After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 82
After expressing his gratitude to Sabelia, Claude immediately rushed out. Judging by the direction, it seemed he was heading back to the Forest of Nightmares.
There must be something he left there.
Sebelia remembered Dehart from the forest. He was dressed differently than he had been in the square—an untucked shirt, trousers, shoes, and that was all. So Sebelia figured he must have left his coat or belongings somewhere. Outside Hillend Hall, he always insisted on an impeccable appearance. So, if it were the Dehart she knew, he would never have chased after someone in such a state.
“…The problem is that he was chasing after me.”
Sebelia rested her chin in her hands and narrowed her eyes. If Claude managed to safely find Dehart’s thing and discovered any medicine there, then they may be able to treat his illness. If that happens, then…
“Maybe we’ll meet again soon.”
Sebelia rolled the pills Watts had given her in her hand, lifting her head to gaze at the ceiling. He was there, somewhere on the upper floor.
Watts said that he would separate our living areas if I didn’t want to have anything to do with him.
Sebelia had said it was fine, but Watts had come back to ask one more time—probably sensing that Dehart had set foot in the forest to chase her. Sebelia politely declined for the second time.
In the past, I would have gratefully accepted his offer, but…
[It’s effective to show arrogant people the most horrific realities they subconsciously reject.]
Claude’s words echoed in her mind as they brought the unconscious Dehart to the laboratory. What he said struck a chord with her and allowed her to gather her courage.
Both he and I need to face reality. I can’t keep running away any longer. You escaped the reality of my death, and I tried to escape from the specter of your past self. That’s why I’ve come this far. We shouldn’t have run away like that when we faced each other in the square.
“Now I have to make it clear. I’m Bella now, and I’m going to live as Bella, and I’m going to be called by that name for the rest of my life, and once I’ve made that cut…”
Now, all that remained for her was an uncertain future. Yes, the future. Sebelia sighed as she stood up from her seat. The pills in her hand were slowly dissolving in her body heat.
Clink.
She looked at her reflection in the glass she’d taken from the cupboard. She looked healthier than she had in the past, but there was a faint worry that lingered in her blue eyes.
“It’s going to be fine, so don’t worry too much.”
Sebelia spoke to herself, looking into her reflection’s eyes. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
With the disease gnawing at her body and no family to control her life, she now had the freedom and unconstrained future she desired. And at the same time… she realized how ignorant and carefree she had been about the ways of the world.
I was so confident until I left Ursic.
She had dreamed that once she was cured, she and Denisa would go to places they’ve never been and experience things they had never done. However, as the treatment began and her health improved, Sabelia gradually began to realize the harsh reality.
There are so many things that go into keeping a person alive—clothes for each season, a comfortable place to rest, food three times a day, and money to pay for all of it.
Once she paid Watts for the medical expenses, there wouldn’t be much left from the money she got from selling the jewelry. Sebelia swallowed the medicine and sat back down. There was something she wanted to ask Watts when he was done.
“It might take a while.”
There was still so much she didn’t know about integrating into society and surviving on her own.
* * *
Drip…drip…
He heard the sound of dripping water. Dehart, who hadn’t slept properly all night, groaned unconsciously and tossed his body. The next moment, his eyes fluttered open. The seizure had stopped.
“When… Ugh! Cough!”
Opening his mouth involuntarily, he coughed like his throat was tearing apart in pain. He realized he hadn’t even taken a sip of water. His vision blurred from the pain, he reached for the nightstand and grabbed a glass of water.
“Haah…”
With his thirst quenched, Dehart finally noticed the state he was in. Something opaque was flowing from the thin tube that was stuck in his forearm. It seemed like it was the medicine that finally ended the excruciating pain. Dehart sighed, running his hand through his hair.
“Stop snooping and speak up when you’ve got something good to say.”
“Hmm.”
Claude, who had been watching him from the doorway, appeared and smiled at him in a way that was both proud and smug. Well, he did save his life. Dehart’s eyes narrowed in annoyance as he looked at him.
“Ha…!”
But he didn’t lose his temper. Perhaps it would have been more accurate to say that he couldn’t lose his temper. Although it was hazy…he vaguely remembered the past when he was suffering from that seizure.
He remembered Claude’s face, running toward him in the dark mountains against the rainy and roaring winds.
Damn it.
He gritted his teeth and glared at Claude, clenching his fist. All this irritation was because of that annoying uncle’s stupid face. How dare he keep his mouth shut until the end with such a face.
Dehart’s insides boiled.
