Chapter 20
“It’s been about a year.”
After a brief silence, Hayden finally spoke. A year ago—that was around the time Chloe had landed her first real role. I held my breath and listened quietly.
“She was struggling a lot because her acting career wasn’t going well. I just wanted to help a little. We were friends, after all.”
Our gazes met in the darkness again. His olive eyes were calm—calmer than ever.
“You said it yourself earlier. I just thought it was right to help a talented friend when they’re going through a hard time.”
“Does Chloe know that you’re sponsoring her?”
Why hadn’t he discussed it with me? Why in secret? I asked to cover the sharp rise of unease inside me.
Hayden looked at me quietly and didn’t answer for a moment. Something flickered and dissolved across his eyes—something that might have been an emotion—but I couldn’t read what it was.
“Chloe doesn’t know anything. But now that rumors have started, she’ll find out soon.”
He let out a shallow sigh.
“The reason I didn’t tell you was because I didn’t want her to know. If I told you, I figured she would eventually hear about it too.”
I see. So that’s how it was. My eyelids trembled faintly.
I blinked a few times and turned back to the front. The still darkness filled my vision.
I was confused. I could understand what he meant.
He had kept it secret because he didn’t want Chloe to know—that made sense. Rationally, I could accept that.
But emotionally, I couldn’t.
If he had told me and asked me to keep it secret, I could have done that. If he didn’t trust me enough for even that—fine. But if he had at least given me some warning before I heard it from someone else, I wouldn’t have felt so hurt.
I tried to calm the ache twisting inside me.
“Winter, are you… upset?”
Hayden asked in a careful tone, watching my expression closely. I tried to smile, to lift the corners of my mouth. But it twisted in a way I didn’t intend.
“I don’t know,” I said softly. “I don’t know if I’m angry… or just hurt.”
“I’m sorry, Winter.”
“……”
“I thought you’d understand. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
I see. So this hurt was because I wasn’t as understanding as he wanted me to be.
A suffocating feeling rose in my chest. I wanted to scream.
Just then, the car that had been gliding along came to a stop—it seemed we had reached our destination. The engine hummed faintly in the heavy silence.
Through the fogged window, I saw a place I didn’t recognize—a luxurious restaurant built from gleaming marble.
[PARFAIT DINING]
The name was carved elegantly on a wooden sign.
I had heard about this place before at social gatherings. A restaurant so exclusive that even the Empress herself would need to book a month in advance to get a table.
Its refined décor, flawless service, and exceptional cuisine had made it famous even beyond the borders of the Shardeca Empire.
“Our wedding anniversary is tomorrow,” Hayden said in a subdued tone, sighing lightly.
Already? I blinked in surprise—I had completely forgotten.
“I thought it’d be nice to have dinner together, so I left the exhibition early.”
Through my tangled emotions, a stab of guilt rose. I had been so distracted by everything else that I’d forgotten our anniversary entirely.
Hayden took out a flat, palm-sized box and held it out to me. With a troubled heart, I opened it.
Inside lay a necklace—a large diamond at its center, surrounded by smaller gems, glittering even in the dim light.
“Just for tonight, I don’t want us to fight over something trivial, Winter. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. But can’t we just… focus on us for now?”
Hayden reached out gently and wrapped my hand in his. Warmth spread through the point where our skin met.
Hayden is a kind, loving husband.
It wasn’t a design I particularly liked, but anyone could see it was an expensive necklace.
In society, a husband giving such a lavish gift for an anniversary was a romantic tale that always spread like wildfire.
As always, Hayden was fulfilling the role of the perfect husband—flawlessly.
All I had to do was suppress my resentment and hold his warm hand in return.
A wife who forgets her anniversary while constantly doubting her husband’s fidelity—how pitiful. Something inside me felt irreparably broken.
“Are you sure this is accurate?”
Yujin’s tone was sharp as he checked the VIP guest list of the hotel. Elder, who had been organizing a pile of documents, flinched at his voice and quickly confirmed the papers in Yujin’s hand before nodding.
“Yes. Why wouldn’t it be? I just report what’s recorded.”
At the calm answer, Yujin leaned back in his chair with a crooked smile—a trace of satisfaction flickering across his face. The look sent a shiver down Elder’s spine.
“Why are you smiling like that again?”
Elder had learned one thing from watching Yujin over the years—he only smiled like that when he was sure he could gain something.
The process never mattered. Once Yujin set his mind on something, he always got his result, one way or another.
Ignoring Elder’s muttering, Yujin’s expression brightened as he reread the document.
Two check-ins under the Wolfhaze name within a short span. One was for the long-term stay of the Marchioness, Winter Wolfhaze. The other—a one-night stay, on that particular date.
So he’s not even trying to hide it.
Yujin’s lips curled in a faint smirk. Running off to a hotel, leaving his wife alone—how brazen.
Would Winter still be able to say she was “happy” after finding this out?
Yujin let out a quiet laugh as something strange churned in his chest—a mix of mild rage and twisted amusement.
“What should I do about this, Elder?”
“Uh, do about what?”
Elder gave him a weary look, used to these cryptic remarks. He knew from experience that Yujin’s habit of asking rhetorical questions only led to more headaches.
A thought suddenly struck him—an unpleasant one.
The image of Marchioness Wolfhaze, from when she’d once visited their office, flashed in his mind. Something about this didn’t feel right.
With a grimace, Elder turned toward Yujin.
“Sir… you don’t mean to say…”
Yujin raised an eyebrow as if to ask what he was talking about. Elder met his violet eyes with a dead-serious expression.
“Don’t tell me the Marchioness of Wolfhaze is that first love of yours—the one you always end up crying over whenever you drink?”
“……”
Yujin frowned without replying. His silence turned Elder’s suspicion into certainty.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Sir…!”
Elder stared at him, stunned.
“When did I ever cry over her?”
“That’s not the point right now! Whatever the case, an affair is out of the question! Especially with the Marchioness of Wolfhaze! You know how badly that kind of scandal could ruin our image!”
“Exactly,” Yujin said, still wearing that infuriatingly pleased smile. “That’s why it’s important.”
Elder groaned. The man was completely hopeless.
“I should’ve realized something was off when you started talking about using this as a way to find Winter again,” he muttered, rubbing his temples.
“When did you start thinking like this, anyway?”
Yujin only shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“Sir, are you sure you didn’t hit your head recently?”
“Unfortunately, no. I’m perfectly fine,” Yujin said lazily, then added, “Find out how Winter ended up marrying him.”
“What?” Elder gawked. “How am I supposed to find that out?”
“How he proposed, how long they knew each other before that—every detail. Don’t miss anything that has to do with her.”
“Sir, you do realize that’s illegal, right?”
“I don’t know about that,” Yujin said smoothly. “What I do know is that you’re capable of it.”
He gave a languid smile, and Elder let out a long sigh.
“Yes, I could do it, but I’m not sure your precious first love would appreciate it much.”
He grumbled under his breath, but Yujin ignored him completely, rising from his seat.
The sunlight streaming through the large window had turned a deep crimson. Beyond the glass, the golden waters of the Jello River shimmered.
When did it start?
It didn’t matter. What mattered was that right now—he wanted her.
Across the river stood the tall Wolfhaze Department Store and the new Winters Corporation building, still under construction.
(To be continued…)
