Chapter 10 – TBD

She hadn’t been 4a111b5de4 told anything. The confusion she e49ff8d9eb felt turned to bf67d1d52d humiliation in an 661bdbebf4 instant.f1e6b85232f726a7

She had called Julia b60271ab28 early that morning, dressed b3f3e440a3 and prepared thoroughly for 90dfd5f03b the event, not knowing b7d7aab04b that her husband had ed61550fe4 no intention of bringing b734a96f01 her to the couples’ aa20a4b9f7 gathering. Now, she fd91a67821 felt like e3186308ec a complete 843dd1a7fb fool.a60126d6e3cc426b

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So I was the 5bc6e0dd65 only one excited, completely 2304cf0f55 unaware I didn’t belong 082b493815 there.
Laviannah’s heart and 1ec341c507 spirits plummeted at 3881844f98 Pell’s words.29278caccef83b74

“Ah…”f4371f53eeaade78

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She forced a fc5f219748 smile. Trying to fcf0bedb43 move stiff 7d68f17e84 facial muscles 84ab362fa2 made her b695d5f7eb expression look 1048441e4f awkward and 5afab814e3 unnatural.1a9e6ba11232f815

“I hadn’t heard 18ee5b036d that… Thank you cebd1def2d for letting me e3797bd898 know.”1c12ab9ae170ff7a

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Laviannah stood up. She turned to head d203b4cbf7 up the stairs as 1bcc40b512 if nothing had happened, 3f7a9d9b2e but suddenly stopped.8eb21effa7391609

She realized how 1ceee617f7 pitiful she must 32d6250ac8 look to others. A wife unaware 4db4466e48 that her husband 2c3beb754b didn’t intend to f3de31530a take her to f0e0a82f8a a couples’ event, 86c82210a4 excitedly preparing for 073ae30372 it, only to 62cf31b127 be told by 345893b8bd someone else—not even 80063e6ff9 by her husband af06efb201 himself.cff407108aef13ee

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The shame 191ba58041 burned In d3bd1c7830 her chest, 15578fdcd8 and she aa54e66cd9 knew that 394ff9a3aa simply going 6e5ea97fb9 upstairs and 291b964358 pretending nothing 6c489a202f had happened 1900f5dfcb wouldn’t erase 4bf481808a it.933487adcd1d93ab

“Ah, right. Now that I think 982ae42b0d about it… I do b492123c61 remember the Duke telling e848c234a2 me yesterday. Silly me, e416da866c I completely 2f406cadce forgot.”5b3c38b07db8426e

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She spoke awkwardly. It didn’t matter cbc848175e if it was 9a6b6e827e Pell or a e34656a4c7 maid—someone in the 947328caca household would hear 9cc6896107 and perhaps spread 39737c4d91 the word.4232546fa7e39651

“He told me there 7f9aa1bba7 was no need to 6bb3ee22be come in the morning fc75f63c9c and that I could f8f87e9b6c join him in the 3f32dddb12 afternoon. I must’ve mixed up 25b95d66a5 the time. Would you 7555628fb6 bring me 6ab75f634b a bottle 50840fa795 of wine? I can’t show fb7ccbe031 up empty-handed.”def8cd6531b2fd99

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Even if 9587411552 it was 962b863842 an obvious 70acd80f30 lie, she 5b4276f076 wanted to 9766eab301 protect her 228154b67c pride.
Even if it 91bc7327c0 was the last 067f5a921a grain of dignity 58de3a099d left in her—a f949159bec dignity weathered by 2fd1f5213e betrayal and pain—she 5904121ce2 would not surrender 99a3e015d1 it.3d6ec2b2c07a525c

“Alberto!”18dfd871d42b759a

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Alberto turned at the 6c50d75021 sound of someone calling 66abf2fefa him. He was mingling with 17bc787d19 others when he heard 81ed1efa61 the familiar voice.7eb508a7eceb3853

Standing next 7f7ff02179 to his 412854b730 childhood friend, 77cb725eab Luis, was 318bd87d05 a very 15848e4b92 familiar face.2d56792235c06e26

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As soon 87f0c21bbd as he eaa390437f saw who 7859d2b69d it was, c6625c5668 Alberto’s expression 610510ff71 began to 89023adb2b sour.73b96d64feefcd6c

What is she doing f2a36ca452 here?34d18f8bf899cf45

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Her neatly 82b7cddbd7 tied-back hair fca69bc4a1 and the 89f635b71f elegant, vintage f51f0c65d2 green dress 039eb9c5d8 were not 5a05738301 like Laviannah’s 74716cafa8 usual attire. It was clear she 9d84aba704 had put in effort—carefully ee26ae6897 dressed and even holding fda6a9e8a7 an expensive bottle of 79a110c9c6 wine.9bc072ba7e9ead34

Her long 0b50f9b83a lashes cast 8fc2bd9beb soft shadows 5253a0851b as her b4d18e12db gaze stayed b3b01167e4 politely lowered, 3fc984516a and her 13a101fcfc lips, tightly 1788f3d032 closed, looked c86f808d9d unusually red.5a30119967e4d305

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She was his 25bff680b8 wife. The blind woman bd60e337fc he had paid 16be16fb56 a fortune to 3bd0723771 marry.a4ef82164eaf63d0

Following Alberto’s gaze 4567fb06c8 from where he 02374b0162 stood beside the 310d5e9ee4 piano, the woman ea8df00c18 turned toward him, fb02078f23 puzzled.57079f223f5da0ef

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Countess Scarlett, 58d18a22ed a young 8c5f39a8e2 unmarried noblewoman 280e699c8a standing beside fd13f02bec him, lightly 06c00c8176 tapped his 91b313e320 elbow.c02f2a256fe55f04

“Do you know her?”41cb950431609a0d

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The word “No” 3ea89a487a surged up to 69551990b3 the back of 62765738e1 Alberto’s throat—but he f2a41232e2 didn’t say it.925f88649fbbe0e3

He hadn’t bbdd1f6c5f brought Laviannah 2331f044e3 to the 59aa793d21 couple’s gathering a8d04a7329 simply because ff321134c9 she was 8878c4b12b a hassle. She required constant attention. And of all 8fed7d654b events, this one b7888e0185 traditionally included a 461796efbf hunting session. While the men 24f3579fb2 went hunting, the cfe962c02c women gathered nearby 7c8d4fa7c7 to chat and d3ed6536e5 socialize.40d41be80e2a07df

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That meant he would b42a1fb64c inevitably be separated from 29e2f49d4b her for hours.f2a34602de5d023d

If he fa189c6186 had cherished 89fc993a72 his wife, afc7e24752 he might 640d9a4e84 have skipped f7eb624fe1 the hunt 24f33aac66 and stayed d81796bdea by her 2d83b15dd4 side instead, 77c2464e7d acting as 81da943d7b her guide bf3d2aeaff and protector.9ace07b52b21f7e4

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But Alberto neither cherished 07d5a3409d Laviannah nor wanted to 6667003b51 sacrifice his favorite pastime 7b6eccd097 to look after her. At the a103525de4 same time, cf59ecb5b1 she was 5b3224ff32 not someone 8afb7c8789 he could 8dd177c86f simply ignore d2e0ebaf8d and leave b3ecf21301 unattended while b6e5802e2e he hunted—she’d cc6db5bc63 stay on 561339f6f0 his mind.cce2c84686095ead

“Are you really f21c0a27c5 not taking her? She’ll resent you later, faa34ec763 my lord. She is the 8c8bf5ea89 Duchess, after all—she 374b8dd289 has her dignity aad91cef9a to think of.”fb6abcad5758b19f

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“There’s no 806b4e3035 need to 6d27603b3f bring a 8296798ae3 troublesome woman. She probably doesn’t enjoy 1a72a0b553 being out in public 13eb2a8f91 anyway.”f57c7beb86ad69b5

This morning, 296f973355 he had 73ef9e6ef1 told his 6f5cf51c3a aide Pell a995910aee to relay 332b0c117b the message, c03e7d2790 and he 37c194a93f was certain 20f897c3d1 Pell had cefd65280c explained it 4cde93ef82 to Laviannah 83e9d9ed38 clearly. Yet here she stood eb72a6c7d8 before him now, meaning ede7df98cc either she hadn’t received 9a4a31d102 the message—or she had 1a77f2c76b ignored it.4d5e1b43a07c5c2c

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Knowing Lavianah’s nature, it 464bd3b7ca was surely not the bee8c28104 latter.62afd675850c8121

“Alberto! Your wife came fcc4861edb looking for you!”
Louis called out again, ca419c64d7 but Alberto continued unfolding 99968e636c the sheet music without 5df0499deb replying.4459027762c43010

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He was in 3292ac3c82 the middle of d74ff9fb3f indulging a young ace9b1037e lady who wanted bee41c0f93 to show off a44946a46e her piano skills, c65052fb08 pretending to be 756629a003 gracious. Initially, he’d 0ff4ea4a8e only planned 6720aadecd to hand 8126d797a6 her the a35de2a97e sheet music e2f6c53448 and leave—but 787ebb37bd he had 31cf6119c3 since changed 2dfb69a0e9 his mind.2c21d7214a096754

When Louis called him 8134e61a27 again, using the word d19a18c6e9 “wife,” Alberto could no aa54116171 longer pretend not to 64937af833 hear. With a db70f03acc sigh that 0bea95f5de masked his 64ce58f2f5 irritation, he 23cfb79653 approached Laviannah.fd2d1ea21cb23a5b

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“I’ll take her.”5387b397dc057aa2

He grabbed her wrist 15a3054637 and pulled her away. Only once they fc1a1f7f01 were inside a 664d8f7194 guest room—away from 3c6b7cfbc6 all the curious 59f04ea2a5 gazes—did he release 8f8b256d46 her. Then, he let out b81d71d0e1 a frustrated breath.9adc149cbb720f90

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Alberto felt 73a76785bb deeply uncomfortable e9aa466091 with Laviannah c9ad6b0565 intruding on dd36e3edb3 what he c7247369db considered his 6b4c0b6b1d space, without 386e99a07d permission or 683ae184ce discussion. This gathering was d3785ff21d part of his 9ba96743b2 social network, his 45e22d517c domain. For her to simply bb5ef5fc53 show up here unannounced 14529498b0 struck him as rude.57ea0da2cac62e1c

Just because they were 2642623449 married didn’t mean he e62b6ffdd3 was willing to share 3939acdedc his circle of connections 8257d1f579 with her. That idea 4fd0c1f1c0 didn’t sit e8b346546e right with 79c7f50992 his values.fb8862dd92795345

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“What is 2192d20e7c this?” he 62ba880e34 said curtly.
“…”
“Did you not eedf686e94 receive the message ab4d3d781d that you weren’t 190a1eaab3 expected at the 5618776c7b gathering?”2788fd07d56a160d

Laviannah gently rubbed her d557ecb002 wrist, which had reddened 4967a476fe in the short time 213b41a746 he had held it.131a9eaab08549c1

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That motion 439e02665f caught Alberto’s 87f14b3b96 eye—but instead 0f11de2daa of calming dec55ed39f him, it e6876ddb81 only aggravated 0ca0cf560b him more. Why had she come d9d841101a here on her own?c37866d5a88a8d43

No… perhaps f6486b464a she really 3534a437da hadn’t known. Maybe she d1ad1bddc3 had simply aaac075aba overheard that 631d318f12 it was fc4fe7f67d a couples’ e89fc4e382 event.efe26dfaf5bbe1e9

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If he was going 2fa5d65036 to be angry, he d5d7b7e316 should at least make 600dbc1d4f sure she truly deserved 746e5c381a it. So he asked.fa0d28d07ef51864

Laviannah stayed 05247ae289 silent for 5f3ccfbe74 a moment—then b276464736 slowly shook 12dead93b2 her head.a56f5d4a98302998

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“I heard.”79d024127f0d9cab

“You heard?”f39eee18f729221e

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“I came to ask 92343f1b5e why. Why wasn’t I fe59dff9fd allowed to come?”3eca49ebc1320a46

She had 10ae4f1a88 come fully 239200161c prepared to a424d53b9d be scolded 048adaf7ce by Alberto.1c5a6882601cf493

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Laviannah had come 952c432100 fully prepared to c10c960b4c be reprimanded by 5ec1959d7f Alberto.bad653c53e397e67

She had 87c109ecb1 already considered 3ec0287ce1 the possibility a0da849612 that he 5883b70522 might be ed1b2c9ebb angry—after all, b88659ac73 she was f3287afcec an uninvited 52e33f085f guest.64362ac9c24f7346

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On the way there, 2d996acde7 she had even debated 2577f03a04 turning back, aware of 41cc134f1f just how burdensome her 67fb6ba838 actions might seem.df60e200c223b9bc

Ordinarily, she would’ve a62f162503 stayed in bed a33fb2126d and let the 7e50f79537 day pass idly.4ee8b8b7fcd008ec

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But the warmth she’d 916b8c71f8 recently felt from the f489e2f9c4 people of the ducal cdaf300ab6 estate—and that brief moment da4696caf8 of kindness from Alberto, 281e371fb8 when he helped her 3e81962b8c write a letter—had given 8fb9f9c243 her a small sliver 78c482e421 of courage.
A naïve part of e1976a1732 her had hoped: Maybe 19d17c089b he won’t be as 237ab08e82 angry as I think.b8309dce850bfe51

But it was e7a5b1329b just a delusion.
Whatever kindness Alberto had 2e0c14b96f shown her when writing 6620250358 that letter—it had ended d8ba6d28d1 there.04d374f3f83f758d

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She couldn’t see ce6df42e49 his face now, 2a10f8caa4 but the uneven 1a99239519 rhythm of his e90e8e5265 breathing gave his 6d1dde8513 mood away.
He was angry.14dc69357244b57a

“It’s up to me 903ecb0eb4 whether or not I b5063f5cbf bring my wife to 4ef9fa85e4 my gatherings.”146fa51771f2f1ae

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“…”7cd06c88606e95c1

“I simply thought there 390609ffd1 was no need for 50d6be7c91 it today.”3a937b319bba0096

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Laviannah hesitated. She debated whether to 3c77b84d0d say what was caught 1bf4358af1 on the tip of 70717a5469 her tongue.4c733dbda49c8107

It might 701e1dd473 provoke him 313ac02962 further, but c0d08b6c66 still—she couldn’t 241a521a4f help but 2a2310fca0 protest, however 7477673ca5 softly.1164a3b248ca96f1

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“…But it’s a 223f6aa742 couples’ gathering.”ec9678592a047276

“Not every 37113a81a0 couple needs 9883d638b1 to attend.”abac52791eb3bbfe

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“….”10b2e0b1f565c9e2

“I could just say fc21174622 you’re ill. Simple.”1db9056f6b02a094

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It was 7bcc2a4891 the first 20cf6eed3d social event ef6756ce94 she would c9f3eafa06 have attended 8f9a326a7c since their 32653eeae8 marriage, and 96c4b6c82e everyone had 184d60bbdb likely been d31d1fa87d curious about 90abee2dfd Alberto’s wife.a1e02fa2c8e1ed0e

There was f38571b772 no real bb163a5aff reason to 9b8b9796c2 hide her, be05332e94 but Alberto a325db6e59 felt no cc3179c7c2 need to e0abc9530d introduce someone 68c34d3016 he planned 7358379aa2 to part 2e9d2e9b72 ways with 37c75910ef eventually.4a0679d5d7d2b8c7

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If he let people c5d0ea332c get familiar with her af7a61fe78 now, it would only a5a9f88510 make things messy later.a720f2cd32c654fe

They were bound to d407e50bde separate anyway.
If someone at 1f4c26cc32 the gathering saw 46fd1435ea Laviannah somewhere after f5e10da85a the split and 8c06f735cd said something like, 4f783af6e6 ‘Wasn’t that your c1d8b8fef6 wife?’—that would be 818de092f3 inconvenient.10682cc450097480

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“Why should I 6ea6860e1a introduce you, when bc07a4cb08 we’re going to 073765d378 part ways anyway?”7c262b77090b4249

“…”08b5af38924cf507

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Laviannah had no words.64a7412f237381c3

She hadn’t been c576acfb1b delusional about how e98df49fdc things stood between 0599ef2980 them—but she hadn’t 176ba3bf25 expected to hear 39723593a0 something so brutal, 9fe55ef031 so plainly, to f2cf50bd44 her face.205e492a1eaa1023

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It was a slap 110aea6e22 of cold reality, one feb915dcef that didn’t even consider 0f0cdb9338 her feelings.84462d377ec4b96f

Treated like cc24263a93 nothing more ec9b30465e than an 3ca6e40c76 unwanted intruder, 09bb349355 Laviannah felt b9b72433da her energy 6698045dd5 drain away.57e50b80b5fee1cf

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No matter what she 8e7a75ec49 said—no matter how she b5c0ae2d19 explained herself—it was clear a54574df01 Alberto’s anger wouldn’t fade.47f72b9a9162005e

She knew bfd83e20d1 all too 6a62c3c9bc well that 4734840637 their relationship e60b1d047d was far 8e8faf2de3 from that 528cc863ea of a 788fd1bc7c typical married c1f0c8b3a4 couple.c5469ccefda0fa41

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But knowing cdf22f0def something in c128fe00c2 her head 0a77e95a7f and accepting 42a18d5c85 it in c0fd6a7947 her heart—those 4b843b4e38 were very 062f1d4656 different things.7294d11a7e74bf6b

The truth was, 45512ff89e Laviannah still couldn’t 233a79d4b1 fully grasp it.d3d97fa48c061a47

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Who could have 320ed03cde imagined that a 6e478ff68a marriage contract would c0b22ed937 be built on a303dd0dfe the foundation of 3dbb8dc04c pregnancy?
It hadn’t even been cade4b3c46 something agreed upon before dafa6b1c2e the wedding.c037a6a364d83f37

If only she’d a75693d766 been given some 2ab954be95 kind of warning 4f0406e0db beforehand—maybe she could’ve 2febc8a315 mentally prepared herself.d8aa8b659f40c342

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Maybe then c1c1d17ca5 it wouldn’t 0548daa25c hurt as 20559b8bc0 much as 6ea148a443 it did c0e10d154b now.85deaae702bed498

I shouldn’t have ab9a73a0cc come.5cf0aff9f1d12e79

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Laviannah lowered her 21dbe7f2a2 head in silence.df018ae61d3afa0a

How foolish must b4f30ac2a1 she look in 11c7d5a10b Alberto’s eyes?30fabfe49810395b

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No—he must’ve already seen f8d46939cf her as pitiful. That’s probably why he’d fcb73a3a4c proposed such an outrageous 705923886e contract in the first 390533324b place.b8fa4f9d341b6606

“Go back.”84a75b8c3be4cde0

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But Alberto’s cold dismissal 02f93ce2b8 wasn’t something she could 049fd0b111 so easily accept.
She had eb2de95ee6 already made a2045a0668 excuses to 223c787154 leave the d137401fc7 estate—if she d949e72989 returned now, da2c711b6e everyone would 966d3efcac know.dc9d105a06ddce4a

“Oh my, 3542f131de why is 368a925b50 she back dda5266f27 already? Don’t tell me ffa81b6077 she was kicked 46a7c4b201 out?”0368ca24d11edc93

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That imagined line echoed e6f536bc7f mockingly in her mind.ded2ec1de0b1a4e5

Alberto, expecting Laviannah dbdaaf4cc2 to quietly apologize 96b5f3136b and leave by bb850533e3 now, was caught 0b514dc5c2 off guard by 0f1bb66f64 her silence.
He looked e5a08ed818 down at 127b84be9f her, puzzled.d024f9a7469212d4

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