The End of a Fake Marriage

As if she had read something in Renee’s piercing gaze, Melinda hesitated and hid behind Nina.

Then, Nina stepped forward, blocking Renee’s view and said, “If you have something to say, say it to me, Renee. Don’t glare at my innocent and pitiful maid as if you’re going to kill her.”

…Nina.

It seemed that what Melinda was relying on was Nina’s complete favoritism.

Renee wondered how deep their bond was that she could so openly express such confidence, but what was important now wasn’t that useless curiosity.

Instead, Renee let her gaze linger on Melinda for a beat longer before speaking, her voice calm and polite, yet devoid of warmth.

“I’ve heard that you might have a cat allergy, Nina.”

The unexpected remark caught Nina off guard, her expression freezing for a moment. Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, she tilted her chin upward and responded curtly.

“…And?”

“If that’s the case, it’s all the more reason for the cats to be kept away from here, when the door opened earlier, Rain came inside. Let me take her out before she causes you any discomfort.”

Nina snorted nervously at her words and turned to Melinda. Her eyes, glancing at Renee, were full of sarcasm.

“Melinda, did you see a cat come in when the door opened? I certainly didn’t.”

“Well, I don’t think I saw it either…”

“Oh my, how desperate must you be to snoop around my room that you’d resort to lying? How vulgar…”

At Nina’s words, Renee’s smile hardened.

Did she have to hear such words just to take a look at the room? Furthermore, she was clearly the lady of the house in this mansion.

Renee stared at Nina stiffly, then slowly opened her mouth. Her tongue flicked out of control. Just like when she was dealing with Alexander.

“Well, when the body’s sluggish, vision tends to follow. It’s true; it’s dark outside, and mistakes happen. Still, Nina, perhaps some regular exercise would help. You’re still young; no need to…”

Nina’s face crumpled in disbelief. Renee added a few more words with a worried expression.

“I’m saying this because I’m genuinely concerned. Since the two of you seem to have trouble finding the cats because you can’t see well, I’ll go in and search myself. Ah, if you don’t want me to, we can call Mrs. Andrea or Gabriel. They seem to have much better eyesight than you and that maid.”

“Are you saying that my eyesight is worse than those old people?”

“At least your hearing isn’t failing; that’s a relief, Nina.”

“…What kind of woman are you? I told you—those filthy, disgusting cats of yours aren’t in here! I said they’re not here!”

Nina, who had shouted angrily, pushed Renee’s shoulder forcefully, as if she couldn’t contain her rage. As Renee staggered backward from the forceful push, a spark flashed in Nina’s eyes.

When this woman suddenly came and said she would look into the room, she was flustered and shocked, but now that I think about it, this was the perfect opportunity.

Yes, this was a chance to teach her a lesson. With Alexander gone, and a suitable excuse, it would be foolish not to take advantage of this.

“Do you think you can treat me like this just because you’re wearing a wedding ring?!”

Nina shouted hysterically, throwing her bony hand up in the air. The wind whistled in Renee’s ears as she swung with such force.

Renee furrowed her brows and instinctively turned her head at the thought of a painful impact.

Clang!

A sudden shattering sound cut through the space between the two women.

Both the one who had tried to hit and the one who had retreated from the incoming violence were shocked and stared towards the dark hallway.

The first thing they saw was a huge blue shard of ceramic vase lying in a mess on the hallway floor.

They said it was an expensive piece of art from a faraway foreign land.

But when they saw the tiny shards that bounced all the way to Rene’s feet, they didn’t seem worth it anymore.

“… Interesting.”

Rustle.

Without a second thought, the large figure stepped forward, casually crushing the scattered fragments beneath his polished, expensive shoes. The shards cracked beneath his weight, their beauty obliterated without hesitation.

“Ah, Alexander?”

Startled, Nina stumbled backward, her eyes wide with fear as she withdrew her outstretched hand, which moments ago had been raised in preparation to strike. Her grip tightened into a trembling fist at her chest, and the terror in her gaze deepened as she locked eyes with Alexander.

“Was it always like this, Nina?”

Unlike the stormy intensity of his gaze, his voice was calm and gentle, almost soothing. It was an unfamiliar tone, one Renée hadn’t heard often from him recently.

“Th-that’s… what do you mean?”

Nina was caught off guard. She doesn’t realize that just a few moments ago, this man shoved a piece of vase the size of her body across the hallway and shattered it.

“I’m asking if you’ve always acted like a crazy bitch to Renee. Can’t you understand?”

“…Huh?”

At the sight of Nina’s stunned and foolish question, Alexander chuckled and muttered.

“You said you weren’t deaf, but you’re all idiots. No, wait… did I just become the fool now?”

Without warning, a harsh voice pierced through the air, causing Nina to flinch and step back.

However, a hand stretched out and stopped her from stepping back.

“…!”

Her wrist, tightly held by the huge hand, felt as if it would snap at any moment.

“This makes me angry, Nina.”

“It hurts, Alexander. It hurts…!”

Nina leaned towards Alexander from his force. She had spent her whole life craving to touch him, but right now, she wanted to get away from him.

Alexander’s soft voice reached her ear.

“If you just stay quiet, I’ll let you get by with minimal punishment. But this… it makes me rethink things, Nina.”

His voice, though gentle, was chilling. When Nina lifted her gaze, she met his icy, expressionless blue eyes—devoid of emotion, utterly cold and merciless.

“Listen carefully.”

Alexander slowly tilted his head and whispered into Nina’s ear.

“Do not push my anger beyond the point where it overtakes guilt. Not before I take away the Chambler name from you Nina. If that happens, you won’t be able to come to the Chambler mansion in Kaliba again, and your mother won’t be able to freely manipulate her young lovers with those jewelry-adorned fingers, will she? Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Nina flinched, her body stiffening in place.

‘Little lovers…, Does Alexander know about them, now?’

Nina’s face turned white, and her trembling lips parted. While he had seemed to not care about anything, he had been keeping a watchful eye on her.

‘How much does he know? When did he start watching? If he mentioned guilt, then he likely doesn’t know about that specific incident, does he? Does Mother know about this?’

Numerous question marks simultaneously occupied Nina’s mind. As if he could see through them, Alexander didn’t take his eyes off Nina’s and slowly released her wrist.

A red handprint remained on her thin, pale wrist. The handprint was as creepy and deformed like handcuffs.

Shaking off his hand as if it were something dirty, Alexander gently wrapped his arm around Renee’s back and spoke softly.

“Let’s go.”

“It’s not over yet. I need to find the cats.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There are cats inside. I need to find them.”

Nina, who had been blankly staring at Renee’s words, jumped up and got angry.

“No, that woman—no, Renee—is making up nonsense! Where would the cats be in my room? Right, Melinda?”

“That’s right! Miss has a severe cat allergy, so how could cats possibly be in this room?”

“Exactly!”

Despite Nina’s forceful denial, Renee remained firm.

Alexander stared down at Renee calmly before asking, “What’s your basis?”

“The moment the door opened, Rain went inside. The kittens weren’t visible all day, and… Rain likely went in to find the kittens.”

Even to herself, the reasons sounded a bit weak. To barge into someone’s room in the dead of night, waking them up, seemed a bit unreasonable.

But Rene knew how smart a cat Rain was. Rain knew that Nina and Melinda hated him, and never went near them.

But the fact that he had rushed into Nina’s room in the middle of the night meant that the cat had a reason to risk it.

And the only thing that would make that little animal so desperate would be her kittens.

Alexander, who had been quietly observing Renee, gave a short nod.

His gentle fingers slipped between hers, but there was no force behind them—just a guiding touch.

In front of the two, Nina’s face flushed a deep red as she stepped forward to block their way.

“No!”