Thinking of that, I took a deep breath and became even more certain of my decision.
Alaric no longer loved me, and I no longer needed to cling to him.
I loved him, but I loved myself and the child growing inside me even more.
I didn't want to keep tormenting myself or make my son suffer because of him anymore.
Looking at the triumphant expression on Delilah's face, I replied.
“No need. I have no interest in becoming the godmother of my husband's mistress's illegitimate child.”
My voice was ice-cold as I turned and headed back to my room.
Delilah immediately put on a wounded, fragile expression. Alaric seemed to say something to me in a stern voice, but I couldn't care less.
Quietly closing the bedroom door behind me, I began packing my belongings, taking only the things that truly belonged to me.
Everything Alaric had given me, from jewelry and clothes to shoes from luxury brands, I no longer wanted any of it.
In the past, those gifts had been proof of Alaric's love, evidence of how happy I had once been.
Now, they only served as reminders of how foolish I had been in love.
I packed everything into cardboard boxes, intending to have the maids throw them away later.
Click.
The sound of the door opening broke the silence.
Someone walked in and casually sat down beside me.
“Why are you throwing all these away, darling? Weren't these your favorite things?”
Looking at the gifts he had once given me now piled carelessly inside the boxes, Alaric frowned, and his voice turned slightly colder.
My hands never stopped moving. Nor did I spare him a single glance.
“Oh, those things are old now. I don't want them anymore. I'll donate them to an orphanage later.”
The scent that belonged to Delilah grew even stronger in the air as Alaric sat down beside me.
“Stop being so stubborn over Delilah. Estelle, haven't you always been reasonable? Why have you suddenly become like this?”
“You were deliberately mocking Delilah, and he'll be very hurt by that.”
Reasonable.
Again, it was that word.
Because I had been reasonable, I had forgiven Alaric for countless affairs.
Because I had been reasonable, I had personally delivered his mistress's baby and watched her move into our estate as though she were the true mistress of the house.
I was tired of being a reasonable fool.
Pretending not to hear him, I continued packing my belongings.
“You don't actually have to move out of the Vaughn estate. I'll talk to Delilah for you..."
“I can move out, Alaric. It's good for all three of us.”
I interrupted him coldly.
In response, I only heard a quiet sigh.
“Alright, darling. Then you'll have to endure some hardship for now. I'll make it up to you later.”
Make it up to me.
He had said those words so many times that I had lost count.
I bit down hard on my lip.
Suddenly, a gentle force caught my chin. Alaric leaned closer, intending to kiss me as he always did.
But the moment I thought about how many times those lips had kissed Delilah, all I felt was disgust.
My stomach twisted violently.
Clapping a hand over my mouth, I rushed into the bathroom and retched into the sink.
“Urgh... urgh...”
The bitter, acidic taste lingering in my throat only made me feel worse.
I retched for a long time, but nothing came up. My throat burned as though it had been set on fire.
“Darling, are you okay? Why has your morning sickness been getting so severe lately?”
Alaric hurried over and gently patted my back, his voice filled with concern as he patiently checked on me.
Exhausted, I shook off his hand and walked out of the room.
Heading downstairs, I intended to find one of the maids and ask about several keepsakes belonging to my late grandfather, which I had previously entrusted to them for maintenance.
But before I could do so, a sharp smell of something burning suddenly drifted into the air.
A warning bell rang in my mind. Without a second thought, I ran barefoot toward the source of the burning smell, straight into the garden.
Amid the flickering crimson flames, I caught sight of the red cover of my late grandfather's diary, along with part of a watch that had nearly been burned to ashes. Scattered within the fire were several other belongings that had once belonged to my grandfather.
My breathing seemed to stop. The blood in my veins turned cold, and my mind went completely blank.
Then, refusing to let myself stand there in shock any longer, I rushed to grab the watering can the maids kept in the garden and frantically poured water over the flames.
My tears mingled with the water streaming from the can as the fire gradually weakened, then finally died out.
All that remained were blackened objects, some of them already reduced to ash.
I hurriedly picked up my late grandfather's watch. The scorching heat radiating from the metal instantly burned my palm, but I clenched it tightly as if I could no longer feel the pain.
Only then did the panic raging inside me finally begin to settle.
I spun around abruptly, my eyes bloodshot as I glared at Delilah, who was standing nearby with a look of satisfaction on her face.
“Are you crazy? Why did you burn my things?”
“Who gave you permission to touch them? Who gave you permission to go through my belongings?”
I had only entrusted the watch and a pendant to the maids for maintenance. As for my grandfather's diary and several of his clothes, I had always kept them neatly stored away in my closet.
So the moment I saw them in the fire, I knew it had been Delilah who had gone through my things.
“Were you never taught that you shouldn't touch other people's belongings?”
As I gathered up the remaining items and clutched them tightly in my arms, I shouted at Delilah through gritted teeth.
Delilah merely crossed her arms and casually rubbed her still-flat stomach.
“Estelle, I was only helping you get rid of some old junk. Why are you getting so worked up?”
She let out a faint laugh.
“Besides, I just gave birth. The doctor said my health is weak, and I shouldn't be around dirty things.”
“I heard your grandfather used to be a waste picker to raise you. I was worried that the things he left behind might be dirty too..."
Smack!
Before she could finish speaking, I completely lost control and swung my hand across her face with all my strength.
A bright red handprint instantly appeared on Delilah's cheek, streaked with a few smudges of black ash.
She glared at me resentfully, her eyes burning with hatred.
“You bitch..."
She screamed through clenched teeth and strode toward me.
Just as she was about to raise her hand to strike me back, she suddenly dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
“Estelle, I'm sorry. I didn't know those were your grandfather's keepsakes. I just thought they were things nobody wanted, so I burned them.”
“It's fine if you're angry, but why did you have to hit me?”
Delilah's sobbing left me momentarily stunned.
Before I could understand what was happening, a powerful slap landed squarely across my face, sending me stumbling to the ground.
