The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 184
Under Josephine’s coercion, Jacques had reluctantly produced a falsified health report. She placed the document on the table and handed him stationery and a pen she had prepared in advance.
“Now, take down what I dictate.”
“Yes…”
“To the esteemed Countess Rinke.”
…
The sharp sound of the pen scratching against the thick paper was like a sweet melody to Josephine, though for Leonid and Johanna, it would be the prelude to their ruin.
“As the personal physician of His Excellency, the Marquis of Neubitz, I regretfully convey in this letter an unignorable truth I have discovered.”
“…”
“Up until now, Dr. Oder has been solely responsible for conducting the Marchioness’s health examinations. However, a few days ago, I discovered that the health reports she had been providing were falsified.”
“…”
“Upon reexamination, I found that the Marchioness was born infertile and is incapable of conceiving.”
“…”
“Dr. Oder, who had concealed this fact, has now taken the money and fled. I believed it proper to inform you, Countess Rinke, as the family matriarch, before notifying His Excellency the Marquis.”
“…”
“While it’s uncertain whether the Marchioness and Dr. Oder colluded in this, it seems necessary to confirm the matter with the person in question.”
“…”
That was the essential content; the rest was wrapped up with conventional pleasantries. When Josephine reached out her hand, Jacques, trembling, handed her the letter. After reading it, a satisfied smile appeared on Josephine’s lips.
“Good, you’ve transcribed it accurately.”
“Yes…”
“Now, send this letter to Lady Hermia.”
“…”
“Answer?”
“Y-Yes… understood…”
“You haven’t forgotten our agreement, have you? Once this is all settled, Mr. Fischer, you’ll have more than enough money to last a lifetime. You’ll need to look after your crippled son so he doesn’t cause trouble again.”
“Yes, y-yes…”
“If you go to prison for embezzlement, who will take care of that son of yours? That useless fool who can’t even make a living on his own.”
“…”
Jacques’s eyes turned red, as if he were about to cry. Josephine smirked coldly and clicked her tongue briefly. How she detested such a pathetic life.
Everyone has a place where they belong, a world where they fit.
For Johanna Lucerne, the affluent, glamorous life of the upper class didn’t suit her. She needed to return to her past, to the time when she shivered in worn clothes, a rare gem gleaming within the bleak sands of poverty.
* * *
It was early morning.
The unexpected commotion outside roused Johanna from her deep sleep. As she slowly opened her eyes, a strange unease made her heart pound, and she lifted her hand to place it over her chest.
Had she had a nightmare she couldn’t remember? Her mind felt uncomfortably unsettled. Perhaps it was the toll of these past few days, exhausting both her body and spirit, she thought as she climbed out of bed and looked for her slippers.
She wrapped a robe over her nightgown and was about to call for Nella when the bedroom door suddenly burst open. Reflexively, Johanna flinched, and her eyes filled with confusion as she looked at the unexpected visitor she never imagined she’d see so early in the morning.
“Mother!”
Leonid rushed in after her. He looked furious, his glare directed sharply at his mother, Hermia, before striding over to Johanna’s side.
Seeing Leonid naturally wrap his arm around Johanna’s shoulders, Hermia let out a scoff, as if in disbelief.
“Are you really willing to stand by her even after knowing about this?”
“I don’t care. Even if it’s true.”
“What? Are you out of your mind?”
As Leonid and Hermia’s argument escalated, Johanna’s gaze fell on the document in Hermia’s hand. What was that? At a glance, it looked like a health report.
“Oder and that woman colluded to deceive us! They’re supposedly close, aren’t they? Disgusting! No matter how desperate for money she was, to dare deceive the Elderique family?”
“And if Dr. Oder acted alone, then what will you do?”
“It changes nothing. I’ve already decided to cast her out. You’d better come to your senses. What good is it to keep an omega who can’t even bear children by your side!”
The moment Hermia’s words struck her eardrums, Johanna felt as though all the blood in her body had drained out, freezing her in place.
…What did she just hear?
An omega who can’t even bear children…?
“You—tell me. Are the test results here true? Did you know? Were you deceiving us all this time, knowing this?”
Hermia, now just a step away, shoved the document she’d been holding toward Johanna. Dazed, Johanna slowly lowered her gaze and took it with trembling hands.
As expected, it was a health report. And…
[…For the above reasons, it is deemed difficult for her to conceive. She can effectively be considered infertile.]
There, written plainly, was a truth she had never anticipated.
