When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 4

“Your words are excessive. I certainly never said that…!”

“Let’s stop there. It would be even more miserable if you said it yourself.”

“Do you really think the Duke loves you? You, who were abandoned by your own family.”

Anna sneered. Everyone knew that Reilly was practically abandoned by her family.

At first, Reilly thought he loved her too. But now, she knew that wasn’t the case.

“At least I’m not spending the night and getting paid for it like you. Anna, do you think that relationship will last forever?”

The love you believe in, that shallow trust in the Duke, won’t embrace you forever.

Reilly put down her teacup and stood up. Her stomach tightened from the stress, causing pain.

‘What’s the point of talking to this woman…’

It would only hurt each other. When you think about it, it was Theo who was at fault.

If he didn’t love her, he shouldn’t have married her, and if he had no intention of building a proper family, he shouldn’t have taken Anna as his mistress.

There was no happiness here. Reilly was worried about the baby in her womb.

How many days will the child be able to smile in the days to come, and how much will she have to wear a mask and smile in front of them?

“…The baby, the baby! Theo only married you to have a child!”

“You’re a pitiful person too.”

It was sincere. Unlike at first, Anna’s complexion was getting worse, and Reilly sensed that her end was near as well.

“Do you think you can be happy here? What about the happiness of the child you’ll bear?”

Anna thought Reilly wasn’t facing reality properly. Even if she had the child the Duke wanted, the situation wouldn’t change.

‘Theo brought me here because he loves me.’

Reilly was just a woman to continue the lineage, but she wasn’t. So, Reilly would be the one abandoned.

She thought that was an unchanging fact, now and in the future.

“My child’s happiness and mine are my responsibility, so why don’t you face your own reality, Anna?”

“Ha, do you think Theo sees you as a woman? He loves me, he only looks at me!”

Anna’s face, distorted with anger, was more pathetic than lovely.

“If he’s so great, you can have him. Just wait a little, and I’ll abandon him for you.”

Not much time left. Not much time left to continue this terrible life, and not much time left to hide it anyway.

“Do you think I’ll believe that?!”

“That doesn’t matter to me, I’m going to throw him away, and it’s your choice whether to pick him up or discard him.”

Anna squinted at Reilly’s changed attitude. She couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.

‘Yes, keep doubting and doubting. Because you won’t believe the truth even if I tell you.’

Insecurity creates doubt. And before you know it, you’ll be consumed by anxiety and unable to see your surroundings calmly.

The beautiful girl who came here with Theo was no longer here. Anna, burdened with anxiety and aware of her reality, grew more and more haggard with each passing day.

“What’s going on?”

Theo, who was handling some work, came out and asked, probably because Anna’s voice was loud.

“I was just wondering what you gave this woman as compensation yesterday.”

“…Madam, Anna is not a woman who sells her body.”

“I know, she’s just a mistress. I don’t know if she came here deceived by you or on her own.”

“I don’t know why you’re being so hostile; it’s not good for the baby.”

Theo frowned as he looked at Reilly. He sighed briefly, looking at her noticeably protruding belly.

“Is this situation itself good for the baby?”

“Madam.”

“I am the Madam, aren’t I? You call me Madam every chance you get, so I only realize I’m the Duke’s wife at times like this, don’t I?”

“…”

Following being a Duchess in name only in the family, she was a Duchess in name only even here.

“While we’re on the subject, what’s the news about my sister?”

It had already been a month since he said he would look into it. But Theo still hadn’t told Reilly anything.

“I need to see her.”

“That’s not allowed.”

“If I can’t go out, bring my sister here.”

Reilly was firm, as if she wouldn’t back down. Theo glanced at Anna for a moment.

Theo shook his head, looking troubled. Although she was abandoned by her family, she was still a member of the Trailla family.

This would be an insult to the Trailla family. Knowing that, Theo had quietly brought Anna here.

A mistress hidden in the Duke’s residence, never taken to social gatherings or anywhere else. Everyone knew, but no one could say it out loud.

“Are you ashamed of this appearance? Does no one know Anna in other places? Or are you worried about my family, even though I’ve been abandoned?”

“…I’ll let you know when I get a reply to the letter.”

It was always like this. He was always avoiding, and he never gave a clear answer.

Reilly and Theo couldn’t mesh together, like a broken, malfunctioning gear. He stopped Reilly from doing what she wanted to do.

Or rather, he forcibly prevented her from doing it.

“How long do I have to wait?”

Her stomach tightened again, causing pain, and she bit her lip. Reilly took a breath and leaned forward slightly, and Theo approached and supported her.

Lately, she had been getting stomachaches because of stress. For the sake of the baby, Reilly tried to maintain peace. But that was impossible as long as Anna didn’t disappear from her sight.

“It’s not good for the baby. So, you shouldn’t pay attention to other things-”

Theo, who had approached Reilly, carefully checked her condition. She could only laugh in disbelief at his anxiousness, as if he was worried about the baby being harmed.

“Madam, calm down first and let’s go inside.”

Theo’s hand, which grabbed her arm, felt terrible. She wanted to tear it off immediately, feeling like dirty bugs were crawling on her.

‘Disgusting. I feel like throwing up. Ugh!’

Reilly couldn’t hold back her nausea and barely swallowed her vomit.

“If you don’t tell me about my sister by the end of this week, I’ll go see her myself, so keep that in mind.”

She took Theo’s hand off her arm and composed herself.

Anna quietly watched the situation she had created. She didn’t leave, leaning against the wall and watching, as if she was quite satisfied with the sight of them fighting.

“I don’t have to step in, and the end is in sight.”

Anna called a maid to bring her tea. Sitting at the table and drinking tea, she quietly called one of the maids and handed her a letter.

“Burn it; it seems like it came to the wrong place again.”