When My Husband Cheated On Me, I… - Chapter 6

After standing in a daze for some time, I took a deep breath and moved my body to pull myself out of the swamp of self-reproach.

It was too late to be lost in self-deprecation. My husband would be home soon. I needed to hurry and prepare myself, as a wife, to greet him.

“Madam.”

Just as I stepped onto the first stair, Butler Vidkun called out to me. As always, he stood with perfect posture in his neat attire, looking at me.

“A short while ago, the Master called to say he would be a little late.”

“Oh… is that so?”

It seemed the phone ringing during my conversation with Chloe had been from him.

“He asked me to let you know that he’s sorry, but today’s scheduled meeting will run a little longer.”

As I froze, Vidkun added further explanation. His attentive words halted the thoughts that had started to take over my mind again. I gave a slight, forced smile and nodded.

“Then I’ll just have a simple meal in my room.”

“And also… A letter has arrived from the Olivier family.”

Vidkun handed me the letter he was holding.

The plain white paper, without any decoration, grated on my already raw nerves. The word ‘family’ brought with it a sense of suffocation, and I swallowed dryly. All the fatigue that had been building up throughout the day suddenly seemed to crash down on me.

“Madam…?”

When I didn’t take the letter, Vidkun waited quietly, tilting his head to observe me.

“Oh, thank you, Vidkun.”

Coming to my senses, I took the letter from Vidkun’s hand and went upstairs to my room.

The large south-facing window was now filled with short, reddish sunlight.

By the time I sat down at my desk, the once pristine envelope was a wrinkled mess in my hand.

My fingers trembled as I opened the letter. I felt a mix of hope that maybe, just maybe, today would be different and resignation at the all-too-predictable ending.

Blinking my tired eyes, I read its contents.

It was a single, simply written letter in my mother’s handwriting, filled with nothing different from usual.

She wrote about how the house they were living in was old and she wanted to move, that she was thinking of wrapping up life in the territory and moving to the capital, that there wasn’t enough money to pay the servants’ wages.

It was all complaints, full of disregard for the actual circumstances of the family.

Then the main reason for the letter appeared.

There was talk of the business my brother had just started, how promising it was. And yet, things weren’t going well because luck wasn’t on his side, so maybe her son-in-law could help out a little?

She hoped that I, the good daughter whose circumstances were the best in the family, would convince my husband.

After reading that far, I felt as if I couldn’t breathe.

My family had asked for help in this way more than once before. Thankfully, Hayden had never ignored their requests.

My brother Austin had already ruined several businesses, and he’d even caused incidents serious enough to put the family in danger. My husband’s family didn’t like that much.

‘We thought we’d brought in a proper noble’s daughter, but who could have known she was the blood of some foolish entrepreneur chasing pipe dreams?’

That was my mother-in-law Melinda’s evaluation of my family. I, too, agreed that Austin had no business sense.

He’d gotten involved in all sorts of scams, both big and small.

I had told him over and over to stop making stupid mistakes and at least do what was given to him, but all he ever said was that a man should achieve great things.

Still, after the scam incident two years ago, I thought he had finally come to his senses…

“Haa.”

The letter from my mother once again made me realize how grateful I was for my husband.

A person I was thankful for, who never turned his back on my family.

In the end, I found myself here again, facing my pitiful self, who spent time wallowing in horrible suspicions.

‘To be suffering from paranoia about a husband who endures my family’s troubles…’

A wave of depression surged over me in an instant.

I closed my eyes tightly and weathered the tide. When I opened them again, the red sunlight outside the window had already faded.

From beyond the closed door came a familiar scratching sound. As if appearing at just the right moment, it was the sign that my little cat had come home.

With my face brightening, I hurried out and opened the door. Even before it was fully open, a familiar silhouette squeezed through the narrow gap.

“Mister Meow, you’re home?”

“Myaaang.”

Mister Meow greeted me with a long meow, rubbed his face against my leg as usual, then silently made his way over to the sofa.

After leaping gracefully into his spot, Mister Meow paced back and forth on the sofa, watching me.

“Myaaaang.”

It was practically a command, telling me to come and pet him. Smiling, I sat down on the sofa, and Mister Meow immediately settled on my lap.

Soon, the sound of purring and his warm body washed away all the horrors of the day.

“How did you get even chubbier, Mister Meow?”

As I kneaded his soft belly, Mister Meow licked my hand as if he didn’t want to hear it.

Ever since the vet diagnosed Mister Meow as overweight, I had been especially careful about what he ate. With a sigh, I checked the pendant hanging around Mister Meow’s neck.