Chapter 04
It Was You
“Why won’t you let me do it on the desk in the study this time?”
“What if we get caught? Even at night, the servants sometimes pass by.”
“Everyone in this mansion already saw me completely drunk and being carried out by you. Even if someone sees us, who would ever think I’m Gloria?
Maybe Marieanne, but no one else.”
“Please, Ria.
Do you have to bring her up when we’re in the middle of this?”
My mind went blank, and my vision darkened.
Through the slightly open door, I could hear their heavy breathing.
My husband panted like a lustful beast, and Gloria moaned seductively.
“By the way… ah… the Ermaning 52 wine.”
“What about it?”
“That was my gift, wasn’t it? Then why did you tell Marieanne it was her anniversary present?”
“Hah, Ria. You know I had no choice.”
“Ugh, wait. Wait. I feel disgusted—I can’t do this anymore.”
The wine I had earlier mixed with the food in my stomach, threatened to come back up.
‘What is this…?’
Even though I was witnessing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe it.
“This is exactly why I never told you my wedding anniversary. But then you go and give my gift to Marieanne?”
“Why are you acting like this? No, wait. I’m sorry. It was my fault.
So just lie back down, okay?”
Since when have they been deceiving me? How much of my life was a lie?
“This is so annoying. How am I supposed to watch you celebrate my wedding anniversary when I don’t even care about it myself? Don’t you feel bad for me at all?”
“Then why did you leave me and marry that guy? If you had chosen me, we wouldn’t have to hide like this in such a cramped place.”
The answer came easily.
‘It was you.’
The woman who had been with my husband even before our marriage.
“Cedric, I told you—I didn’t want to get married. You’re the only one I truly love.”
“I know, Ria. Ha ha, I wish you were the one in my bed tonight.”
“Then don’t go back. Don’t even think about touching another woman.”
“Of course. Now turn around and fix your skirt.”
“Marieanne… ugh… You can never do this with Marieanne. If you do, I swear, I’ll kill you.”
It felt like the strength had drained from my body. I couldn’t even stand properly.
‘This can’t be real. This must be a dream. It has to be.’
I had always suspected that Gloria might be the woman in my husband’s life. It was a gut feeling.
But I always dismissed it, thinking such an idea was an insult to my sister.
And yet, all my efforts to deny it had led to this—confronting the truth in the worst way possible.
I staggered, gripping the wall. The cold marble brought me back to reality.
‘Disgusting. So filthy.’
The heated moans, the touch of their skin, the tremor in my limbs—everything was disturbingly vivid.
I couldn’t think straight. The overwhelming sense of betrayal burned inside me.
Before I realized it, my hand had grabbed a thick book.
‘Would this be enough?’
Tears streamed down my face, but I couldn’t even wipe them away.
I wanted to storm in, throw the book at them, and scream.
“Aah, I love you. I love you, Cedric.”
Love.
If I hadn’t heard that word, I probably would have done it.
But for some reason, Gloria’s final words drained all my willpower.
It felt like my marriage and my entire life had been completely invalidated.
“I love you too, Ria. Ha ha, squeeze harder. I’m almost there.”
“How am I supposed to squeeze more? Ugh, Cedric. Not inside. Outside, outside.”
Thud.
As they reached their climax, the book slipped from my hands and crashed to the floor.
‘Someone saw that.’
The next morning, Gloria sat curled up on her bed, still in her nightwear.
Anxiously biting her nails, she remembered the thick book that had been lying on the study floor.
‘Who was it? Who saw us?’
If it was a maid, that would be fine. She could take care of it before any gossip spread.
But if it was Marieanne…
Gloria nervously ruffled her hair.
‘No servant would dare enter the study without permission. That would be insane. So was it the butler? Did they overhear everything?’
No matter how she thought about it, there was only one worst-case scenario.
If Marieanne had witnessed it, there was no telling what would happen next.
Marieanne usually slept early, so the chances were low. But still, she couldn’t be sure.
“Aaah! Should I just ask?”
She considered confronting Marieanne—asking if she had been in the study last night—but quickly dismissed the idea.
Marieanne wasn’t the type to bring it up first, even if she had seen everything.
“This is so frustrating.”
The more she thought about it, the more unfair it felt.
‘Why am I even worrying about this? Cedric loves me. Not that wretched Marieanne!’
Cedric had been in love with her for years, long before either of them got married.
She had always been the one Cedric truly desired.
And she always would be.
‘I can’t let this go. I have to check for myself.’
Still feeling uneasy, Gloria called for a maid to help her change.
When she asked where Marieanne was, the maid said she had been in the drawing room since early morning.
Gloria hurried there.
As she pushed open the door, she locked eyes with Marieanne, who was lounging comfortably on the damask sofa.
Gloria flashed a sweet smile.
“Good morning, Marieanne. Did you sleep well last night?”
“I slept great, thanks to you. I feel so refreshed.”
Of course, you did.
Gloria almost laughed out loud but held it in. She had no energy left to react to Marieanne’s nonsense.
“I drank way too much last night, but I feel perfectly fine. Must be because you were by my side. You know, that whole ‘peace of mind’ thing.”
Was this bright, smiling woman my twin?
Where was the Gloria I used to know?
“Marieanne, I love being twins with you. It’s like living two lives at once.”
“Two lives?”
“Yeah! Normal people only get to experience things once, but we can do them twice. That’s why… I’m so happy you’re my twin!”
I remembered when we were little, lying in bed, as Gloria hugged me and whispered those words.
Back then, she and I shared everything.
We were one before we were born. We were meant to rely on each other.
‘So how could you do this to me?’
How could you betray me like this?
The question circled my mind, but there was no answer.
“Gloria.”
Cedric never came back to our bedroom last night.
I had spent the entire night thinking—trying to decide the smartest way to handle this.
But I still hadn’t found the answer.
Should I expose their affair? Should I reveal their sins to the world?
And then what?
‘Could we ever go back, Ria? Back to when you whispered that you were happy to be my twin?’
Everything would be ruined. Our relationship, our family’s honor, even the people we cared about.
I thought of our parents, who had always trusted me.
I couldn’t imagine how much pain this would cause them.
‘Would I feel satisfied if the world hated Cedric and Gloria?’
If the scandal spread through high society and tainted my name forever…
Just the thought made me shudder. No matter what I chose, the outcome would be disastrous.
‘First…’
I had to get Gloria out of the house.
I needed more time to carefully prepare for the divorce.
In Valter, women rarely won divorce cases.
“Pack your things. I’ll have a carriage ready.”
“What? Why? What are you talking about?”
“You’re still pretending? Gloria, how long were you planning to keep lying to me?”
Even now, she dared to act clueless.
“Don’t test my patience. I’m already at my limit.”
I rubbed my forehead, exhausted.
Then Gloria’s expression changed entirely.
In a low voice, she muttered—
“You saw everything, didn’t you?”
