Chapter 85

When she emerged from the bath, there was no need to go downstairs; a meal had already been laid out in her room. The dishes were all easy to digest and eat.  

Though she wanted to protest by refusing to eat, her stomach growled insistently. After hesitating and picking up her utensils several times, Harriet finally calmed herself. She wasn’t alone in this. If it were just her, she might have skipped several meals, but the child was innocent.  

Once she decided to eat, the food disappeared quickly. Staring at the now-empty plates, Harriet was startled by a knock at the door. Without waiting for permission, Lennox entered the room.  

“Did the meal suit your taste?”  

“….”  

Harriet only gave a small nod in response. Lennox, after instructing the maid to clear the plates, sat down across from her.  

“How are you feeling?”  

“For someone who barged in during the night, forced me into a carriage, and dragged me here, that’s a rather kind question.”  

Harriet replied coldly, avoiding his gaze. Then she countered,  

“Why do you care?”  

Lennox, as if expecting her reaction, smirked before dropping a bombshell.  

“I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about the child in your womb.”  

Harriet felt a chill run through her veins. Slowly, she turned her head back toward him.  

“How… how did you know?”  

“Did you really think I wouldn’t know? I know where you are and your condition.”  

“….”  

She had hoped he wouldn’t know, choosing to ignore the possibility. Harriet bit her lower lip and remained silent. Lennox, unconcerned, crossed his long legs and pressed on.  

“Now let me ask again. Why did you run away with my child inside you?”  

“Because I don’t want to be near you.”  

After debating whether to stay silent, Harriet shot back coldly.  

“You disgust me. I don’t want to be around you anymore.”  

Lennox’s gray eyes narrowed as he watched her. His hand clenched into a fist, the veins on the back of his hand standing out, before he relaxed and spoke after a brief pause.  

“Why?”  

“Figure it out yourself. You probably already know the answer.”  

His refusal to acknowledge or confess his sins was infuriating. Harriet stood abruptly, her voice icy.  

“I need to brush my teeth and get some sleep. Leave.”  

She looked at him, hoping he would leave quickly, but he didn’t budge. Harriet glared at Lennox, who sat frozen like a statue, and pushed him further.  

“Didn’t you hear me? I said, get out.”  

“…Fine.”  

Though filled with hostility, his voice trembled slightly with tension. Finally, Lennox rubbed his face with his hands, stood up, and left the room.  

“Rest well.” 

He turned and walked out without a hint of regret. As the door closed behind him, Harriet collapsed back onto the couch, drained of energy.  

“I’ll have to start over from the beginning. Contact the lawyer, and Yvonne too…”  

She muttered to herself, massaging her throbbing temples. Suddenly, she froze at a noise outside the door and turned her head sharply.  

“What was that?”  

A sense of foreboding surged through her. Harriet rushed to the door and grabbed the handle, twisting it.  

“What?”  

But it wouldn’t open. No matter how hard she tried, the door remained firmly locked.  

“Lennox!”  

She banged on the door, calling out to him.  

“What are you doing? Open this door right now. Open it!”  

But no matter how much she pounded and shouted, the door didn’t budge. 

It wasn’t until after sunset that she heard footsteps outside. Harriet, disheveled and sitting on the couch, leapt to her feet. The door opened, and the person who entered was none other than Olivia.  

“Olivia. Thank goodness you’re here. I need…”  

“I heard about the recent events and how they’ve unsettled you.”  

Harriet was about to ask for help when Olivia suddenly grabbed her hands and pulled her into an embrace, tears welling up in her eyes.  

“And with your pregnancy on top of it all, how could you…”  

“Olivia…?”  

Something felt off. Ignoring her growing unease, Harriet pulled back from the hug.  

“I’ve been locked up. Help me.”  

“Harriet…”  

“Let me out. I need to get out of here, okay?”  

But Olivia didn’t agree. Instead, she turned away, tears brimming in her eyes, and spoke to someone else.  

“My goodness… His Grace was right.”  

“….”  

Harriet slowly looked over Olivia’s shoulder.  

“They said the shocks have left her mentally unstable. Poor Harriet…”  

Gray eyes calmly observed her, utterly composed.  

“…What?”  

Harriet couldn’t believe it. Olivia’s words sounded like a hallucination as she took a step back.  

“What are you talking about?”

Although her question was directed at Olivia, Harriet’s gaze remained fixed on the man standing behind her. Despite her sharp, questioning eyes, Lennox merely stared silently at his wife.  

“Olivia!”  

Unable to contain her frustration, Harriet exploded at Olivia’s sorrowful expression and stepped closer, grabbing her shoulders.  

“Answer me! What did you mean just now?”  

“Calm down, Harriet… You’re not alone anymore.”  

Olivia gently held Harriet’s trembling hands.  

“His Grace told me. About what happened with Marianne… and the hardships you’ve endured because of what his uncle did. And also… how I burdened you with the matter of my husband’s mistress… Oh, dear.”  

Olivia pulled out a handkerchief with her free hand and wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks.  

“Olivia, I’m fine.”  

Harriet, her face pale as a sheet, withdrew her hands from Olivia’s grasp and gripped her shoulders firmly.  

She felt stifled, as if she couldn’t breathe. Though her feet were firmly planted on the ground, it felt like she was sinking into a dark abyss. Heavy shackles weighed down her ankles, and no matter how much she struggled, she kept sinking deeper and deeper.  

“I’m really fine. And that man locked me up. I told you earlier.”  

“You’re a married woman, Harriet… This is your husband’s home, the mansion of His Grace the Duke of Diorne. Your husband’s home is your home. You can’t say you’re imprisoned in your own home…”  

Olivia explained calmly, as if soothing a child throwing an unreasonable tantrum, before lowering her head. Harriet, who had been opening and closing her mouth as if searching for words, let out a bitter laugh.  

“You’ve always been like this, Olivia.”  

“…What?”  

“You’ve always been this way. Even when I begged you not to, you ended up marrying Theodore. You endured his repeated infidelities in silence. You even declared yourself guilty in front of Father.”  

“That’s because I’m a daughter-in-law. I’m the wife of the man who will lead the Vanetti estate. With the position comes responsibility.”  

“No. That’s not the reason, Olivia.”  

“…What?”  

“You’ve always believed you were right. Even when you were walking the wrong path, once you made a choice, you convinced yourself it was the right one. Because admitting otherwise would make your life feel even more miserable.”  

As Harriet spoke, Olivia’s face twisted in anguish.  

“Just admit it, Olivia. Theodore is a man consumed by women and gambling, incapable of continuing the Vanetti lineage. You were simply blinded by your first love and made the wrong choice.”  

“You!”  

The Olivia who had embraced her with sympathy moments ago now clenched her fists, trembling with rage. Unable to contain herself, Olivia raised her hand. Instinctively, Harriet closed her eyes, bracing herself for the slap.  

But it never came.  

“Stop.”  

What reached her was not a hand but a calm voice. Harriet opened her eyes cautiously to find Lennox standing between them, holding Olivia’s wrist.  

“That’s enough, Madame. My wife is not in a stable condition right now.”  

“Oh…”  

Still in a daze, Olivia stared at Lennox’s face before suddenly snapping back to reality. Her face flushed red with embarrassment.  

“I-I’m sorry, Harriet. I… I don’t know what I was thinking, especially with you being pregnant…”  

Olivia stammered, biting her lower lip.  

“Well, I’ll come back another time.”  

“Olivia.”  

Harriet reached out, intending to plead with her to inform the rest of the family that she was being held captive. But Olivia quickly turned and left, leaving Harriet’s hand grasping at empty air.  

Harriet stood frozen, staring at the door that had just closed before her. She staggered slightly, and in that precarious moment, a large hand caught her.  

Under normal circumstances, she would have resisted fiercely, but she lacked the strength to fight back. Harriet allowed herself to be supported as Lennox carefully carried her, just as he had when they arrived at the mansion. He laid her gently on the bed.  

But her anger hadn’t subsided; it was merely suppressed for the moment. Harriet let out a hollow laugh as Lennox tucked the blanket up to her shoulders, as if handling a fragile child. She swatted his hand away harshly.  

“You bastard.”  

“Coco.”  

Leaning against the headboard, Harriet ground her teeth.  

“What? Do you feel wronged? You called me a crazy woman first, didn’t you?”  

“I never said that. And…”  

Lennox sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair.  

“The child can hear you.”  

“The child…”  

Harriet’s gaze shifted to her slightly swollen belly. Almost instinctively, she wrapped her arms around it, glaring at him like a cornered cat.  

“Is this about the child? Because it’s your heir?”  

“….”  

Instead of answering, Lennox silently looked down at her. His gray eyes, as deep and unfathomable as an abyss, made Harriet feel like she was losing her mind.  

After a long silence, Lennox let out a deep breath and stepped back.  

“Get some rest.”  

“Wait!”  

Harriet called out sharply, her voice laced with bitterness.  

“What are you planning to do?”  

Lennox turned his head slightly, his expression as if her question was only natural.  

“You need to recuperate until you give birth to our child.”  

“Recuperate? More like imprisonment.”  

Lennox didn’t respond to her sarcasm. Instead, he left the room, and the sound of a lock clicking shut followed.  

Left alone, Harriet buried her face in her hands.