The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 91
“If only you had been a decent person, Father…”
“……”
“Neither I nor Daniel would have had to suffer like this. That poor child wouldn’t be worrying about money at his age. And Mother… she still believed in you until the very end.”
“……I’m sorry… I really don’t have an excuse…”
“How can you live like this? I honestly don’t understand. Why can’t you stop gambling and ruining everything every time?”
As her anger flared again, her father averted his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh, his expression filled with regret. Johanna, suppressing the storm of emotions boiling within her, steadied her voice and asked,
“You came here to ask me for money, didn’t you?”
Philipp flinched slightly, as if her words had struck him directly. Johanna’s gaze grew icy, piercing him like a blade.
“I can give you some money for living expenses. But I can’t give you a large sum. Do you even realize that I’m the one paying off your debts right now? If you feel even a shred of guilt towards me… stop gambling, find a job, and live decently.”
“Y-Yes, you’re right, I should… but the thing is…”
As he hesitated, glancing around nervously, Johanna felt a sense of dread creeping over her. …No, it couldn’t be. Her lips trembled as she asked in a shaky voice,
“You didn’t take on more debt, did you?”
“……”
Instead of answering aloud, Philipp silently nodded, unable to meet her gaze.
Sigh…
Was he really her father, or an enemy in disguise? At this point, Johanna wanted to look up at the sky and ask why her life kept spiraling into chaos like this.
Pressing her throbbing temples, she closed her eyes. The darkness behind her eyelids felt like a reflection of the bleak future ahead of her. She didn’t even have the strength to be angry anymore. Her voice came out weak as she asked,
“How much debt did you take on this time?”
Philipp hesitated, glancing at his daughter nervously before responding in a faltering voice.
“Well, it was originally 20,000 rubles… but somehow I agreed to pay double… so it’s 40,000 rubles…”
Her throat felt dry. Johanna downed the now-cold coffee in one gulp and let out a hollow laugh. The absurdity of it all left her mind blank, too overwhelmed to even form coherent thoughts.
Having someone like this as a father was, without a doubt, the greatest misfortune of her life.
“Let me guess, another gambling debt.”
“Well, this time, I really thought it was going to work—”
“Shut up, Father. I’m seriously about to lose my mind with how angry I am.”
“……”
Her cold words silenced him immediately, and he hung his head low. His pitiful demeanor only disgusted her further, so Johanna turned her gaze toward the window.
40,000 rubles… Should she pay it off for him? Should she beg Leonid for help?
No, she didn’t want to. If she started paying off his debts, it would never end. Even if he seemed shaken by her mother’s death, her father hadn’t changed. His eyes told her everything—he had no intention of living responsibly.
Maybe… maybe it was finally time to sever ties with him for good.
Just as Johanna was about to crush the small flicker of sympathy still left in her heart, her father spoke up again.
“Johanna, can’t you help me out? You… you married the Marquis of Neubitz, so you don’t have to worry about money anymore, right? I’ve heard rumors that the Marquis cherishes you dearly… so surely, 40,000 rubles wouldn’t be a big deal…”
“……”
She was truly at a loss for words. It seemed he had thrown away any last shred of shame or dignity.
There was a time when Johanna had pitied him. His alcohol dependency and gambling addiction had clouded his judgment, and she had felt sorry for him.
With her mother bedridden, she had believed it was her responsibility to care for her father, to encourage him. She had thought that one day he would reform. After all, she had convinced herself that he genuinely loved his wife and children, and for their sake, he would try to change…
But that hope had crumbled in less than a year.
“Every time you came back from gambling it all away, you said the same thing to me: ‘This will really be the last time.’ Do you know when I first heard that? Three years ago. And for three years, you’ve promised to change, but never once have you followed through.”
“T-That’s because I… I…”
“Don’t try to excuse it with your self-pity, saying you’re just a flawed person.”
“……”
