“Um…?”
Erin was shocked by Aiden’s response and lost her words.
To her, his answer sounded like saying he was okay because of Julia. Erin couldn’t hide her expression for a moment.
Her lips stiffened, and her heart sank coldly. “How did you hold Julia’s hand? Have you ever held it before?”
She couldn’t muster the courage to ask the question she wanted to ask next.
She was too afraid. Erin slowly closed her mouth. Instead, she offered a faint smile.
“Really? That’s a relief.”
“Yeah. So, you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”
“That’s right. Now that Aiden is really okay.”
Erin murmured softly. It seemed like she was just saying that it wasn’t her concern anymore. Each word of Aiden’s felt like a dagger piercing her. Erin didn’t ask any further.
I couldn’t bring myself to mention Julia’s name out loud.
There was a bitter taste in my mouth. I felt tears welling up, but I managed to hold them back. Still, I forced the corners of my mouth up, not wanting to show such a look to Aiden.
***
When dawn arrived, Erin quietly opened her eyes. She carefully rose, glancing at Aiden, who was lying next to her with his eyes closed.
Gazing silently at Aiden’s sleeping figure, she observed a more peaceful expression than ever before.
Lost in thought, she gently ran her hand over Aiden’s face, pondering the conversations they had shared.
She was certain that Aiden still liked her, and that he wasn’t deceiving her. Perhaps he was gradually being drawn to her.
Could it be that he still hadn’t realized his feelings for Julia? If so, should she pretend not to know about Aiden’s feelings? Faced with an unwanted choice, Erin forced a bittersweet smile.
She hesitated before speaking slowly.
“Aiden, do you remember what I said back then?”
As she whispered softly, Erin carefully caressed Aiden’s forehead.
“No matter if I regret it later for holding onto you then, it doesn’t matter. I will never let you go.”
A sleeping Aiden couldn’t respond. It was ultimately a soliloquy, but Erin continued speaking.
“Don’t regret the words I said back then.”
Speaking towards the sleeping Aiden, Erin made a promise to herself. In the end, no matter how much she hesitated or regretted it, Erin had only one choice.
***
Erin had to make a decision about what to do next. She didn’t misunderstand Aiden and Julia’s relationship because of what happened at the party.
However, it could be a sign that their relationship could change in the future.
At least, it caused such anxiety in Erin’s mind. Once this anxiety began to grow, it could continue to build up and engulf Erin. So, she decided not to just hold onto the anxiety in her mind, but to ask directly. First to Julia. She had arranged to meet her to find out how she felt.
Even after making this decision, it was difficult to gather her thoughts. While Erin was lost in deep thoughts, Mona, who was helping her get ready to go out, asked carefully, “What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Erin turned her head to look at Mona. “Mona.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Can you just call me by my name, like you did when I was younger?”
“Is there something on your mind?”
Mona narrowed her eyes and studied Erin’s face.
“How did you know?” Erin, surprised by Mona’s correct guess, asked. Mona’s eyes crinkled into a half-moon shape as she replied, “How did I know? You always want to act mischievous at times like this.”
Mona knew everything about Erin. Particularly, she was confident that she knew better than anyone else about her little habits.
“I just can’t find the courage.”
“Even our mistress has moments like that?”
Mona asked with a surprised expression, seemingly taken aback. If the confident Erin was admitting to a lack of courage, it meant it was no small matter.
“Yeah. I’m afraid I might hear something that scares me.”
“Then my determination might crumble.”
Erin’s voice trembled.
“What’s going on?”
Mona couldn’t help but ask. However, Erin couldn’t answer her question.
“If you really like someone, should you compromise for their sake?” Erin, to gather her thoughts, pressed her temples and then let go.
“Madam?”
“No, Mona. Just pay a little extra attention to me today.”
With a determined look in her eyes, Erin said to the puzzled Mona.
“Are you going somewhere important today?”
Mona asked, brushing off her surprise.
“I’m meeting a very important person. I want to look confident and stylish.”
Erin stared intently at her reflection in the mirror as she spoke boldly.
“Not just pretty?”
“Yeah. I want to look impressive and not easily swayed by any comments. Not too flashy, yet not too plain either.”
Erin answered decisively, but with each subsequent remark, her words grew more and more excessive.
“It sounds quite complicated.”
“Does it? But if I tie my hair neatly and add some color to my lips, wouldn’t that give the kind of feeling I’m going for?”
Erin muttered solemnly as she looked at herself in the mirror.
Her appearance was completely different from just a while ago, when she seemed disheartened and powerless. Mona preferred Erin being proactive despite her concerns. That’s why she also rolled up her sleeves.
“Come on. Don’t worry and just leave it to me.”
Mona confidently said as she brought Erin to the mirror.
In truth, Mona couldn’t quite understand why Erin was so concerned. It was definitely Julia Chart when it comes to the person she was going to meet today.
She hadn’t bothered this much when meeting Julia on any other occasion. Was there a different reason for today’s meeting?
Though puzzled, Mona spared no effort in preparing as Erin wished.
***
With Mona’s help, Erin arrived perfectly prepared at the place, which was a boutique.
She had deliberately decided to meet Julia outside rather than inviting her to the mansion. Although it was a boutique she frequently visited, as soon as she entered, she felt tense. Taking a deep breath, as soon as she walked in, she met eyes with Julia.
“Sister, you’re here?” Julia warmly smiled at Erin.
“Oh, you’re here first.” Erin replied awkwardly as she sat across from her.
“I had some shopping to do today, so I came early.”
Julia continued talking, but Erin didn’t hear a word. Today, she intended to tell Julia about her decision.
So she had thought about where to start talking from before arriving, what expression to wear when speaking, and where to place her eyes.
She had thought of everything. However, as she looked at Julia’s face, her words didn’t come out as she had planned.
However, Erin gathered her thoughts and began to speak. “The question I hear most often in social circles is about my relationship with my husband. Everyone wonders how we got close,” Erin and Aiden’s relationship had attracted particular attention in social circles due to its unusual intimacy.
“But I have never properly answered that question until now,” Erin hadn’t planned to talk about her relationship with Aiden to anyone, but she had changed her mind. She turned to Julia and slowly began to speak. “I will tell you. How I became close to Aiden, and the story of how we fell in love.”
“Is it okay for me to hear this story?” Julia asked curiously and cautiously.
“Yes, I would really like you to hear it,” Erin smiled at Julia and began her story calmly.
“I first met Aiden when we were ten years old. Of course, it was the first time we met after getting married, but back then, I didn’t know we would come to love each other so much.” She smiled at the memory of Aiden’s grumpy demeanor on their wedding night.
At that moment, I never thought this kind of day would come.
“We got married without knowing anything about each other, that’s why.”
Erin trusted Aiden and Julia.
So now, she couldn’t just be jealous and resentful.
“We were young then, and just because we got married, it didn’t mean we became close right away. So, we were more like friends than a married couple.”
Julia was listening intently to Erin’s story, and Erin continued.
“You know what? Aiden was actually more awkward back then than he is now. And… he was also very shy.”
Thinking back to that time made her laugh involuntarily.
The time spent with Aiden brought back only happy memories that made her feel good just by remembering them.
“But in the beginning, it was just that much of a feeling. But as we spent more time together, I found myself unknowingly starting to have feelings for Aiden.”
She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it started. Naturally and unexpectedly, her feelings for Aiden grew.
“Sometimes, the human heart goes beyond my reasoning. No matter how much I try to stop it, or tell myself it shouldn’t be that way, there are times when the heart just doesn’t listen.”
“….”
“So, I think that the feeling itself is inevitable,” that’s what Erin realized after much deliberation.
