Chapter 4

4.

That night, Herman came home very late.

While I was loosening his tie, I caught the faint trace of perfume on him.

"Everything went smoothly?"

His hands paused for a beat, and only after a while did he give a low "Mm" through his nose.

Inside, I let out a bitter laugh.

He was the same in my last life.

When my brother threw the truth about Maud's staged kidnapping onto his desk, he only glanced at the photos.

Then he swept them straight into the trash.

"Maud's just too insecure. That's why she does these things."

Just like that, in a few easy words, he brushed aside everything I'd suffered.

"As long as you're all right." I turned and put the tie away.

"Maybe we should just move Maud into the house."

"Tabby!" Herman wrapped his arms around me from behind. "What are you saying? This is our home."

Yes. It really was our home.

Every last detail in it had been my careful design.

But in my last life, after all the endless bitter medicine, after countless fertility shots, I'd finally managed to get pregnant.

I couldn't wait to tell Herman the good news.

I pushed open the door to the master bedroom, and found the two of them lying there together.

Our wedding photo still hung above the headboard.

As if it were laughing at how foolish I'd been.

"Herm, if you keep her somewhere outside, it'll only start gossip. People will say you're keeping a mistress tucked away."

"Woof! Woof woof woof!"

The Corgi suddenly broke into frantic barking, and its inner voice poured straight into my head.

"Master, even if you're testing the man of the house, there's got to be a limit!"

"Once she's got a foot in the door, your position as the lady of the Butler house won't be safe!"

Then it barked at Herman twice more, as if crying out on my behalf.

But in my last life, after I died, I'd heard with my own ears Maud call it her system.

And it had rushed right over to fawn on her.

Herman frowned and shooed it out of the room with his foot.

Just then something moved across his eyes too.

"Tabby, I've put you through a lot."

"Herm, there's no 'put you through a lot' between us."

After all, every wrong you've done me, I'll pay back a hundredfold, a thousandfold.

Maybe he really did feel guilty.

After Maud moved in, Herman even went out of his way to keep his distance from her.

On the surface the Corgi bounced around, all happy for me, but inside it was frantic, spinning in circles.

Watching it put on that show against everything it actually felt, I couldn't help laughing.

This pet was turning out to be rather entertaining.

My phone buzzed twice. A message from Rhys Delgado.

I held down to delete the chat history, then reached out and stroked the soft fur along the Corgi's back.

So your master's already losing his nerve...

Don't worry. I'll make sure your good master gets his chance.

Saturday afternoon, I took Noah to his early-learning class and came back to the hillside mansion.

At lunch Herman had a business function and drank a good deal, and I was certain Maud wouldn't let this chance slip by.

Sure enough, when I pushed open the door, clothes shed by a man and a woman were scattered across the living room.

Maud came sauntering out of the master bedroom, her collarbone covered in suggestive kiss marks.

There was no need to guess what had just happened between her and Herman.

"Tabby, since you've seen it, I'll be honest with you."

Her voice was soft and sweet, yet every word carried naked gloating.

"Herm has always loved me. You, guarding another woman's child—isn't it pathetic, being Mrs. Butler like that?"

But I only stood in the doorway, my expression calm.

Seeing that, Maud fell back on the same old trick.

She smashed a glass dish in the living room and slashed two vicious cuts into her arm.

Then she went sobbing and rushing into the bedroom.

"Herm, save me!"

"Tabby's going to kill me!"

But the next second, when she pushed open the bedroom door.

Every sound died in her throat.