If I was Going to Regret It Anyway

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me. Whether you believe it or not, nothing will change.”

 

“…Eleanor.”

 

“Don’t ever call Emily again and scold or torment her like before. If this happens again, I will consider it a breach of contract, just like with Peggy.”

 

“…….”

 

“Let’s go, Emily.”

 

“But, Madam…”

 

“It’s okay.”

 

Eleanor gently stroked Emily’s head and left the office with her. The office, now left with only the two men, was filled with a suffocatingly heavy silence.

 

Herbert couldn’t even call out to Daryl, he just watched him. Daryl, who had been frozen like a statue, suddenly spoke.

 

“…Herbert”

 

“Yes, Master. Please speak.”

 

“Prepare the carriage.”

 

“……”

 

Herbert hesitated for a moment, but soon nodded and said, “Yes, Master.” Daryl left the office and got into the carriage. The destination was, of course, Anthony’s residence.

 

****

 

Upon hearing the news that Daryl had come, Anthony unknowingly jumped up from the sofa.

 

‘Damn it, she said she’d keep it a secret!’

 

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs was already audible. It was too late to make an excuse and kick him out or run away.

 

‘No, calm down. It’s not like I did anything wrong. I just supported her for a moment. That’s because I was worried that my sister-in-law might fall.’

 

Anthony took a quick deep breath. Then, trying to appear as calm as possible, he looked at the door. Soon, the door swung open and Daryl entered.

 

“Hey, bro. What’s up? Why are you coming to such a shabby place…”

 

Anthony couldn’t finish his sentence. This was because Daryl, who had walked in, suddenly threw a punch at Anthony’s face. Anthony fell to the floor with a grunt.

 

“Ah, damn it, what the hell is this…”

 

Daryl grabbed Anthony by the collar and pulled him up. Then he punched him over and over. Blood spurted from his nose and the bitter taste of blood spread in his mouth.

 

“Ouch! Stop, stop it now!”

 

Anthony lay on the floor and curled up. Then, kicks started flying at him. When Anthony screamed and twisted his body after being hit in the back, a shoe heel was deeply embedded in his abdomen. Daryl’s merciless assault ended when Anthony was about to collapse. He grabbed Anthony’s long hair and forcibly lifted his chin.

 

“What did you do to my wife?”

 

“…”

 

Anthony looked at Daryl with swollen, bruised eyes as if he couldn’t believe it.

 

“Answer me. What did you do to Eleanor?”

 

“…Damn it, did you just start hitting me without even checking…?”

 

Daryl slapped Anthony’s cheek again. His gloves were already stained with Anthony’s blood. Daryl grabbed Anthony’s chin roughly.

 

“I’ll ask you one last time. What did you do to Eleanor?”

 

“…Damn it, even if I did something, I wouldn’t deserve this.”

 

Daryl raised his fist again. Then, Anthony hurriedly raised both hands to cover his face.

 

“For real, stop it now! I didn’t do anything! I went to the library, and my sister-in-law overreacted just because we were alone in an empty place!”

 

“Bullshit. There must have been a maid nearby.”

 

“She wasn’t there when I went! And I came out soon anyway! Damn it, if you’re going to make a fuss, at least know what you’re talking about!”

 

“……”

 

Daryl looked at Anthony expressionlessly and stood up. He took off his blood-stained gloves and threw them on the ground.

 

“If you approach Eleanor again, it won’t end like this.”

 

As got up, Anthony’s giggling could be heard from behind. He bent his head down and laughed, then coughed so hard that he almost couldn’t breathe. Daryl looked down at Anthony, who was spitting out bloody saliva on the floor with a cold gaze.

 

“Even if it’s a wife who has been neglected and ignored all year round, does it feel dirty when someone else touches her?”

 

“…”

 

Daryl’s eyes flashed with anger. Anthony grabbed the table next to him and trembled as he stood up.

 

“If you really want to die, keep talking.”

 

Anthony laughed hysterically.

 

“Don’t you think I have the right to do this to you? You started it first.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Bella.”

 

Daryl’s eyes narrowed.

 

“Who?”

 

“Bella! Bella Huntington! You’re not pretending to forget, are you?”

 

Anthony glared at Daryl with a twisted expression.

 

Bella was Anthony’s first love. She was a woman with a gentle personality and a shy smile that was quite lovely. Six years ago, Anthony was deeply in love with her, a love that couldn’t be dismissed as a simple crush. Bella was the first person Anthony asked to dance, and she was the one he sent the most letters to in his life.

 

“You knew I liked Bella. But you took her away from me without any hesitation!”

 

Despite Anthony’s protest, Daryl stared at him with an emotionless gaze.

 

“When did I ever take Bella away from you?”

 

“Do you really not remember? Six years ago, in the summer, at the Allenwick Villa! You… you touched Bella!”

 

The scene still vividly came back to him whenever he closed his eyes. In the dense forest a little away from the villa, Bella was in Daryl’s arms with her clothes disheveled. That incident had become a trauma that shook Anthony’s life.

 

“Of course I remember. But why do you think that means I took Bella away from you? Bella was never your woman in the first place.”

 

“What nonsense is that! There were so many letters exchanged between Bella and me! We never said it explicitly, but Bella definitely had the same feelings for me!”

 

“That’s just your delusion. Bella had no interest in you from the beginning. She just couldn’t reject you outright because you’re the brother of the man she likes.”

 

“…What?”

 

Daryl took out a cigar case from his pocket. He lit a cigar, took a puff, and then continued speaking.

 

“Bella told me she was uncomfortable because you kept following her around. She was just being nice because you’re my brother, but if you misunderstood that, it’s your problem. Think about it, isn’t it obvious? There’s no way a mere eighteen-year-old boy would look like a man to her.”

 

“……”

 

Anthony gritted his teeth. Daryl sneered in a low voice.

 

“So that’s why you’ve been approaching Eleanor all this time? To get revenge on me? I knew you were stupid, but I didn’t know it was this bad. You tried to lay a hand on your sister-in-law for such a trivial reason? Have you thought about what the consequences would be, and whether you could handle them?”

 

“…You don’t know anything. You don’t know what it feels like to have the woman you love taken away by another man, you cold-blooded creature.”

 

“……”

 

Daryl stopped at his words. He closed his mouth for a moment, then slowly walked towards Anthony with a cigar in his mouth.

 

“If you really touched Eleanor, I would have killed you.”

 

A chill ran down his spine at the seemingly emotionless words.

 

“Of course, I wouldn’t have been stupid enough to leave any evidence like you. I would have buried the body somewhere no one knows, and left a letter in your handwriting saying I was going on a trip for a while. No one would have suspected anything. And after a few years, your existence would have been forgotten in everyone’s memory. If anyone happened to remember you, they would think you must have died somewhere abroad. That’s always the fate of fools like you.”

 

“……”

 

Anthony looked at Daryl with a pale face. Daryl quietly exhaled smoke, then stubbed out his cigar on the table next to Anthony. The faint smell of burning wood lingered.

 

“Remember what I just said.”

 

“…You keep calling me a fool, but does brother think he’s any different? We all have the same blood. They say a bastard is a bastard because he was born to a bastard!”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Oh, right. You wouldn’t know.”

 

Anthony smirked as he spoke.

 

“It wasn’t just our father who cheated with other women. Our mother did the same.”

 

“…”

 

Daryl’s expression hardened slightly. Anthony grinned.

 

“Yes, even our seemingly perfect mother had a secret lover. People who seemed dignified and elegant in front of others were each having affairs behind the scenes. But damn, is it strange for me to be like this? It’s natural to follow what I’ve seen and learned, right? At least I didn’t get married. I’ve never betrayed a spouse, nor have I ever pretended to be a decent person. But what about you? You’re just like our parents. You stole your brother’s woman without blinking an eye, and after marriage, you would have touched this woman and that woman while leaving your wife at home. Isn’t that right? And you tell me not to approach my sister-in-law? Do you have the right to say that?”

 

“…Shut up.”

 

Seeing Daryl’s eyes flash with anger, Anthony laughed with delight.