My Former Lover Didn't Die And Came Back - Chapter 27

“……Aren’t you sick?”

“I think I’m okay now.”

She just repeated that she was okay.

“……Let go.”

With those, his grip loosened. She immediately withdrew her hand. When she looked up, their eyes met.

He scrutinized her. She had clearly lost weight, and her wrists were thin. Her hair was dry, and her skin was pale. But she still took his breath away.

Blair also looked over Cedric. It was she who had been sick, but she couldn’t understand why he looked so unwell. There was stubble around his jaw, and a faint smell of alcohol, as if he had been drinking the night before. Shadows were under his eyes, yet he still looked at her with intensity.

“……”

Blair couldn’t stand the silence for some reason. Besides, his intense gaze made her feel uncomfortable. She wanted to escape this awkwardness by any means. This atmosphere was unfamiliar to her. As far as she knew, there was only one way to get out of this situation.

As Blair began to unbutton her pajamas, her protruding collarbones, made more prominent by her weight loss, were exposed.

“……What are you doing?”

The man’s face began to contort.

“Please finish quickly. I’m still not in good shape…….”

Cedric’s body froze.

“……I didn’t come here for that.”

A harrowing voice escaped the man’s mouth.

“But you……”

Blair’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“Apart from this, you don’t…… do anything else with me?”

His face crumpled even more at her response.

“Then it’s not for that reason……? But you always just do this and leave.”

The man closed his mouth. His face darkened every time she blinked as if to say, isn’t that right?

He recalled the past few months. The days when he would strip her clothes off without a word as soon as he got onto the bed.

Whenever there was a mood for serious conversation, she invariably mentioned her husband’s name. He grew to dislike hearing it so much that he would kiss her as soon as he entered the mansion.

“…….”

He silently moved his large hand to button up the buttons she had undone. Click-click, the small pieces made a noise as they hit his fingernails. She looked at him with puzzled eyes.

After buttoning her up, his hands relaxed, and the awkwardness returned. Cedric was the first to speak.

“……Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“My subordinates…… that they were showing that kind of interest towards you,”

Cedric stopped speaking and recalled the past. She had indeed appealed to him that his subordinates made her uncomfortable. She had said she was scared they might barge in when he was away and asked him to assign someone to guard her so she wouldn’t run away.

「Yeah, I get scared whenever you’re not around.」

「…….」

「I don’t know when the door I locked will open, or if the window will open at dawn…」

How did he respond at that time?

「They are trustworthy people.」

「…To you, maybe…!」

「…Those guys won’t enter the mansion without my permission. They will never lay a hand on you.」

How had she reacted then? She sighed deeply and never brought up that topic again, convinced that he wouldn’t believe her.

If he had listened to her then, she wouldn’t have been wandering on the brink of death.

Though she barely managed to open her eyes, her body had greatly weakened. Above all, even if the gang rape ended in an attempt, being assaulted leaves a deep scar on a woman, possibly causing trauma.

Worse of all, all of this could have been avoided.

If only he had believed her.

Cedric tightly clenched the blanket in his hand. When blue veins popped out on his hand, Blair felt frightened and shrank back.

“……”

Cedric loosened his grip on the blanket and looked at the woman, who resembled a frightened deer. The fact that she was scared of him left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Blair held onto the blanket and looked at him with dubious eyes. She seemed unsure of what action to take next. Understandably so. Such a situation had never occurred between them before. Whenever they were alone together, he always…….

Damn it. Cedric muttered, breaking the silence after a moment, and spoke up.

“Are you okay?”

“You already asked that.”

“That was about your hands.”

“Oh…… I’m okay.”

She lowered her guard slightly and responded in a neutral tone. Cedric swallowed hard before bringing up what he needed to say.

“It’s my fault that my subordinates caused you harm……”

Cedric was sincere. If he had shown how much he cared for her, his subordinates wouldn’t have acted recklessly.

“Ah……”

She looked surprised, not expecting Cedric to apologize.

“It’s okay. You couldn’t help it. It’s natural for you to trust your comrades, with whom you have been through battles more than me.”

“…….”

There were parts of her words that he had to agree with. To be honest, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t thought about the same thing while she was struggling with her life.

He was initially angry and betrayed. Wasn’t it natural for him not to trust her? At that time, he had no choice but to rationalize his actions. Besides, she had just said, ‘you couldn’t help it.’ But his mood still didn’t improve. Why?

Why did he still feel guilty?

“Really, Cedric. Things happen.”

Blair emphasized again in a cheerful tone, but the man’s brow did not relax.

He couldn’t trust her then. It was natural, but why.

Blair blinked her bright blue eyes at him. Seeing that gaze, somehow he couldn’t bear it anymore. He was thirsty.

Cedric couldn’t understand. He apologized for the wrongdoing of his subordinates, and she readily accepted his apology. But why? Why doesn’t this anxiety wrapping around him disappear……?

“……Rest, Blair.”

In the end, all he could do was utter those words with difficulty and choose to leave the bedroom. She was avoiding her once again.

When the man stood up, the bed swayed. Blair watched as he walked heavily towards the bedroom door, closed it behind him, and left.

* * *

Led by the hands of the maids, Blair’s eyes widened as she entered the drawing room. The room was sparkling with various colors.

“What is all this……?”

Around the coffee table, several dresses and gift boxes were piled up like a mountain. Inside the boxes were pieces of jewelry with large gems, such as necklaces and earrings.

“…….”

Blair opened one or two boxes nearby to check the contents and soon put them down. There was no need to open everything. The contents would be similar.

“Would you like to try one on?”

A seamstress was also standing by, ready to make alterations if the clothes did not fit.

“…….”

Blair sighed and then let herself be guided by their hands.

「Dresses? Jewelry? What do you need them for? You have no one to show them to except me, right?」

The past Cedric muttered in her head.

「Of course, I like it best when you wear nothing at all.」

His cold tone and expression when he said she didn’t need new clothes.

It was he who scolded her when she said she needed money. And it was also he who ordered so many dresses and jewels today.

……What kind of change of heart had happened?

Her head soon began to hurt, and she stopped thinking.

Skilled hands were busily moving over her body, soon wrapping her in a bright and giant candy shell.

“What are you writing?”

Blair, who was having a late lunch, asked a maid who was constantly writing something next to her.

“I was told to write down everything you eat for breakfast and lunch.”

“…….”

It was obvious who had ordered such a needless task.

……Why would he do that? He never cared about what she ate all day before. She suddenly lost her appetite.

She put down her fork with a clank.

“Have you, have you finished eating?”

The startled maid asked.

“Yes.”

“Miss, if it’s not too presumptuous, could you eat just a few more spoonfuls……?”

Ha, she was astounded.

“……Is there a set amount I have to eat?”

“It’s for your health…….”

The maid’s voice grew smaller and smaller.

「Because you’re too thin. It hurts when we do it because I can feel your bones.」

Again, the Cedric from her thoughts blabbered on. Well, he had his reasons for wanting her to gain weight.

……What does he really think of people?

Blair sighed and picked up her fork again. After stuffing a bit more into her stomach, she stood up from her seat.

By the way, the maids here called Blair ‘Miss’. It had been nearly 3 years since she had been called ‘Madam’ since she got married. She felt awkward to hear ‘Miss’ after so long. She thought about correcting them on how to address her but then stopped.

How would Cedric’s bringing her into his home look in the eyes of others? The maids here must surely know her as Cedric’s lover. There was no need for Blair to go out of her way to inform the maids that she was married.

…Why didn’t he leave her at the Cavendish mansion and brought her here instead?

Blair looked out the window, waiting for Cedric’s return. Now that she had regained her strength, there were many things to discuss.

Unlike when she was at her own home, time seemed to stand still here. It was natural since the maids took care of everything.

* * *

As the sun was setting, Blair, who was looking out from the second floor, ran down to the first-floor hall when she heard a carriage stop in front of the main gate.

“…How is she? Did she finish her meal?”

Cedric asked the butler as he handed over his jacket and gloves, then turned his gaze towards the stairs because Blair was running towards him. Cedric quickly approached her.

“Ced,”

“You shouldn’t be running yet, Blair.”

Cedric caught both of her arms.

“……”

She froze as she faced him, as if she hadn’t expected him to react this way.

“Are you okay?”

He asked softly. She nodded slightly, trying to hide her surprise.