CWMBR 63

Chapter 63

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*Present

Originally, she had intended to visit one more person, but after being turned down by four people in a row, she lost her nerve.

Standing on the road for a moment, Bridget changed her direction, heading somewhere other than where she had originally intended to go. Her steps led her to the banks of the Valea River.

This spot, popular enough to have a natural walking path, wasn't far from where the body had been found. However, since the body was discovered upstream and this was the lower riverbank, it seemed there were no specific access restrictions here.

The riverbank was thick with white cattails. Bridget stared blankly at the cattails swaying and rustling softly in the wind before taking a few more steps toward the water's edge. She felt the ground beneath her feet gradually softening and becoming sticky. When she was young, she often found this sensation fascinating and would deliberately walk along the riverbank, only to get scolded by her parents. Her mother's nagging voice still rang clearly in her ears: "If you wander around carelessly and fall into the river, it'll be a disaster."

"A body was found in this river just a few days ago. Aren't you scared?"

Her spellbound steps halted abruptly.

Bridget, who had been staring at the gently flowing river, let out a shallow sigh. Ain’s sudden appearances hardly surprised her anymore.

She stood without turning around, and behind her, Ain strode closer. Sensing his approach, Bridget slowly parted her lips.

"They say kissing an Undine kills you. Maybe that's what happened to him."

"You hate ghosts and ghost stories."

"This is folklore. Undines are just water sprites."

Of course, dismissing it as just a fairy tale, the folklore surrounding water sprites wasn't particularly interesting or romantic. The main point being that offending a Undine meant death, it was almost like a ghost story. In fact, whenever someone drowned in this river, there were always one or two people whispering that they had incurred the Undine's wrath.

Anyway, the Undine legend was one of the stories Bridget never failed to include in her tourist guides. She'd recited the same tale so many times, memorizing it word for word, that it now felt more familiar than frightening. So much so that if Undines truly existed, she would actually want to meet one.

"Still full of useless trivia, I see."

Ain stood tall beside Bridge, snorting as he glanced down at her.

"The river wind is cold."

As was typical near water, the area around the Valea River was colder than the city center. Even now, a cool breeze was creeping under her clothes.

Bridget pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and replied in her usual tone.

"I'm used to it, so it's fine."

"You collapsed not long ago."

"But I got back up."

"Planning to collapse again?"

"I'll try not to collapse in front of you."

Who would deliberately set out to collapse? But Bridget no longer wanted to show weakness in front of Ain. It wasn't about pointless pride; it was more about wanting to avoid any situation that might entangle her with him even slightly more. 

She was preoccupied with worrying about the Grand Theater and just trying to recover her weakened body. Of course, the legal settlement with Ain remained, but that was beyond her influence, wasn't it? She had decided from the start not to expend energy on the annulment lawsuit, so she didn't want to dwell on it deeply.

"Of course, if you hadn't confronted me in the first place, you'd have less chance of seeing things you shouldn't."

Ain frowned. As she had done so often lately, Bridget assumed he had come just to spout meaningless platitudes and engage in the same repetitive conversation. So, without giving him much attention, she admired the tranquil riverside scenery.

Watching her, Ain, who had been pondering, suddenly blurted out.

"The day I arrived in Breford after hearing about your miscarriage, I received a photo."

"A photo?"

"A photo of you embracing Finn Emerson naked."

In that instant, Bridget recalled her conversation with Finn Emerson.

"It seems they have fabricated evidence. They appear to have already reached certain conclusions. For instance, that Miss Pennington and I share a very deep relationship."

"That never happened."

Bridget denied it quickly. Yet she couldn't hide her shock at the existence of evidence she'd never even imagined. A photo of her embracing a naked Finn Emerson? Good heavens! How on earth could such a thing exist?

Ain frowned at Bridget’s firm denial. He spoke in a slightly irritated tone.

"The conclusion is that it's not fabricated."

Bridget unconsciously widened her eyes and turned to look at Ain. A photo taken of something that never happened? And it wasn't even fabricated?

It was a story more terrifying than any urban legend. Staring at Ain, speechless, Bridget stammered out her words.

"I... I... I really didn't do it. Ask Mr. Emerson right now. He'll deny any relationship with me too."

"He said he has feelings for you."

"No, why………………"

Of course, Bridget had already heard what Finn had told the investigator. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it, dismissing it as an unremarkable answer. But now, knowing the context, it was undeniably open to interpretation. Depending on how you took it, couldn't that answer imply the photo was real?

"Really, I have no relationship with that person."

Her words were true, but sadly, there was no way to prove it. Especially now that Finn, one of the people in the photo, had given such an ambiguous answer.

Ain, staring blankly at Bridget's noticeably distorted expression, spoke in a voice darkened by resignation.

"Before Donna Green started blabbing about my identity everywhere, no one in Glynford knew I was Ain Wise. But you... you said you knew me before that."

Donna had gossiped relentlessly about Bridget, who was deeply entangled with Ain Wise, spreading all sorts of rumors everywhere. Mostly about how Bridget had constantly hovered around him to lure him in, or how she'd fawned over him under the pretense of being his tour guide. While it was true that Bridget had acted as Ain’s tour guide, no one knew the full details, so Donna's words quickly gained credibility.

Ain, whose identity had been revealed against his will, sternly pointed out Donna's behavior at the time. He was a man who usually didn't pay much attention to whatever Donna said and let her be, but he stopped her with a look that said he was thoroughly disgusted by this particular thing. He clearly didn't like being the center of attention.

Then he asked Bridget. Did she really know his true identity?

"The only one who knew I was Ain Wise was Finn Emerson, and he was the one openly hitting on you. If you knew my identity before, it must have been through him."

Even as he spoke, Ain wore an expression of utter exasperation.

"How could I not suspect you?"

Bridget pursed her lips. She had actually tried to explain this matter before.

"Miss, I was borrowing your writing materials and happened to come across an old diary, you see? But strangely enough, it had Elber's story written in it. So I made some use of it."

If only Donna hadn't taken someone else's draft work without permission, if only she hadn't touched Bridget's diary. If only she hadn't blabbed about it in front of Ain and Finn as if it were her own story. If only Donna hadn't thrown Bridget's diary into the incinerator to cover up her lie...

Bridget's explanation would have been a little easier.

"Did you find it so amusing sneaking into someone else's mansion like a stray cat? You have such peculiar tastes. But Patrick heard my story and asked if I remembered him? He must have worked as a servant in that mansion? I told him I didn't remember, so you needn't worry."

As if recounting a lighthearted anecdote, Donna informed Bridget. This was during the very period when Donna, still unaware of Ain’s true identity, was striving to win Finn’s favor with Bridget's sketches.

Of course, even without the diary, Bridget could have offered some proof by recounting the memories she held.

But by the time Donna spoke, Ain had already sent someone to Elber to confirm Donna had resided there during that period. The girl he remembered had blonde hair and green eyes, and Donna perfectly matched that description.

Ain was thus convinced that Donna Green was his first love.