Aiden felt like all this was just his fantasy. Since the moment Erin mentioned Julia and Charte, Aiden couldn’t pull himself together.
Erin, being jealous of me. And over Julia and Charte.
“I was the one feeling jealous all along.”
Turns out, Erin felt the same way. Aiden deemed his jealousy over Julia and Charte as awkward. He tried to remind himself to act boldly, but it was easier said than done.
He also worried that Erin might find it burdensome if she knew about his attachment to her. However, the fact that Erin shared his feelings gave Aiden immense satisfaction.
It boosted his confidence, dispelling the doubts about whether he liked Erin more one-sidedly.
“She felt the same way.”
He was determined to remember every word Erin said and savor it for a long time.
But that was the pleasure he enjoyed alone. Although Erin’s jealousy was enjoyable for now, he didn’t want her to hold onto that misunderstanding for too long.
“I, Erin, have zero interest in Lady Charte if it’s not you.”
Aiden confessed sincerely why he had been fixated on Julia and Charte all this time.
He revealed everything, speaking sincerely and in detail. As he did, memories of the emotions he had felt while observing Erin and Julia resurfaced one by one.
Aiden’s awareness of Julia Charte began with the rumors he had heard at a party attended by Erin.
When he heard that Erin had left the party holding Charte’s hand, Aiden immediately sought a detailed account of what had happened at the party.
Until he heard about it, he had thought it was natural for Erin.
Although she never admitted it, Erin had always been unable to tolerate injustice since she was young.
However, Aiden couldn’t just ignore Julia Charte. This is because similar incidents had recurred whenever Aiden looked for Erin ever since then.
‘Charte Young is here right now, conversing in the lounge.’ ‘Charte?’ ‘Yes, she has been visiting frequently lately.’
Erin frequently met with Julia Charte. Sometimes, when the two of them were together, Erin seemed to be genuinely happy and smiling.
It was surprising. While Erin was well-connected in social circles, she hadn’t been particularly close to anyone before.
So, Julia Charte was the first person to truly capture Erin’s heart.
Moreover, they had been meeting every day recently. Aiden couldn’t help but pay attention.
Additionally, when Aiden asked Erin about Julia, she subtly evaded the question, as if trying to hide something.
When Aiden purposely sought them out together, Erin pretended not to be interested, but there was a subtle tension and consciousness of Julia.
Aiden, too, naturally began to have many thoughts when he saw Erin and Julia together.
“‘It seems like Erin has been neglecting me lately… I wonder if it’s just my imagination.’ ‘Well, from what I can see, there doesn’t seem to be anything different from usual.'”
“Can’t you see it with your own eyes?”
“….” Aiden turned his head, biting his tongue.
It was clear that Erin and Julia’s relationship was growing closer each day. Julia was the first person that Erin had cared about so much.
Or, more accurately, the first person besides Aiden. That meant it hadn’t happened in the past 10 years. It was a big shock to Aiden.
His jealousy burned hot. In a way, his emotions were more tumultuous than when Erin brought up divorce. Julia continued to bother him.
So, deliberately he warned Julia several times. Each time, Julia explained that she didn’t like Erin. But Aiden didn’t believe her.
“If you were really sincere, you shouldn’t have shown off by meeting Erin right after my warning.”
He felt a sense of competition toward Julia, who flaunted her presence with Erin.
He felt a sense of competitiveness and a desire to show her properly. There was no room for interference between us. He told himself not to even dream about such futile hopes.
But, in all those moments, Erin was misunderstanding everything, just as Aiden had doubted Erin and Julia’s relationship.
He felt uneasy thinking that he might have boiled on his own without daring to ask, mentally chastising himself.
Aiden deeply reflected. Whenever it came to Erin, Aiden often used childish and emotional tactics. It was the same this time.
As a result, he almost ended up hurting Erin instead. Erin and Aiden each shared the misunderstandings they had had about each other.
He had never imagined that Erin was having such thoughts.
“While I was jealous, Erin was jealous of me, too.”
After laying bare even the embarrassing feelings he wanted to hide, Aiden watched Erin’s reaction attentively.
Erin met Aiden’s eyes with an expressionless face, listening quietly.
Erin’s eyes slowly but unmistakably arched into a smile. “Funny. Both of us were jealous of Julia.”
When Erin’s smile completely dispelled the misunderstanding, Aiden’s relieved smile followed suit.
In fact, completely oblivious to the hidden meaning behind Erin’s smile. Leaning towards Aiden, Erin spoke.
“Julia must have been uncomfortable because of us.”
“You’re right.”
For a moment, Aiden’s mind flickered with the things he had said and done to Julia Charte. Aiden’s expression Chartened.
His face, which had just been smiling, slowly stiffened. Doubt resurfaced. No, but really. Could it be true that Julia Charte had no feelings for Erin? Even if Erin had no interest, Julia Charte would not have known.
Aiden’s skepticism persisted to the very end.
“Julia Charte seems to really like Erin. You can tell just by looking at her face.”
“Aiden.” Erin called Aiden in a serious tone. “No more misunderstandings!” With a determined look, Erin pressed Aiden’s cheeks with her palms.
Aiden stared back at Erin, as if a little angry, for a few seconds, but then her face softened, and a broad smile appeared.
“Of course, Julia likes me,” she said firmly.
“See?”
“As a human being. She likes me as a friend. I like Julia the same way.”
“We were friends at first, too.”
Aiden countered Erin’s statement with a single word. That’s where his anxiety started. Erin opened her mouth, looking straight at Aiden’s face.
“Our beginning was as a couple.”
She said as if it were obvious. Upon hearing that, Aiden’s heart quickened a bit.
Yes, strictly speaking, the two of them started as a married couple. Yes, it’s different from Julia Charte.
Only then did a satisfied smile spread across Aiden’s face.
“Erin, I’m sorry.”
“….”
“I won’t ever let misunderstandings happen again.”
Aiden pledged as he kissed Erin.
“No, I didn’t think Aiden would think like that.” Aiden’s guilt doubled.
He genuinely felt sorry for causing Erin to misunderstand. There was not an ounce of falsehood in it. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but smirk subtly.
It was madly satisfying to know that Erin liked him enough to be jealous like this. A faint smile crossed Aiden’s face.
He had no idea. That was Erin’s scheme all along. Yet, it was also an undeniable fact that Erin had been jealous all this time.
However, she had simply realized the ridiculous mistake and misunderstanding a little earlier.
Still, seeing Aiden feeling sorry made her feel a bit guilty. What she wanted wasn’t an apology, but Aiden’s conviction.
Aiden’s misunderstanding and jealousy of Erin and Julia’s relationship stemmed from lingering insecurity within him.
Perhaps, it was also influenced by Erin’s declaration of divorce. Despite reassuring each other multiple times, there was still something unfulfilled.
Erin also felt responsible for Aiden’s uneasiness. She wanted to use this opportunity to firmly establish Aiden’s emotional foundation. That was her motive.
With a meaningful gaze, Erin opened her lips and said, “By the way… It’s quite unexpected that we misunderstood each other like this. We must not have expressed our feelings to each other properly all this time.”
Erin reached out her hand towards Aiden with a discerning look in her eyes.
