ILMCHAMB Chapter 15

Chapter 15

“Hmm.”
I adjusted my glasses slightly.
As I glanced around, hurried footsteps approached.
“Miss!”
It was Marina, her cheeks flushed from running. She stopped abruptly, nearly spilling the drinks she held in both hands.
“It’s a success, a huge success!”
I already knew, but seeing Marina so excited made the corners of my lips lift unconsciously.
“Really? They like it there too?”
I motioned for Marina to sit down quickly.
As soon as she sat beside me, she gulped down her drink. While waiting for her, I opened the package of macarons she had brought.
“Huff, huff. Do you know how many times I heard people talking about Social Scandals while waiting in line at the shop?”
“Hmm, keep going?”
“How did you know?!”
“Because I can hear and see it here too.”
Marina finally looked around.
“So, the Beast Duke’s lover bought a ton of clothes at Andria’s Salon, right?”
“Not just a lot—she bought every dress on the third floor!”
“And she arrived in that famous black carriage. Is the Beast Duke in love? If it weren’t for Social Scandals, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Everyone around us was holding a single sheet of paper—the one and only Social Scandals. It had only been two days since its release, but it went viral in just a day, and by the next day, everyone on the streets had a copy.
Unlike the usual dull newspapers, Social Scandals was filled with juicy gossip, making it naturally popular.
One key difference was the inclusion of illustrated scenes depicting significant moments in the stories.
Thanks to Marina’s vivid descriptions, the illustrations showed me with my head held high, pointing at dozens of dresses with a fan.
“‘All of these, from here to here,’ you said! Just imagining it is thrilling!”
“I’m going to use that line at the fruit market one day.”
How embarrassing.
As I overheard conversations around me, I glanced at Marina and bit into a macaron.
“Marina, I told you to describe things moderately, didn’t I?”
“But it was thrilling!”
“When did I tilt my head back like this? That was you, wasn’t it?”
Marina pretended not to hear me, blinking innocently as she munched on her macaron.
Exaggerations aside, the artist Elness brought in was so talented that my features were almost recognizable.
Because of this, I had no choice but to wear large glasses and wrap a scarf tightly around myself when I went out to gauge public reaction.
I adjusted the scarf to better hide my hair.
“Miss, we should feature your stories again next time. Then we could do something similar, and I’ll be even better at it!”
“If we tell the same story, people will get bored.”
“Then how about buying a building this time?”
I flicked her forehead with a firm thunk.
“Tsk, such bad habits you’ve picked up.”
Even though I scolded her sternly, Marina just laughed brightly.
Her cheerful demeanor stopped me from scolding her any further.
I couldn’t forget the Marina of my previous life. Back then, my mental health had deteriorated due to my in-laws, leaving me utterly drained.
Marina had been my only support.
She worked hard for me, managing the household while I was busy with my business, which inevitably led to clashes with my in-laws. They secretly tormented her, and she, too, withered away over time.
“What happened to Marina after I died?”
She would have found my death suspicious and likely protested.
The Beckham family would have silenced her or thrown her out.
She had done nothing wrong—her only mistake was her loyalty to the wrong person.
Knowing the sacrifices Marina made for me, I couldn’t bring myself to be harsh with her.
“Finish this.”
I handed her the remaining macarons, and she eagerly stuffed them into her mouth, her eyes sparkling.
After brushing crumbs from her lips, I looked around the square.
Thus, Social Scandals had a successful debut. Everything was going so well that I felt giddy with joy.
The weather was beautiful, and I was with someone dear to me—it made me hum a tune.
Just as I was quietly humming, a breeze blew, and my scarf slipped off.
Clicking my tongue, I reached to adjust it when—
“Bel…loni?”
A familiar voice made me whip around.
“…Ian.”
Standing there was Ian, my husband from my previous life.
The moment our eyes met, memories of my final moments came flooding back—
Catching him in the act of infidelity.
His pregnant mistress.
His shameless excuses.
And finally, his back as he walked away from me.
When I regained my senses after reincarnation, I punched him, but my anger had never truly faded.
Meeting him now, my old rage and humiliation surged anew.
“Beloni, you…!”
Ian quickly approached, his lips twitching as he looked me up and down with an uncomfortable, lecherous gaze.
“You’ve… become more beautiful?”
He stared at me in a daze. A bitter laugh escaped me.
Hearing my laugh, Ian snapped back to himself and began rambling.
“No, I mean, where have you been? What’s with the rumors? Why are you marrying the Duke?”
The flood of questions snapped me out of my thoughts. I closed my eyes briefly before meeting his gaze.
He looked more haggard than the last time I’d seen him.
“It’s all true.”
“What?”
“I’m marrying the Duke. Didn’t Beckham Manor receive an invitation? You didn’t attend?”
I tilted my head.
“I specifically asked His Grace to ensure the Beckham family received one.”
“We did… but we couldn’t believe it.”
“Why not?”
“Because you… were supposed to marry me.”
“Don’t you remember?”
I raised my hand, clenching and unclenching my fist. Ian flinched noticeably.
“I beat you up and left during the wedding.”
For a moment, I wondered if he’d developed amnesia, but his pale face told me he remembered everything.
“So… the rumors were true?”
His despair left me momentarily stunned.
“You thought they were fake?”
“No matter how pretty you are, that’s all you have. Your face is only good enough to be a mistress, not a duchess.”
“Hah.”
A bitter laugh escaped me.
Ian began trembling, unable to contain his anger.
“Then… you must have been lovers with the Duke for years.”
“Does that matter?”
“Of course it does! It means you cheated on me!”
I crossed my arms and stared at him.
“Are you innocent?”
When our eyes met, Ian flinched.
“You were seeing another woman a week before our wedding. I knew it all.”
Despite knowing, I had married him, foolishly thinking he’d change after marriage.
And for a while, he did. The struggling Beckham family left him with no energy to maintain an affair.
But that phase didn’t last five years.
I had placed my trust in him, only to have it shattered.
“No, I was wrong.”
I shook my head.
“I should have ended it the moment I found out.”
Instead, I’d held onto a futile hope, and it led to my death.
Trust had brought betrayal, and betrayal had brought death.
I had been so busy surviving after my reincarnation that I hadn’t thought about revenge.
But seeing Ian now, unchanged, brought back my rage.
For the sake of my former self, I needed to exact vengeance.