I Became The Mother Of the Male Lead Who Lives With An Adulterous Man

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A few days ago, Theodore was kicked out of the townhouse without even knowing why. Berengella told him to leave because she had work to do.

When he’d returned around sunset, he wondered what’d happened and why Berengella’s attitude seemed different from before.

“Your mother is making a living, so what on earth are you doing?”

She repeatedly threw Theodore out of the house. She kept pushing him out, telling him to do something, whether it was earning money or clinging to Rachel or Jane.

It was nonsense.

‘Mother must’ve forgotten that I’m wanted for rebelling!’

He grumbled and wandered down an alley.

Fortunately, the capital guards weren’t actively searching for Theodore. No matter how many times he encountered them, they just passed by indifferently.

‘Perhaps the misunderstanding has been cleared up and the charges of being a rebel have been dropped?’

Hopeful, Theodore became increasingly bold. He, who was wandering the alleys, began to show his face on the main streets of the capital.

The streets were filled with memories of Jane. The restaurant he went to with her, her favorite clothing shop, the alley where he kissed her… Every day, he wandered the streets, reminiscing about the past.

‘I miss her so much, even though I know she’s a devil. She must’ve been really powerful.’

As Theodore was lost in his thoughts, his eyes caught sight of Rachel and Graham.

His heart was beating hard and fast. His steps quickened, almost as fast as his heartbeat.

“Rachel?”

At the sound of her name, Rachel turned slowly to look back at Theodore.

“Rachel! To meet in a place like this, we must be destined for each other!”

It was a beautiful reunion, like a scene from a novel.

 

* * *

 

“…Would it be rude to the dog to say that’s bullshit?”

Rachel muttered as she watched Theodore approach.

Cian sighed.

“Yes.”

Rachel pressed her throbbing temples.

‘Destined for each other? I clearly said I didn’t like him, and my dad even said he was the devil, yet he’s still talking nonsense like that? He either has no brain or his ears are clogged.’

She rolled her eyes and glanced over at Cian, who was still wearing his cloak.

She couldn’t help but feel resentful of Cian at this moment, even though she knew there was a reason he hadn’t captured Theodore yet.

If Cian had taken Theodore to the Emperor, none of this would’ve happened.

Theodore walked up to the group in front of him with a flushed face making it seem like he was happy to see her.

“Rachel. I missed you.”

Graham picked up a stick that was sitting on the ground and stepped forward to protect Rachel.

“Don’t come any closer!”

Theodore ignored Graham. His eyes were moist.

“Do you know how sad I was when you broke up with me like that? You said all those mean things that day, not that kind of person you are. You regretted it, right?”

“No, I don’t regret it, and that’s exactly the kind of person I am.”

“I know you’re angry even if you don’t use such mean words. I thought about it, and having an affair was, like you said, a mistake. You had good reason to be upset. I was possessed by the devil and did something foolish.”

“If you know you did something wrong, will you please get lost, I’m kind of busy right now.”

“Come back to me, Rachel. I’m heartbroken that you abandoned me. Please. It’s all my fault, okay?”

He was on the verge of tears.

When Rachel didn’t answer, Theodore knelt on the ground.

Stunned, Dolorosa took a few steps backward. People passing by slowed down to watch.

“Please, please come back to me. I love you, Rachel!”

“Love?”

Rachel snorted, unable to stop herself.

“Didn’t you say Jane was your true love? Did you forget about all those love letters you wrote her?”

“No. That woman was the devil. I was wrong!”

His voice was mournful.

If she didn’t know the original novel, she might’ve believed Theodore’s words. She, Rachel, may have mistaken herself for being the heroine of a tale of desperate regret.

But Rachel knew.

‘How dare you speak of love when you didn’t shed a single tear after Rachel’s death?’

Rachel clenched her fists, teeth trembling. For the first time, she realized that when she got too angry, her throat would close and her eyes would burn.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve never even pitied me, let alone loved me.”

She let out a cold sigh and turned around.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she spoke softly to Dolorosa, who was hiding behind Cian’s cloak.

“I’m sorry for surprising you. Shall we go to the shop?”

Not one to be outdone, Theodore sprang to his feet, grabbed Rachel’s wrist, and pulled her forcibly.

“Wait! Where are you going when someone is talking!”

“Ouch! It hurts! Let go, let go of me…!”

“No! I’ll never let you go! We’ll never part again…!”

Theodore’s voice was muffled as he tried to yell something more.

Cian and Graham stood in his way. Cian’s sharp sword was pointed at Theodore’s throat, and Graham’s thick branch was aimed at his vital parts.

A chilling voice flowed from Cian’s mouth.

“Get your dirty hands off of her.”

Graham also raised his voice.

“That’s right, if you don’t let go of my mom, I’m going to crush dad’s vital parts with this branch!”

Theodore barely managed to speak while trembling, still holding onto Rachel.

“Hey, what the hell do you think you’re doing, meddling in someone else’s marriage?”

“Is there history for a marriage that’s been annulled for several weeks? It seems like you don’t even care about your sin of cheating on your wife for the entirety of your marriage.”

“Well, that’s because I was possessed by the devil…!”

“Whether you were possessed by the devil or possessed by a woman, you’re the one who left Rachel alone and lonely throughout your marriage, and you’ll pay for what you’ve done.”

Rachel’s heart sank heavily as she listened to Cian’s words.

‘There was no one…’

After Theodore’s affair was revealed, everyone agreed, Theodore deserved punishment.

But no one realized that Rachel had been lonely the entire time she lived with Theodore.

From the residents of the mansion who watched the two up close to Theodore’s mother, Berengella. No one recognized Rachel’s loneliness.

Katie once said that she admired Rachel for doing her own thing without being swayed by her terrible husband.

‘I did it so he wouldn’t know I was lonely. If I was idle, I’d just get angry and sad.’

The tip of her nose twitched at the sight of Cian’s large, cloaked back.

Cian took a step forward and touched pressed the tip of his sword against Theodore’s neck. Graham, who’d been watching his teacher by his side, also stepped forward and pressed his stick against a critical spot.

“What’s going on over there?”

The sudden commotion drew the attention of two passing guards.

Startled, Theodore let go of Rachel’s wrist with a jerk. It wasn’t a good idea to face the guards when he wasn’t sure if he was still wanted or not.

“Shit! Damn you guys! Just wait and see! I’ll never give up on Rachel!”

Shouting, Theodore spun on his heel and disappeared into the alley.

Rachel slumped as her legs gave out. Dolorosa and Graham rushed to her aid.

“Lady Rachel, are you all right?”

“Mom, I chased the bad dad away! It’ll be okay now!”

Cian looked at the red handprint on Rachel’s wrist and clicked his tongue.

“I think it would be best to go back to the mansion for today.”

“I’m fine. We decided to go get ice cream.”

“Ice cream next time. Treating your wrist comes first.”

“But…”

Beside her, Dolorosa and Graham nodded.

“That’s right. Lady Rachel is more important than ice cream.”

“I don’t need ice cream or anything! I don’t have to eat it!”

Even the kids said it was okay, so she couldn’t be stubborn any longer.

Rachel said she would return to the mansion, and Cian called for a carriage.

 

* * *

 

That night. After returning to his own mansion, Cian couldn’t sleep until late into the night. He sat leaning against the windowsill of his office, lost in thought as he touched his pink diamond cufflinks.

 

‘Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve never even pitied me, let alone loved me.’

 

Because his eyes were covered, he couldn’t see Rachel’s expression as she said those words. He just knew her voice was choked.

It was like someone had taken a hammer and smashed his heart.

He thought he was going crazy, wanting to pull her into his arms right then and there.

 

‘Ouch! It hurts! Let go, let go of me…!’

 

When he heard Rachel scream, all the broken pieces of his heart caught fire at once. He didn’t know how long it’d been since he felt so violently angry and wild.

“Not since… Sigar tried to kill Dolorosa?”

He always tried to stay calm and rational, that’s the way he lived, but everything collapsed in an instant.

As he drew his sword and pointed it at Theodore, his mind was blank. It took all his strength to resist the urge to cut him down.

It wasn’t until he felt the blade touch Theodore’s flesh that he came to his senses. He realized why Lylus had told him to cover his face and hide his identity.

“I shouldn’t kill Theodore with my identity revealed. Sigar would accuse me of killing the leader of the rebellion without his permission.”

Fortunately, he’d concealed his identity and didn’t kill Theodore.

He’d wanted to kill him, but didn’t.

All because of Rachel.

He was afraid that Rachel might be shocked or sad is she saw that scene.

He was afraid she would hate or resent him for killing Theodore.

He covered his face with his hands, heart racing like a madman’s.

Stefan’s voice came to mind.

 

‘Isn’t it because she’s special?’

 

At the time, he didn’t think so, he thought it was impossible.

But now he had to admit it. Rachel was special to Cian.

Obviously, at first, he just wanted to have another great talent by his side, so when did it start to become like this?

Probably from the day Dolorosa started showing interest in Rachel. From the moment his only daughter recognized her, he’d let go of the reins.

Was this the important thing Lylus had been speaking of? Cian realizing his feelings for Rachel.

It was a feeling he’d never felt before and a feeling he never thought he’d feel in his life.

It was so hot and intense that it melted away all reason in an instant.

The moment Theodore knelt in front of Rachel and whispered his love, he’d felt uneasy, even though he knew nothing would happen. He felt like Rachel would change her mind and go back to him.

His breath caught in his throat as he imagined her in his arms, looking up at him, eyes filled with love. Anger boiled up with nowhere to go.

“…I won’t let that happen. I won’t let Rachel be shaken.”

His golden eyes flashed.

“Oh my. Beams of light are coming out of your eyes.”

“Ah.”

At the sudden voice, Cian quickly gathered his emotions and lowered the hand that covered his face.

Her heart was still pounding, but he feigned calm.

“Why are you here again at this hour?”

Stefan, standing in the doorway of the office, chuckled.

“Why? I came because I have a favor to ask.”