CWMBR 133

Chapter 133

***

Her hand clutching the purse trembled violently.

"You bastard, what the hell? From the very beginning?"

A hoarse voice burst out roughly, trailing behind her rasping breath.

"You treated people like trash just because Donna Green said so, and now you’re saying this?"

At the mention of Donna's name, Ain's expression visibly stiffened. He couldn't bear to keep his head up and finally lowered his gaze.

"I realized that was also my mistake."

With lips that wouldn't part, he squeezed out the words.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

Thwack!

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the handbag struck him again, somewhere near the side of his head. The weight of the bag delivered a blow far harder than a hand could manage. Unlike Ain, who didn't stagger or budge, it was Bridget who reeled from the recoil. Seeing her already emaciated body sway before him, Ain reflexively reached out. But Bridget immediately slapped his hand away fiercely. Thud!

"There's a limit to deceiving people! How could you say something like that? How can you call yourself human after doing that?"

What followed was a torrent of savagely sharp accusations.

"What makes you so great that you could..."

Her breath came in gasps, as if she might pass out at any moment. Ain swallowed dryly, hesitated, then glanced up. The moment their eyes met—her wide, green irises locked with his—a fiery rage erupted.

"As if your feelings are so grand and noble!"

Thwack! Thwack!

"You bastard! Damn you!"

Bridget, overcome with fury, swung the handbag she clutched wildly. But her blows were clumsy and half missed, either cutting through empty air or grazing dangerously close. As if that only made her angrier, she swung her arms with all her might. Finally, she dropped the handbag she'd been flailing about with.

The handbag rolled across the bare, spotless floor. Small items spilled out in a tumult from the open bag, scattering chaotically in all directions.

Yet Bridget's rage showed no sign of abating. She now clenched her fist. But how threatening could a fist swing from someone who didn't even know how to properly bend her fingers be? The risk of injuring her wrist or the back of her hand from a misguided swing was far greater.

Ain, who had been quietly enduring the rage she was unleashing, finally reached out. Grabbing her slender wrist, thin enough to grasp with one hand, was surprisingly easy.

"Bridget, you'll hurt yourself. Use a weapon instead."

Bridget, who had been glaring at him with wide eyes, violently shoved his arm away.

"Let go! Don't pretend to care now, it's disgusting!"

Of course, he had no intention of forcing her, so Ain immediately released her. Bridget staggered and took a step back. She was panting so heavily it was worrying, as if she might collapse at any moment. If she kept raging like this, it wouldn't be surprising if she actually collapsed. Ain spoke in a subdued voice.

"I know there's no excuse for what I did."

An excuse? Was that even possible? It was all his stupidity from start to finish. He couldn't even bring himself to say he was sorry easily.

"………………I was foolish."

"Disgusting."

Bridget shuddered at his barely uttered confession. Her lips trembled violently before she abruptly turned her head away. Her flushed cheeks, red with fury, made her look like a feverish patient. Her lifeless face grimaced as she kept exhaling in exasperated bursts into the empty air.

"Because of you, I... my child..."

Bridget clenched her teeth. She strained her eyes, but couldn't hide the moisture welling up inside them.

Bridget turned her back on Ain, irritably. Ain’s gaze naturally followed her retreating figure.

"My child………………"

Her trembling voice gradually quieted. With her back still to Ain, Bridget pressed her fingers hard against her eyes.

"What crime did my child ever commit?"

But once the tears broke free, they inevitably streamed down her cheeks. He could see them plopping onto the floor at her feet.

"Why did you come to me?"

Bridget roughly wiped her cheeks with both hands. Her hunched shoulders were tense, straining to hold back the sobs.

Ain suddenly recalled Bridget mentioning being refused treatment at Breford. That emaciated back was ultimately the result of his karma. If only he had treated her properly from the start, if only he hadn't been so wrapped up in his own stubbornness, making unreasonable demands.

"………………Without ever seeing the light."

Hearing that muttered soliloquy, filled with self-reproach and regret, Ain could no longer remain silent.

"I'm sorry, Bridget. It's all my fault. Not because of you, but because of me."

Ain spoke quickly, approaching Bridget who stood with her back turned.

"I……………."

He couldn't finish the sentence. The moment he saw Bridget's side profile, drenched in tears, his words naturally caught in his throat.

He couldn't imagine the expression on Bridget's face when she first learned of the pregnancy. But he knew all too well what she must have looked like when she miscarried.

A dry, raspy voice reached Ain's ears, cutting off his attempt to speak further.

"A few measly words won't bring my child back."

Bridget, whose damp eyelids blinked slowly, turned to look at Ain slowly.

"Do you understand? That child is already gone."

Her voice was completely drained, as if it had burned fiercely with rage until it was nothing but ashes. Bridget swallowed dryly, pressed her fingers to her forehead, and bowed her head. Her brows furrowed deeply as she let out a sigh-like murmur.

"………………You really are the worst person."

Her hunched body suddenly staggered. Ain, who hadn't taken his eyes off Bridget, urgently reached out his hand.

"Bridget!"

"Let go."

Bridget once again harshly pushed his hand away, but this time, Ain didn't back down easily.

"Bridget, you're really going to collapse."

"Whether I collapse or not, do you think you have the right to worry about that? Shameless."

"I get it. Just lean on me for now."

"You're a real bastard………………”

Despite her tearful mutterings, Ain silently supported Bridget. After repeatedly pushing his hands away, Bridget finally seemed to give up, going limp. Yet even as he supported her, she refused to meet his gaze.

***

Bridget didn’t know what state of mind she was in when she returned to the mansion. She thought she had managed to get home with some semblance of composure, but seeing Jane's face made the tears she had barely held back burst forth, and she ended up crying again for a long time right at the front door. Seeing Jane, who cared for her like a little girl just as she had when I was young, made her want to act like a spoiled child, even if it was belated.

Jane and Wayna were startled by the sight of Bridget sobbing uncontrollably, stamping their feet in alarm. Only when she reached those she trusted did Bridget finally let go of the fragile hold she'd been clinging to.

She opened her eyes again when it had grown dark outside.

Waking in her familiar bed, Bridget stared blankly at the dim ceiling before shifting to sit up. Her head throbbed from crying so hard. Just as she raised her upper body, a voice came from the corner of the room.

"Your doctor was here. Magnus Barnes. Thankfully, it's nothing serious, but..."

"Shut up."

There was nothing more to hear. Bridget pressed her hand firmly against her forehead and cut him off coldly.

Ain, who had been silent, unable to continue, spoke in a stiff voice.

"I'm sorry."

"I said shut up."

"Bridget, I……………"

"Ah, don't you dare speak."

Suddenly changing the subject, Bridget checked her handbag on the table. Spotting the crumpled paper beside it, she turned to look where Ain stood.

"What about the signature?"

The light streaming in through the window was the only source of illumination, making it impossible to see Ain’s expression clearly. But his expression didn't matter in the slightest.

Meeting Bridget's cold gaze, he uttered a voice that sounded somehow desperate.

"I was wrong."

"Did you sign it?"

"Just show me mercy once."

"Mercy?"

Bridget let out a scoffing laugh, as if she'd heard something ridiculous. Ain didn't miss the opening and spoke quickly.

"Kai was freed from the spell in the end, wasn't he?"

Bridget's eyelids fluttered slightly. Despite the abruptness, she understood his meaning instantly. It felt strange to confirm, even this way, that he had finally grasped the true identity of his first love. Of course, the feeling wasn't one of welcome or joy. It was just a bit hollow, and somewhat ridiculous.

All that talk about memories and first loves. Did he only feel sorry after learning who his real first love was? If so, he truly was the worst kind of man to the very end.

"You're not Kai…”

Ah, the ice palace.

Once, Bridget had thought she met Kai imprisoned there. What a ridiculous delusion.

"I'm not Gerda."

Bridget licked her parched lips.

"The metaphor was wrong from the start. Truly, it was a ridiculous delusion."

As she shook her head and muttered, Ain, who had been standing motionless in the darkness, took a step toward the bed.

"Give me a chance. I……."

"Sign it right now, in front of me."

Bridget cut Ain off decisively. Ain couldn't find words to continue, only gasping for breath. But his silence bought him no reprieve. Bridget rose and handed him the crumpled agreement. In Bridget's small bedroom, there was no space for Ain to retreat. Her face, visible up close, was pale and drained of color, yet Bridget demanded his signature without the slightest hesitation.

And so, with the pen tip that had never once failed to seal a contract, their divorce was finally complete.

Bridget Wise became Bridget Pennington once more.

At last.