Certainly, what must be refused · 13. May 2025

CWMBR 4

Chapter 4

***

Ain Wise despised her, but accepted her. For that reason alone, she had been overconfident that she was special to him.

What an absurd delusion it was.

"Where else would I be but there?" she thought.

After losing her child and facing her husband's scornful eyes, Bridget realized how immature her dreams of happiness had been: she had imagined an optimistic future in order to escape the pain of the present.

"Only Glynford Grand Theater would be there for me forever."

The innocent Bridget that the Penningtons pampered and nurtured, the Bridget who withdrew and left alone from everything after her parents' deaths, the foolish Bridget who once thought a cruel man was her savior, and the foolish Bridget who was blinded by love, must all be erased.

Her life in this spot existed only to protect the Great Theater and atone for the baby who never saw the light of day.

Magnus listened to Bridget's words with a somber expression on his face, but then he spoke cautiously.

"This hasn't been officially announced yet, but...... it seems that the palace is sending investigators, and I’ll be investigated separately as well."

"What are they investigating?"

For a moment, a fierce sarcasm tugged at the corners of Bridget's mouth.

"Is my pregnancy true? Or the miscarriage? Doesn't he want to know if it’s a girl or a boy? Do they not wonder if I'm a menstruating adult? No. Do I have to prove I'm a person first?"

The last word came out almost in a shout. Bridget, who had been breathing hard, let out a ragged gasp. The emotions that had surged through her had cooled as quickly as they had heated.

Biting her lip, Bridget spoke in a broken voice.

"Magnus will be under the inspector's thumb for some time, and all I can say is that I'm sorry."

"I'm not being ungracious to the Penningtons."

"I'm the one who's most disrespectful to them."

Bridget's gaze flicked behind Magnus, to the door that opened without a knock. It was her husband, rudely entering the room uninvited and unannounced, who had not been seen since the unilateral notification, as none of her employees had informed her of his return.

But even if she had, she wouldn't have come to welcome him home. Bridget chewed her lip.

Judging by the way he didn't seem surprised to see Magnus when he entered the room, he must have heard that she was being examined. He knew it, and yet he pushed his way in, insisting that his business came first.

His rudeness was nothing new. Her husband had never been polite to her in the first place.

“So now I’m going to try to make things right. Living like this is an insult to those who raised me with love.”

Bridget continued, her gaze fixed on Ain's cold face.

"It was a feeling that wasn't worth a damn, and I didn't realize that...... You don't realize it until you've lost something so precious."

The last words were almost spoken to herself. Ain probably didn't hear them.

And even if he had, how would it have moved him?

Bridget looked away, feeling a cold sinking inside. Magnus, catching sight of Ain belatedly, rose to greet him, but Ain spoke in a cold tone, not even looking at him.

"You’re still here.

"I'm getting ready."

"You're not trying to run away because you're afraid the investigation will start?"

Magnus, who heard this from the side, interjected in disbelief.

"You're talking too much!"

Ain, who hadn't even looked at Magnus, frowned and muttered irritably.

"Is it your practice to interfere in the private conversations of a married couple?"

Magnus pursed his lips in a straight line, but he couldn't think of a reason to interrupt, so he reluctantly picked up his bag. Feeling uneasy, he spoke up.

"I'll wait outside, as I need to give the madam some medicine and a few other things."

"Leave it with me."

"I'm sorry, but the patient's well-being is at stake, and it would be safer to deliver them to her personally."

Magnus, who had delivered the message with just the right amount of spin that no one in the manor could be trusted, turned away, and Ain, who glanced at him, burst out laughing.

"It's because you two have committed fraud together.”

It was clear that he doubted Bridget’s pregnancy, and even thought she'd cheated with the doctor who'd diagnosed her.

Perhaps she should have gotten a diagnosis from someone other than Magnus, but what's the point of thinking about it now? Bridget cut off the thought, which, out of habit, had been nurtured by biting its tail.

What ifs. Such what-ifs were worthless.

Instead, she should apologize to Magnus later. For she had caused him to be insulted he didn't deserve. While she was thinking about that, Ain turned and glared at Bridget.

"I don't mind if you leave, but I need to know what you've done."

Did he really think she was running away because she was scared shitless? If that was the case, he still didn’t know her.

No. He never knew her to begin with.

Yes, he did, and those clear, beautiful cobalt eyes were just for show.

Swallowing her sarcasm, Bridget replied nonchalantly.

"You must be tired of coming home only to find out."

"It's about time the truth was finally revealed."

Bridget's lips curled upward.

"I.................. find your certainty refreshing."

Ain Wise. An investment genius.

He succeeded at everything he touched, so much so that people said he was favored by the gods. Already noble by birth, the man's inheritance made him even more so, and he sat in a seat of wealth that was the envy of the royal family. Even the royal family would call upon him in times of need.

But wealth was only one of Ain's many values.

His mother was Cliona Wood, cousin to the king, and his father was Belmer Wise, third son of the Grand Duke of Renefels. Standing alone at the end of a powerful genealogical line, the young Wise inherited a vast estate from his parents and was the heir to several titles. A drop of his blood was worth more than Bridget's life.

If his parents hadn't split up in a high-profile divorce that made headlines across the continent, if they hadn't pushed custody of Ain to the other side of the world, if they hadn't left him behind, Ain would never have started investing.

Instead, he would have been sitting on top of a tall castle, fingering his servants and discussing marriages with the princesses of other countries, with his fair face and the admiration of all.

Everyone in the country knew the story of Ain's early independence from his divorced parents. It was no secret that the royal family cared about the noble lineage of the outcast like a sore finger.

This marriage annulment case would also be investigated more rigorously and thoroughly. The possibility of a royally-sent investigator misrepresenting the truth was not unlikely................... Considering Ain's dignity, this could be the end result, but it was a matter that was completely out of Bridget's reach.

"Ha, if you've never failed at anything in your life, I suppose that’s possible."

"Don't get me started on a tangent."

Turning to Ain, who frowned, Bridget spoke in a dainty voice.

"We're going to the Pastor Abbey in Glynford."

"..................Pastor Abbey?"

"It's my parents' anniversary soon, and I want to honor them somewhere away from the fuss."

What if she was publicly accused and went straight to the Glynford Great Hall?

The theater would be packed with people who came to watch the poor woman accused by her husband. Half the people would be there to mock her, not sympathize with her, and she wouldn't want to be their prey. Not on any other day, and not on the anniversary of his parents' death.

"You can't hide in a monastery and avoid the inspectors."

"I know."

Bridget replied calmly, and Ain shot her a disapproving look.

"Is there anything else you need to find out from me?"

Ain didn't answer. He merely looked back at Bridget with subtlety. He was surprised to find her looking at him curiously. Did he expect her to argue back with some sort of retort?

Once upon a time, she would have, but sadly, Bridget had neither the energy nor the will to do so now. Instead of facing him, she looked away in silence.