MWLCP 28

                                                                 Chapter 28

What did I just hear?

It felt like the fierce wind that had just blown past the window had circled around with a low hum, a sound she could have mistaken for a voice. Eleanor slowly blinked, unable to say a word. Usher was smiling as always.

“I know we’re rushing. We haven’t even been dating officially for long.”

“……”

“But Eleanor, I don’t want to see the woman I love unhappy. I also don’t want to stand by doing nothing and lose you.”

Had Charles threatened Usher too, saying he would make her his second wife? Was that why Usher was worried he might lose his lover? Eleanor’s face took on a sorrowful expression.

“Eleanor.”

“Are you doing this because you pity me, since I might be sold off? If it’s about money, I’ll figure something out and send it to my father…”

Eleanor’s sharp words made Usher frown.

“Eleanor. You and I are both nobles. And I love my family, my house. That means I’m realistic and selfish to a degree.”

Still, he didn’t seem surprised by her question. With a soft sigh, Usher reached out and touched her cheek. The swelling had gone down completely, leaving no trace of violence. Her smooth skin was now pressed into his firm palm.

“Love might partly be based on sympathy, but I’m not the kind of man who would decide something as serious as marriage out of mere pity. I’m not that benevolent.”

Feeling his rough hand touch her cheek, she felt more rotten inside. The same kind of hand, thick and knuckled, had once struck her with all its might. Charles was even harder to understand now. Usher reached out with his other hand, cupping her face and gently lifting it so she’d look at him.

“Maybe I’m being hasty—yes, I admit that. It could be impulsive.”

“……”

“But even when you say harsh things about yourself, I still find you heartbreaking and lovely. If I’m swept away by this impulse, I think I’ll be okay with it.”

Impulse, love, protection, pity—they were all mixed together. But when he admitted that his emotions were a mix of all those things, her heart oddly felt lighter. If someone who could observe their own heart so objectively spoke of love, then at least it wasn’t fleeting or delusional. It had to be real.

“Eleanor, don’t you feel the same? That night when you chose me—didn’t you think so then?”

“…You won’t regret it?”

Eleanor asked hesitantly. Usher smiled gently at the question, which already hinted at half-acceptance.

“I’m a coward. I don’t want to let go of the hand you reached out to me. Right now, I don’t have a better option, and I can’t keep running from your father forever…”

Her warning came out muddled, scattered. If he truly meant it, then she didn’t want to lose such a good opportunity. So if he thought he might regret it, she wanted him to back away now.

“They say all life choices come with regrets. But Eleanor, I feel like I’d regret it far more if I lost you.”

Instead of stepping away, afraid of a future that hadn’t even happened yet, Usher stepped closer.

“So, what’s your answer?”

“……”

“Will you become my wife?”

They were so close, their lips were nearly touching. Every time he spoke, his shallow breath tickled her lips. Their mouths brushed, just barely.

“…Alright.”

She felt like crying. She couldn’t believe that giving in to a fleeting impulse had brought her to Usher Fitzman.

“Usher. I’m just… so happy.”

She was overwhelmed with joy—so much she couldn’t believe it.

When Eleanor choked out her answer, Usher let out a soft laugh. Then, without hesitation, he pulled her small frame into his arms and kissed her. Eleanor responded by wrapping her slender arms around his neck.

The beige shawl draped over Eleanor’s shoulders floated gently to the ground in place of her tears.

* * *

Logan scoffed at his own situation—being forced to watch a couple’s intimate scene unfold in the front yard of his own mansion. He hadn’t meant to spy on them. The room had grown stuffy with smoke from the cigar he’d been smoking out of frustration, so he’d opened the window and stepped outside to get some fresh air.

“……”

He hadn’t expected Usher to be out in the garden. Or that he’d show up to see Eleanor, engaged in such romantic antics.

No man wants to watch the woman he likes smile, touch, and kiss another man. And Logan wasn’t a fool. He simply couldn’t take his eyes off Eleanor.

Eleanor, with her radiant, sunlit blonde hair—so beautiful, so lovable.

“What good did I think I’d get from seeing this?”

He had expected it to hurt. He sighed softly. He had already confessed his feelings a few days ago, so Usher must have come tonight to propose. And from the way they held each other like one soul, Eleanor must have gladly accepted.

Their marriage was all but certain. Usher wouldn’t have proposed without getting permission from his parents. Soon they’d begin preparations, and Logan would be nothing more than a guest clapping at their wedding.

“How pathetic, Logan Claven.”

He scolded himself for playing the role of a voyeur, raising one hand to cover his eyes. With his sight blocked, his imagination filled in the gaps.

A heavenly woman in a pure white wedding dress. Vowing love in front of countless witnesses, finally becoming another man’s wife—Eleanor Hudson.

The image throbbed painfully in his chest. Logan let out a breath heavy with sorrow. It was different from the last time, when he’d only vaguely imagined their wedding.

“This time… it’s real.”

She would really marry Usher and become someone else’s woman. There would be no second chances.

His throat dried at the thought. Guessing something’s over is one thing—seeing the end come for real is entirely different.

Still, Logan could do nothing. He cared deeply for Usher, his closest friend. He couldn’t sabotage the wedding or steal Eleanor away. And since he couldn’t turn back time, all he could do was watch the happy couple from a distance.

Suddenly, he thought of his father—who had suffered after giving everything to Cindy, only to never win her heart. Seeing his usually strong, confident father waver over something like love had shocked Logan.

“Logan, no matter what, don’t lose yourself.”

He couldn’t let himself become like that. He was already miserable; there was no need to be pitiful too. With that thought, Logan turned away, resting his back against the terrace railing and sighing deeply.

“One man making that mistake is enough.”

Logan’s face darkened as he recalled his father confessing his love for Cindy Claven, the second wife.

Back then, he couldn’t understand what his father meant. He had looked at the man with confusion, wondering what love really was. His father had accepted his son’s disapproval without complaint.

“Maybe it’s better to go through life never knowing what that feeling is.”

And perhaps he was right. If just knowing it could cause such pain, ignorance might have been kinder. Logan wondered if his father’s heart had felt like his did now.

“You don’t have to understand me.”

“…Father.”

“Logan. Please don’t hate Cindy too much. And treat Olivia kindly—as your sister.”

Those had been his final words, whispered on his deathbed. He didn’t worry about his grown son, but he worried deeply about the love and its fragments he’d leave behind.

Logan didn’t understand the full weight of that love, but he had respected his father’s final wish. He’d honored Cindy and Olivia ever since. Olivia, who resembled his father so much, often felt like true family.

Even though Cindy mistreated Olivia, Logan had borne it quietly under the same roof—only for his father’s sake.

“……”

Logan turned around slowly. The lovers who had captured his gaze were gone. Just like when he was left alone after both his parents died, he was now alone—watching a radiant love from afar.

If nothing else, one thing was clear:
The men of the Claven family were never close to love.
Cindy Claven had never truly loved Justin Claven. And Eleanor Hudson would never return Logan Claven’s love—not now, not ever.

Logan looked up. Stars were densely scattered across the sky, as if forming a river of hope. The ink-black heavens, like an open mouth, seemed to vomit up the stars in glittering convulsions.

Stars fell endlessly.
It was heartbreakingly beautiful.

It was that kind of night.