When My Husband Cheated On Me, I… - Chapter 5

“Aah, no. Even thinking about it again, there’s just no way,”

Chloe said playfully, wrinkling her nose as she shook her head. Then she brushed her fallen hair behind her ear.

With that motion, the earring she’d partially hidden was revealed. It was a pearl earring, shimmering with a clear violet hue.

‘Delapo pearl earrings.’

Delapo pearls were famous for their unique color. Their rarity made them even more precious.

The earrings Hayden had given me as a gift after returning from a business trip were… exactly the same design as the ones Chloe was wearing.

Ironically, that tiny earring caused a huge ripple in the calm I’d only just recovered. My heart started to pound rapidly.

‘There are only you and me around him…’

Right. Only you and me, Chloe.

Could it be. No, surely not. Could Hayden’s affair partner possibly be—

My mind spun rapidly. I began searching for meaning in Chloe’s offhand remarks. A strange sense of unease swallowed me whole.

No, it couldn’t be. I tried to reason with myself, but a seed of suspicion had already taken root.

I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the earring dangling from Chloe’s ear with her every movement.

My hand started trembling, so I quickly set my teacup down on the table. The cup clattered loudly. Finally, I managed to pull my eyes from Chloe, but my gaze wandered aimlessly through the air. I was uneasy.

My head was swirling with all sorts of ridiculous thoughts.

“What’s wrong, Winter?”

I forced an awkward smile and placed my hands neatly on my knees.

I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t focus on the situation.

“You, by any chance…”

Have you met with Hayden recently? The words rose to the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them down.

Just moments ago, I’d been doubting my husband’s fidelity, and now, to be asking Chloe who’d only just arrived in the capital such a question, it was clear I had an ulterior motive.

No matter what I said, I’d only make the situation worse.

I pressed my lips together tightly. Self-reproach and suspicion gnawed at me.

Still, I needed it. Proof that this dreadful suspicion wasn’t reality.

“I haven’t seen those earrings before.”

I finally managed to squeeze out a question, like spitting out something stuck in my throat. My voice trembled faintly. I stared at Chloe’s lips, desperately hoping she wouldn’t say Hayden’s name.

“Oh, this?”

Chloe smiled sheepishly, fiddling with the round pearl with her fingertips.

“It’s a gift from a fan. I got it after my last performance. Pretty, right? He said these are Delapo pearls.”

“A fan…”

Her answer, in its own way, crushed me.

“He said it’s a very rare pearl earring. Don’t you think the color is unusual?”

“…Yeah. It suits you well.”

The formless suspicions, which had been swirling like mist, now flared up into flames that consumed me. I forced a smile, struggling to hide my intense self-loathing.

How pathetic was I, letting a single comment make me doubt my friend and my husband?

“So, how was Kelton? Did you enjoy it?”

I changed the subject as naturally as I could, but my throat was dry. My hand gripping the teacup was pale and tense.

Chloe, as expressive as ever, told me all about what she’d been up to with her animated voice and face.

‘Stop imagining such awful things. Chloe is your dearest friend.’

Bitterness welled up just below my throat. I tried to soothe myself and focus on her story.

As Chloe cheerfully recounted her travels, she checked the time and suddenly stood up.

“Oh my! Look at the time. I have to go!”

“You’re leaving without dinner? Hayden will be home soon.”

Regretfully, I asked Chloe as she hurried to get ready to leave, but she shook her head with a radiant smile.

“No, who knows when he’ll get home.”

“He’ll be here soon. You haven’t seen Hayden in ages, either.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Besides, I have plans for dinner tonight.”

“Plans?”

She’d always liked spending time with the three of us together. I’d assumed she’d cleared her schedule again, and felt a bit embarrassed for thinking so.

“Oh, I see. I almost tried to keep you here for nothing.”

“Sorry, Winter. Oh! By the way, I heard a famous hotel restaurant just opened? You have to go with me sometime.”

Chloe, tying her bonnet ribbons, grinned broadly.

“Mm, let’s do that.”

“Tell Hayden I said hello! I’ll get in touch soon.”

Chloe waved cheerfully as she said her goodbyes.

“Don’t come out too far. I’ll see myself out.”

She vanished as quickly as a flash. The unfamiliar sight left me a little dazed.

‘Is it an important appointment?’

I waved after her as she walked away briskly, then returned inside the manor.

When I turned back from seeing her off, I faced an empty, silent corridor. My steps wavered. I grabbed the stair railing and let out the breath I’d been holding.

…It had been a dreadful day.

Listless self-loathing spilled out along with my sighs.

I’d been smiling on the outside, but in my heart, it felt like I’d done something unforgivable to Chloe.

I kept conjuring up dirty suspicions. I went over and over whether the two of them could have met behind my back. No matter how I thought about it, it seemed impossible. There simply hadn’t been time to fool me. Even so, the deep-seated suspicion wouldn’t go away.

At the end of my meeting with Chloe, I was left with one rather bitter conclusion. I must be suffering from paranoia.

I thought I could almost smell a faint stench at the tip of my nose, and it tormented me.

Sunlight from the window above the entrance streamed down onto the stairs leading to the second floor. Golden dust motes shimmered and danced in the air. An unreal sense, as if time itself had come to a stop, swallowed me whole.