"Who is it?"
"It's me. I'm coming in."
Before Chloe could answer, Gerard opened the carriage door and let himself in. He couldn't stand it. He had to see his wife's face right away.
The carriage door opened and a startled Chloe was seen. She and Abel were cleaning up after their meal.
"Father?"
"Yes, Abel, did you enjoy your lunch?"
"Yes! What about you, Father?"
"Father ate deliciously, too... However, you know what, Father needs time to talk with Mother right now, so could you be with Jane for a moment?"
Gerard patted Abel's hair whilst asking affectionately.
"Alright. Sure."
The child glanced one last time at his father and mother's faces before leaving the carriage. Gerard ordered a knight who was escorting the carriage to protect Abel.
"Take Abel to Jane, and tell other knights to take five steps away from the carriage."
"Understood, my Lord!"
Thus, Chloe and Gerard were the only people left in the carriage. Chloe was puzzled by the things that happened in less than a minute. She couldn't figure out what caused her husband to suddenly act this way.
"..."
However, when it was just them, Gerard couldn't say anything. There were so many things he wanted to ask, and his mind wasn't in order.
"What do you want to talk about?"
In the end, Chloe couldn't stand it and spoke first.
"Why did you come to the North?"
Gerard planned to say it in a more affectionate and gentle way. However, he didn't get enough rest. He asked his wife as firm as when he interrogated a criminal.
"What?"
"I know. You didn't come for Leila, did you?"
Chloe bit her lip. Her lies seemed to have been discovered. How the hell did this man know? Where should she start and how should she explain it?
"..."
Chloe's hesitation made Gerard run out of patience. Why couldn't his wife bring it up easily? It couldn't be.
"Is it because of Herace, as the rumors say?"
"Rumors..."
Chloe asked with a frown. She naturally had no idea what rumors spread about in society during her absence from the Capital.
"What rumors?"
"..."
Gerard couldn't answer. No matter how anxious he was, he shouldn't have brought up those nasty rumors and used them to question his wife.
Unfortunately, Chloe was very quick-witted about this kind of thing. Did he think that she came to the North for Herace? It was obvious what the rumor was about.
"Why? Does it say I have an inappropriate relationship with Lord Moore?"
Gerard clenched his jaw upon Chloe's blatant remarks. He felt complicated. He was offended when she mentioned such a nasty rumor, even though he wanted her to deny it, saying it clearly wasn't true at all.
"Do you... believe those rumors? Are you doubtful of me?"
Chloe was hurt when her husband seemed to be doubtful of her.
"...I do not wish to believe it. However, no matter how much I think about it, I can't figure out the reason why you lied and came to the North, my Lady."
"..."
"How long do I have to be deceived by you?"
Their eyes met. At that moment, Chloe hurriedly turned her head away as anger arose in her stomach.
"Ha!"
Her eyes bounced from the carriage ceiling to the window without saying anything. If she didn't do that, she felt like screaming.
Did she want him to buy her lie? Her husband's words were so ridiculous. Yes, he was right. She had no desire to defend her actions. However...
'He can't do this to me. He can't! How dare he lie to me for eight years!'
"Huff..."
Chloe tried to control her breathing. She closed her eyes slowly in order to calm down.
Gerard watched Chloe persistently. It was as if he was urging his wife to give an answer as fast as she could.
However, he didn't really feel that way. He was just content to finally have face-to-face conversation with his wife. It had been so long since they had a conversation like this. He had no idea that his wife ignoring him would have had this kind of impact on him.
Therefore, he glanced at his wife with an indulgent gaze, the opposite of the serious situation. Her blue eyes that disappeared through her softly fluttering eyelashes, lips that opened slightly to draw out a sigh, her calm and pleasant scent.
He wanted his wife to look at him more. He wanted his wife to tell him whatever she liked. He was content with anything given to him. His dark obsession was writhing witlessly.
Chloe suddenly pulled out her luggage from under the carriage seat.
"My Lady?"
Gerard questioned her upon the sudden action.
"..."
However, Chloe didn't answer her husband and began to search her luggage quietly. She dug inside with relentless hands.
The contents of the luggage was scattered all over the place as she dug around inside. However, she didn't care and focused on digging even more.
Chloe finally found the crumpled letters. She threw them as hard as she could at Gerard.
However, no matter how hard she threw it, the letter couldn't be thrown far. The paper fell on her husband's feet.
It was shabby. The letter and the person she threw the letter to.
"What's this?"
Gerard crouched down to pick up the letters. He began to read carefully.
As he read the letter, his expression became increasingly stiff. Where the hell did this letter come from? He was so confused when letters from the past that had been forgotten suddenly appeared.
"No way, because of this letter?"
Gerard looked up urgently.
"The reason why you have been different from usual, my Lady."
"You asked me how long I will lie to you, right? How long will you lie to me?"
Instead of answering her husband, Chloe burst out in anger.
"What do you mean I've lied to you?! It's not true at all. This letter is just..."
Gerard couldn't finish his words and gnawed on his lip.
"If not, then what? What the hell is that letter?"
"I was angry at Leila for not respecting me. That's why I wrote my response thoughtlessly. I really didn't mean it any other way!"
However, Gerard's excuse didn't convince Chloe. Whether he made up with Leila and deceived her, or if he was really angry with Leila and dragged her in between them, Chloe was not respected at that time.
"Huff..."
Chloe's thick eyelashes were filled with tears. Eventually, they couldn't bear the weight and flowed down her face.
Gerard felt conflictedly parched upon seeing his wife's tears. He came close to her with an immense thirst.
"Please don't cry, my Lady. It's my fault. I didn't give it much thought back then."
Gerard reached out to Chloe's face while apologizing for his fault. However, Chloe turned away from his hand.
"My Lady..."
Gerard called Chloe gravely. However, she kept talking in a cold manner while leaning away from him.
"You asked why I came to the North? No more than... checking the facts with Leila since I couldn't trust you anymore."
That was not the only reason Chloe came to the North. However, she told her husband the things that were the most hurtful to her.
"My eight years of respect, love, and trust in you...! Because of you, my eight years have been completely inadequate!"
Chloe spilled out her resentment at Gerard. Her resentment sent Gerard into a panic. A strange sense of anxiety that his wife would disappear spread over his body. He could no longer find warm affection in his wife's eyes.
"Why, why do you say our eight years together are completely inadequate? I'm sorry, my Lady. So don't say that, please..."
Gerard said while clutching his wife's hand with a trembling hand. Before he knew it, one knee had already touched the floor of the carriage.
"My Lady, I'm sorry, okay?"
He was unable to express it through words, but his behavior was no different from a child who craved love.
"Get up and stop apologizing."
However, Chloe pulled away her hand coldly. Her wound was so big that it made apologies really painful. Everytime she received an apology, the untreated wound was revealed and burned.
"What can I do to make you feel better, my Lady?"
Gerard's voice shook lightly. He was afraid that he would never be forgiven by his wife. Gerard Blanchett could no longer live without Chloe Blanchett.
"I don't know. I don't know, either...!"
Chloe covered her face with her hands. She hid herself in the darkness she made for herself.
How could she feel better? She had no clue. What on earth was she wishing for?
She wondered if her husband could solve this situation and improve. She didn't know. How did this happen? The whole thing was a mess.
Chloe suddenly thought that all this might be the consequence for not living according to the original plot.
"I've been thinking about it several times a day lately. If I didn't accept your marriage proposal back then, what would it have turned out like if I had married the person that was supposed to be set up with me..."
Chloe murmured into her palms. However, her small voice was enough to provoke the jealousy and obsession Gerard had suppressed this entire time.
"Who's the person set up for you?"
His rationality, which was trying to keep his intense emotions in check, was cut off. His mind had already been pushed to the limit for the past several days. Having lost his relaxed manner, Gerard could no longer act as a loving and attentive husband.
Gerard pulled away his wife's hand from her face. Her tearful eyes were met with eyes that burned with possessive desire.
"Marry the person set out for you, you say? Who is it?"
Gerard asked Chloe impatiently. He was asking, but didn't get an answer. The answer was already laid out.
'Chloe Blanchett would have always been my wife, no matter what.'
This was Gerard Blanchett's unmasked face. Dark possessive desire and unrestrained aggressive jealousy spilled out of him.
***