinking alcohol daily, it wasn’t really that surprising.
“What about the territory inspection? Why did you come here?”
“Ben was the one who called me here.”
“You could have refused. Didn’t you yourself say it was a worthless matter?”

“…Charlotte, I merely wanted you to no longer have to worry about anything. That is why I met Ben, to resolve things quietly.”

As if there were a predetermined answer for every question, Lucius’s words flowed without hesitation. His calm tone, no different from usual, sounded peculiarly dry and barren. Was it simply her mood, or something more?

Was everything Lucius said true? If it was a lie, where did the lie begin and end? No matter how much she turned it over in her mind, her thoughts remained foggy and blurred.
Even if there were a hidden truth, uncovering it seemed hopeless. Ben was dead, and thanks to Lucius personally stepping in to handle the funeral, his body had likely already been cremated and his ashes scattered somewhere.

Frustrated, Charlotte closed her eyes, but a sudden thought made her snap them open. She remembered hearing in passing from Ben’s neighbor, during her last visit to his house, that his wife and children had run away.
“That’s it, perhaps Ben’s wife then…”

The rain that had been tapping against the windowpane had unknowingly subsided.

It was after their final counseling session, with one week left in the mandatory reconsideration period before divorce. After the events in Kelston, Lucius had stayed constantly by Charlotte’s side, but he could no longer postpone his inspection of the territories and was forced to leave the mansion again.

“Will you come with me?”
“…No. I have other matters to attend to separately.”
“I see.”

As if he had anticipated her refusal, Lucius simply nodded quietly instead of pressing further. Charlotte, who had been watching him, suddenly spoke.
“Why don’t you ask me anything?”

Why she wouldn’t accompany him to inspect the territories, what the separate matters were, why she had secretly gone to meet Ben. Lucius hadn’t asked about any of it. Even though he couldn’t possibly be unaware that he was under suspicion.

Lucius lifted his gaze from the floor.
“Because I trust you.”
“…….”
“You told me before to only believe what I see with my own eyes, didn’t you?”

Yet, the eyes of Lucius, who said this, were trembling faintly. As if he were afraid of being abandoned. As if he wished for her to hold onto him.

For a moment, a pang shot through her chest, but Charlotte ultimately couldn’t offer any words to soothe Lucius’s anxiety.

***