Chapter 86
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 86
He knew that she knew. And the Duke, it seemed, had no intention of playing along with this shallow charade any longer.
Don’t tremble. Stay calm.
Vanessa met the Duke’s gaze, forcing her eyes to remain steady. The face of the man looking down at her was perfectly serene. There was not a single trace of the guilt, pain, or sorrow she had vaguely imagined she might find there.
He merely looked a little more tired than usual. A smooth smile soon played across his lips, though his eyes remained cold and dark.
“I assumed you already knew, Vanessa. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come all this way. I do regret not telling you the truth sooner.”
Regret. The word pierced her heart with agonizing sharpness. The shock was far too immense to be brushed aside by such a trivial sentiment.
The memory of the moment she had resolved to love him felt like a lifetime ago. She couldn’t believe that the man whose warmth she had felt, whose breath she had shared, and to whom she had given her heart was an illusion. Did he have any idea what that felt like?
Even when she was on the verge of collapsing, she had held on by thinking of ‘River Ross.’ Instead of breaking down, she had resolved to move forward, sustained by the belief that there was at least one person who would stand in the rain with her, who would roll in the mud by her side.
Yes. Sometimes, it was the smallest things that kept a person’s world from falling apart. That was why a simple word could make her so incredibly sad. Because she loved him.
“I intended to wrap things up by next week and tell you at a better time—in a more comfortable setting than this.”
He truly seemed to regret only that minor detail, as if some small aspect of their relationship had merely gone awry, a simple mistake that could be corrected the moment they spoke of it.
But nothing could ever be undone.
Maybe it really would have been a minor issue.
If only he had confessed before she found out on her own. If he had sincerely asked for her forgiveness, anything would have been better than this. At least she wouldn’t be consumed by this wretched misery.
To think she had fallen in love with a man whose very name was a lie. Confronted by this harsh reality, Vanessa let out a hollow laugh. She felt as though she’d been dragged into a cruel, malicious play. A profound sense of helplessness washed over her, and a violent tremor ran through her body.
She couldn't breathe. This entire situation, and the man standing before her, felt utterly foreign.
“Sit down. Let’s talk.”
He spoke calmly, his eyes fixed on her face, which had gone ashen. Vanessa started to sit on the offered couch but changed her mind and shook her head. Forcing strength into her spine, she stood tall.
“I don’t intend to stay long, Ri… No. I only came here to talk. To get a clear answer regarding our contract.”
“And did you find the answer you were looking for?”
“I’ve confirmed that the man I made a deal with wasn’t you.”
A cold, sharp light gleamed in her cat-like eyes. Her lips, bitten hard to suppress the emotions welling inside her, trembled slightly. After a brief silence, she spoke again.
“I don’t know what I should call you anymore. Or how I should even speak to you.”
“……”
“What was that contract? The one in my uncle’s study…”
“It has nothing to do with this.”
“…I thought you were being blackmailed.”
Looking up at him with eyes brimming with unshed tears, Vanessa let out a self-mocking laugh. Whether that investment contract was payment for her body or not… none of it mattered anymore. The trust between them was shattered. No matter what he said now, she could never believe him.
“Vanessa.”
The Duke’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he watched her. He reached up and tugged at his tie, as if it were suffocating him. For a fleeting second, impatience flickered across his composed face, his eyes narrowing sharply.
“Don’t cry.”
“I’m not crying. Why would I…”
Vanessa bit her trembling lower lip again. If only she could switch her emotions on and off at will. She never wanted to show him her vulnerability again.
And she refused to mistake the hand wiping away the tear that escaped down her cheek for tenderness.
Life went on. Experience had taught her that even when it felt like she was dying, she could survive if she just bottled it all up and endured. That was how she had survived her uncle’s betrayal, and how she was able to smile now, as if nothing were wrong, even in front of the man who had deceived her. She needed that strength more than ever.
“My demand is the same as it was in the beginning. I want our relationship to end cleanly, right here.”
“The contract period hasn’t ended yet, Vanessa.”
Vanessa opened her mouth to say his name but stopped. River Ross. She could no longer call him by the name that had brought her so much comfort. Theodore. Her bond with the Duke was not deep enough for that.
As she hesitated, the man spoke in a low, quiet voice.
“Which means we are still lovers.”
“……”
“And as I’ve said, I find our relationship quite satisfactory. Therefore, I propose we extend this contract indefinitely.”
“Are you… asking me to be your lover?”
With his back to the sunset, the man’s face was cast in deep shadow. It was impossible to discern his expression, but she knew his eyes were fixed on her.
Vanessa looked up at him, her own eyes filled with confusion.
“Do you love me?”
“Why is that relevant?”
“Because I… love you.”
“How sweet. And adorable.”
He let out a harsh laugh, his large hand reaching out to cup her pale cheek. His hard fingertips traced the small cut on her dry lips, as if it had irritated him from the moment he saw it.
A faint heat simmered in the deep blue eyes gazing down at her, making him look like a man truly in love. His long lashes cast soft shadows across his handsome face.
“……”
He leaned in, tilting his head. When his lips finally met hers, he nipped at them gently, taking care not to hurt her.
Vanessa let out a soft, aching sigh at his warmth. It was horrifying—the way her heart still raced so wildly for this man, and how effortlessly he demolished the walls she thought she had built so securely.
The bridges of their noses brushed, their breaths mingling as they shifted angles. The Duke only released her when her face flushed and she began to gasp for air. Only then did a strange sense of relief bleed into his cold expression.
“Love is a terrible weakness, Vanessa. It’s how you allowed yourself to be caught by me.”
It was true. Love was a dreadful thing. A single tear pooled at the edge of her trembling lashes. As she blinked, it spilled over and rolled down her cheek.
“I’ve purchased an estate near Gloucester. It’s currently being renovated, but I’ll have the work hastened so you can move in as soon as it’s finished. If you wish, I can have the Rose Garden moved there as well.”
“…No. I think it’s best we stop seeing each other.”
“Name your terms. Whatever you want.”
“I told you. I want to have a child with another man.”
Vanessa pushed against his chest with both hands. Instantly, a fierce, dark light flashed in Theodore’s deep blue eyes.
“If you insist on holding me to the contract until the end of the month, I will comply. But I will not extend it. Besides, I expect to be quite busy for the remainder of the term.”
“Another man? Who?”
“Anyone. I only came to tell you that you don’t need to see me any—”
Before she could finish, he seized her with bruising force. His mouth crashed down on hers, his tongue forcing her lips apart to tangle with hers in a savage, desperate rhythm. It was nothing like the tender kiss from moments ago; this was a violent, consuming hunger, as if he meant to devour her whole.
“Ah… mmm…” He lifted her slender frame, pressing her flush against his solid chest. Gathering the fabric of her long skirt, he slid his hands up her thighs, guiding her pale legs to wrap around his waist.
Not a single trace of composure remained on his tense face. The mask he had worn from the very beginning had finally shattered.
Plundering her mouth as if to steal her very breath, he carried her down the hallway. Vanessa stared up at him through a hazy blur. Even as he laid her on the bed, she could barely grasp what was happening.
“Ah…”
Her breasts were crushed against his hard chest, the friction too intense. Forcing herself to focus, she tried to push his shoulders away, but he caught her wrists and pinned them to the mattress.
“Even if you do this… nothing will change…”
His mouth claimed hers once more, cutting off her words. She let out a soft, broken whimper.
“Ri…”
Once again.