IMPEHB | Chapter 1.2
by flowie[What are you saying? Why is the estate under your name? That’s mine. I asked you to handle the legal process for me!]
[See for yourself.]
He handed her the papers he’d been holding.
Her trembling hands grasped the thin sheets. Black ink outlined the buildings and businesses her family had owned.
And listed under “beneficiary” was the name- Calion Erdante.
[What is this? Why is your name on it…!]
He flashed a revolting smile. It made her want to vomit.
[Answer me! Why is your name written there?!]
[…]
[That was my inheritance! My parents left that to me! How could you..how could you transfer everything into your own name?!]
He began laughing, first holding it back, then trembling with amusement.
[You should’ve chosen more carefully from the start, Sena.]
His eyes rippled like crashing waves.
Even the teeth behind his red lips looked grotesque, filthy.
[This is who I really am. A mad dog who wags his tail for money.]
[…]
[Why do you think I approached you in the first place? Don’t tell me you still believe in all that “first love” nonsense?]
He slicked back his black hair and stretched his lips into a mockery of a grin.
[You were my bait from the beginning.]
[How could you…]
Her breath caught. It felt like someone had tied a noose around her neck and was slowly pulling it tighter.
Tears fell, not from sorrow but from something deeper, something more complex.
[In simple terms, you were my cash cow. Ah sorry, is that too crude for a delicate young noble lady like you?]
Her heart thundered in her chest, a relentless drumbeat threatening to explode.
[This isn’t who you are…]
[…]
[You were warm… kind…]
He burst into laughter and dropped himself onto the sofa.
[You know something funny?]
He picked up a small candy from a dessert bowl.
[Kiki, the day she disappeared.]
[…]
[I got rid of her.]
A ringing filled her ears. Her vision blurred.
[You liked cats. There’s no better way to get close to someone than sharing what they love.]
[…]
[But when it seemed like you loved that cat more than me… I got jealous. So I threw her away.]
Her knees buckled. The image of Kiki, the cat they’d rescued together, flashed before her eyes.
She’d raised Kiki since she was a child. That cat had been her only friend when she had none.
[That’s a lie… you wouldn’t…]
She struggled to catch her breath, barely holding herself upright.
She was on the brink of collapse, but she needed the truth.
[It’s not a lie, Sena.]
[…]
[This is who I really am. I’ll do anything to get what I want.]
[Ugh…!]
Her body collapsed to the floor.
Sobs broke from her lips as tears poured out.
Thoughts of her late parents and Kiki flooded her mind.
The man before her looked like a monster. Her stomach churned.
She pressed her hand to her mouth, fighting the urge to throw up, then slowly pushed herself up.
[I’ll curse you…]
[…]
[Until the day you die. Even after death—I’ll still curse you.]
Like someone drunk, she staggered toward the window.
[I loved you so much. I gave you all of my youth.]
Tears blurred her vision until she
could no longer see his face.
[Though you clearly didn’t feel the same.]
Her mind was spinning. She gritted her teeth and leaned her back against the large window.
With her hand hidden behind her, she turned the lock just beneath the frame.
[What are you doing over there? It’s dangerous. Come down.]
[You said your mother jumped from a window, right?]
Click.
The window creaked open, letting in a soft breeze.
And with a twisted smile, she spoke her final words.
[Let’s see how that felt once more.]
⚜︎ ⚜︎ ⚜︎
That was how I died.
In the end, I drowned in agony and died miserably.
I didn’t want to remember that time anymore. I had been wounded too deeply, both physically and mentally.
“The past is just the past, Sena. Even God must have given you this opportunity on purpose.”
With her eyes shut tight, she covered her face with both hands.
Her head was spinning. Maybe it was from the shock of last night.
The faces of the woman in the bed and Kallion kept floating up in her mind.
How could he bring another woman even after returning to the past?
As the saying goes, old habits die hard; he really couldn’t give up his taste for women.
“Shameless bastard…”
Still, perhaps this was for the better. Now, whatever she did could be justified.
Though it did present a new problem.
“Where on earth am I supposed to find a man?”
Going to taverns was far too dangerous.
And she couldn’t just grab a random man and ask him to date her.
“Maybe I should’ve just run away quietly.”
Staring blankly at the ceiling, she shook her head violently from side to side.
“No. After what he did to me…”
Sena sprang to her feet and headed for the door.
“There’s no time for this.”
⚜︎ ⚜︎ ⚜︎
“Sir Cedric.”
“Good morning, madam. Are you feeling any better?”
It was the usual friendly greeting.
“Yes, thank you for your concern.”
Unusually, her eyes were drawn to his appearance first.
His gentle features and deep voice suited him well as a reliable aide.
The same brown hair as hers, clean skin, and neatly arranged attire, he was surely popular among women.
“Um, madam… is there something you wish to tell me?”
“Oh no. I was just lost in thought. Could I have the key to the office?”
Maybe it was because of the bombshell she dropped yesterday. She couldn’t believe she had even checked out the aide’s face.
How foolish of her.
“I’m sorry, madam. His Grace has forbidden your access from now on.”
“Hah.”
A dry laugh slipped out.
Was this really because of what happened yesterday? To block her from the office using such a childish method?
“It’s fine. I have something I need to do.”
“I’m truly sorry, madam. But His Grace….”
“Sir Cedric.”
Her tone, so different from usual, made him blink dumbly.
“Yes, madam?”
“I believe you’re well aware of whose pocket your salary comes from.”
After a brief hesitation, he finally handed her the key.
“Here you are, madam.”
Click.
The heavy sound of the lock turning echoed as the door opened.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Sena entered the office and headed straight to the desk.
“There must be proof of inheritance somewhere…”
The drawers were full of documents she couldn’t make sense of.
Papers about the hotel business, contracts, and plans for future expansion.
“He must have been slowly draining my parents’ fortune to fund his ventures. No wonder he’s been overextending the business lately.”
It had all been part of his plan.
She’d thought he was simply business-savvy, but it had all been pushed through with capital.
“I don’t need this. Or this…”
All she wanted was the inheritance documentation.
Not these papers soaked in his ambition.
“It has to be here somewhere…”
Her search was briefly interrupted when she found a notebook tucked deep in the bottom corner of the drawer.
“It doesn’t have a title, maybe it’s a diary…”
Sena hesitated before pulling it out.
She didn’t normally have the bad habit of snooping through someone’s private diary, but if it held evidence that could help in the divorce, she needed to gather it all.
Of course, things never went as smoothly as hoped.
“It’s locked…”
A small combination lock was attached to the clasp. She rummaged around, hoping to find a slip of paper with the code, but it was useless.
With a heavy sigh, Sena eventually put the diary back in place. There wasn’t enough time now, she would have to return to it later.
Fortunately, not long after, she found the land documents and the proof of inheritance.
<Certificate of Inheritance>
Named Heir: Kallion Erdante
Inherited Properties: No. 1, District 5, Renne, along with 7 additional propertie
“That bastard.”
The paper crumpled in her tightly clenched fist like a bolt of lightning striking down.
So in the end, he had married her just to get his hands on her parents’ wealth and secure his own future.
And only after her parents died did he show his true colors.
“But why didn’t he act right away?”
They’d been married for four years now.
People around them even asked whether she was having trouble conceiving, suggesting that divorce wouldn’t be all that complicated.
And it had already been nearly a year since the inheritance was finalized…
“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore.”
She decided not to dwell on it. After all, they’d soon be nothing more than strangers.