Before I knew it, I opened my eyes again.

The familiar ceiling of my room filled my blurry vision.

What time could it be?

The surroundings were brightly lit.

I couldn’t remember how I fell asleep after returning to my room last night.

For a while, I just blinked, staring at the ceiling without a thought.

As my eyes began to hurt and feel dry, I finally recalled that I had cried all night.

Right.

It’s not something that can be fixed by crying or sleeping for a night.

“For now, all I can tell you is that I am not Alec.”

“…He died that day, after drinking the poison. He won’t be able to return to this body again.”

My head tightened as if it would burst again.

It’s hard enough to bear the fact that he’s dead, but finding out that the man I believed to be my husband is actually someone else—how is that not too cruel?

Why is the world doing this to me?

I squeezed my eyes shut, painfully propping myself up by placing my hands on the bed.

I didn’t want to look in the mirror, already certain my face must be a mess.

When I couldn’t find my wool slippers and placed my bare feet on the cold floor, the fake Alec’ voice suddenly came to mind again.

It was what he had said to me as I was leaving his room last night.

“Louise.”

“I understand that you want to be alone for now. But please, give me a chance to stay by your side as well.”

“I’ll wait.”

“…”

His voice was low and filled with sincerity.

But I forced myself to shake my head, pushing away the sound of his words.

At that moment, the door burst open.

“Sister!”

“…?”

I looked up to see Eloise closing the door behind her as she entered.

I wasn’t in the mood to face anyone right now, so I furrowed my brow slightly.

I turned my back to Eloise, deliberately hiding my face, and started putting on my outer garment.

“Sister! Do you know what I secretly saw last night? You’ll be so shocked when you hear it! A sword was—”

“Let’s talk later, Eloise.”

“Huh?”

I cut her off with a sigh.

I wasn’t in the right state to listen to someone else’s story.

Eloise’s cheerful, high-pitched voice made my head throb even more.

Even if the world suddenly ended right now, it wouldn’t matter to me.

My world had already ended.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

Eloise asked, her voice tinged with concern, as she took a few steps closer.

I was about to tell her to leave, but I paused for a moment.

After all, this was something I needed to tell her, too.

Last night, after crying until the early morning, I came to a decision.

He said he wanted to be with me, but I simply couldn’t.

Knowing that he’s not Alec, how could I continue to stay with him?

It made no sense.

I could never be with him.

I had lost Alec, and with him, my connection to the Myers family was also over.

My husband had died, and I wasn’t close enough to his family to continue living with them.

The only reason I maintained this marriage was for my husband alone.

I wanted to be in love with him, to have our children, and to build our home together.

Nothing else in my life mattered.

“Eloise.”

I called her name a bit sternly as I turned to face her.

Eloise stared at me, her eyes wide, as if trying to read my expression.

“Come sit here for a moment.”

I said as I approached the sofa and sat down.

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Eloise quietly followed and sat without a word.

“…Did something happen?”

“Yes, something did.”

“Huh?”

Eloise, startled by my resigned tone, asked again.

She looked as if she couldn’t even begin to guess what was going on.

Then, her eyes began to well up.

“Why are you suddenly scaring me? What happened?”

“…”

What would I say to the rest of the family?

So many thoughts swirled in my mind, but there was only one thing I could say.

I took a deep breath to steady myself.

As I tried to speak for the first time, I found it strangely difficult to move my lips.

But there was no reason for me to hesitate any longer.

“I…”

Finally, I spoke.

“Alec and I are getting a divorce.”

“….”

Eloise’s mouth slowly fell open.

Somehow, I felt a cold sensation, as if blood was draining from my chest.

I felt dizzy, almost as if I might collapse, so I closed my eyes for a moment and then opened them again.

Suddenly, the moment when my real husband had asked me for a divorce before his death came to mind.

Back then, was he also, like me now, wanting to give up everything?

Eloise, looking confused, opened her lips.

“…What?”

“….”

“You’re getting a divorce…?”

“….”

Eloise asked again, unable to believe it.

I knew it would come as a shock to her and my mother-in-law.

I nodded once.

“Yes, I’m getting a divorce.”

“Did you fight with him?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then why?”

Her large eyes welled up with tears.

I knew it was hard to believe and understand, but to her, it probably wouldn’t matter much.

It was just that, like before, I would disappear from this household.

I wasn’t someone that Eloise or my mother-in-law couldn’t live without.

I stood up from the sofa, turning my back to Eloise.

“I can’t explain everything to you right now. I’m telling you because you’ll find out eventually.”

“Is brother also agreeing to the divorce?”

“Alec was the one who first asked me for a divorce.”

“That can’t be!”

Eloise suddenly raised her voice and stood up.

She came closer and grabbed my arm.

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? You two were getting along so well recently! When you almost died, brother was so worried about you! You kept bragging to me about the gifts he gave you!”

“….”

I turned my head away, unable to look at Eloise.

I didn’t want to see anyone, not her, not anyone else.

After a moment, I finally managed to speak.

“I have nothing more to say to you. If you’ve heard everything, please leave.”

My chest ached painfully.

Just talking about this with someone was exhausting for me.

I was barely holding onto my emotions.

Eloise stared at me blankly for a moment, then, as if changing her mind, suddenly shouted.

“Ah, I see. There are things in a marriage that others don’t know about. Maybe you just suddenly feel like getting a divorce! For the record, I don’t agree with you and brother divorcing.”

“….”

She confidently declared her opinion.

I didn’t even have the energy to be taken aback by her absurd reaction.

“But if that’s really what you want, I’ll support your decision. Honestly, I always thought it was strange that you stayed with someone like brother. Though, he has changed a lot recently…”

Eloise trailed off, rambling.

Just as I was about to tell her to leave, she spoke again.

“But even if you get divorced, we’ll still stay like family, right?”

“…?”

I blinked, unsure if I had heard her correctly, and looked at Eloise.

Her eyes, slightly teary, glistened as she smiled at me.

“You’re divorcing brother, not me. It has nothing to do with our relationship.”

“….”

I was momentarily speechless, and Eloise came closer, linking her arm with mine and smiling.

Her smile looked awkward and somewhat pitiful.

Divorcing Alec but staying like family with you?

She seemed to misunderstand something.

I didn’t want to say it, but I gave a weak smile.

“How can I stay family with my sister-in-law after divorcing my husband?”

“….”

“I don’t want to meet anyone from the Myers family after the divorce. Maybe I’ll exchange pleasantries with the servants like Jane or James if they reach out first. But I don’t want to see Alec’s family. That includes you. We’ll go back to being strangers, like before the marriage.”

“….”

Eloise’s grip on my arm weakened.

Her eyes grew wide, and her lips parted in shock.

“I… I like you, though—”

Before she could say more, I pulled my arm free and turned away completely.

“I’ve said all I needed to. Please leave. The fact that Alec and I are divorcing won’t change.”

I suddenly supported my heavy forehead with my hand.

If I didn’t cool my head, I felt like I might break down, so I clenched my teeth.

For a long time, Eloise stood frozen in place.

Plop, plop…

Large tears fell from her eyes, but I couldn’t bear to look.TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories