Chapter 4
Aidenâs door finally opened a week after he lost his memory.
During that time, Sarah and Aiden hadnât once come face-to-face.
Perhaps Aiden had been too shaken after the accident to come out, and Sarah simply went about life as she always had.
Nothing between the two of them had changed.
Sarah was on her way to the laundry room to collect her wash, just as usual.
As she descended the stairs, she heard the servants murmuring somewhere nearby.
âI was really shocked today.â
âWhy?â
It must have been the servants chatting away in the space beneath the stairs.
Normally, Sarah would have just kept walking as though she hadnât heard.
âItâs about our master. Since he lost his memory, it feels like heâs a completely different person.â
At that, Sarah froze.
Different person?
She immediately recalled Aidenâs vacant gaze, those emotionless eyes staring at her as if she were a stranger.
When Olga had introduced Sarah as his wife, he hadnât reacted at all.
He truly seemed to have lost every memory of her, showing not the slightest feeling.
Maybe that was why the servantsâ words struck her heart.
Sarah instinctively stepped back, making sure the servants wouldnât see her.
Her hand pressed against her chest. It felt like her heart was shrinking.
She knew eavesdropping was wrong, but her nerves were already fixed on the conversation below.
Why was she even curious in the first place?
âDid you feel it too? Heâs not like himself at all.â
âYeah. Even his taste in food has changed.â
âAnd the bedâcompletely made.â
They went on about how there was no trace of his usual heavy cigar smoke either.
Sarah hadnât seen him since the night of the accident. She couldnât picture what the Aiden they were describing looked like.
No cigarsâsomething he used to loveâand even his food preferences were differentâŚ
Leaning against the stair rail, Sarah thought about it.
Only now did she realize Aiden had never truly loved her. What heâd felt was something else.
What had it been?
At first, she thought it was pity. He had offered to rescue her from a house that had never felt like a home.
Back then, his outstretched hand had seemed so big, so warm.
But after the marriage, he had only pushed her into a deeper pit.
Even the viscountâs estate could not be called a true home for her.
When Sarah, exhausted from his coldness and neglect, seemed on the verge of tearsâ
What had Aiden said?
[Ah, now I understand.]
Aiden had felt delight at discovering how to torment her.
Yes, it was joy.
[This is getting interesting.]
And he had laughed loudly, showing his throat, while she stood there with tears brimming in her eyes.
Sarah despised his pity, but she despised even more the fact that he enjoyed her suffering.
That was when she stopped crying altogether.
That was when she became the dry, unfeeling woman she was now.
In the viscountâs estate, the only way to resist him was to close her ears and lips.
The more she struggled, the more he would enjoy it.
Sarah shook her head to clear away the thoughts.
âBut can someoneâs tastes really change like that?â
âWho knows. Once his memory comes back, everything will probably return to normal.â
âOh no, I completely forgot about the laundry!â
The servants ended their lighthearted chatter and hurried out from under the stairs.
Startled, Sarah twisted her ankle as she tried to descend quickly.
She fell right in front of the two servants.
âOh my!â
The servants seemed even more shocked than the lady of the house sprawled on the stairs.
Sarah, however, bit her lip and showed no sign of pain.
The mistress had been caught eavesdropping.
The servants quickly overcame their surprise.
âSo you heard all of that?â
âGoodness.â
They cared less about being overheard and more about the fact that Sarah had listened in.
Even with her injured ankle, they stood there with arms crossed.
âIf weâd known you wanted to hear so badly, weâd have told you directly.â
âSneaking around to catch servantsâ gossip. Well, it wonât matter for long. Itâs only a matter of time before our lady gets thrown out.â
They smiled openly at her.
âMaybe you should go fetch a child from somewhere, even now.â
Sarah gasped.
The servants knew everything that went on in the viscountâs estate.
Even the weaknesses that could be used against her.
âWho knows? The master might even overlook things then.â
âOh, but with that ankle, thatâll be hard for you.â
Sarah stayed silent through their mockery.
She had expected as much. Saying anything now would only delay her return to her room.
So long as everything was her fault, there would be no problem.
Unlike Sarah, who sat idly staring out the window all day, the servants were busy.
If she gave no response, they would soon leave to attend their duties.
If she could just endure thisâŚ
But Sarah regretted not ignoring them earlier.
If theyâd only been gossiping about her, she could have walked on.
Curious as she was about her husbandâs behavior, she shouldnât have listened.
Now she could only pray this incident wouldnât reach Aidenâs ears.
If it did, he would feel that same sick delight.
Sarah squeezed her eyes shut. She could almost hear his unpleasant laugh ringing in her ears.
The servants continued, emboldened, throwing in a few more jabs.
Sarah silently counted in her head, waiting for it all to endâ
âWhat do you think youâre doing?â
The door burst open, and Aiden appeared.
Unlike the wretched figure from a week ago, his blond hair was neat, his clothes clean and well-ordered.
âM-MasterâŚ?â
The servants stared at him in confusion. Even Sarah did.
It had only been their usual ridicule.
But Aiden now stood before them with a hardened expression.
At first glance, it might have seemed like he was simply angry at the noise outside his room, but something else had stirred his temper.
He ran a rough hand through his hair, then fixed the servants with a gaze cold as ice.
âW-WeâŚâ
The servants, unused to this side of him, glanced at each other in panic.
What could they say? After all, it had always been Aiden himself who led the way in tormenting Sarah.
Until now, he had never interfered, no matter what insults they hurled at her.
But this time, he brushed past them as if he could no longer stand the sight of themâ
And went straight to Sarah.
âAre you all right, wife?â
The unfamiliar sight of him made the servants instinctively step back.
If Sarahâs foot had been fine, she might have fled too. That was how unsettling Aidenâs behavior was.
Sarah couldnât even form a reply.
Neither her injury nor his closeness felt all right. What she couldnât handle was his sudden kindness.
Maybe because she hesitatedâ
His rebuke fell on the servants instead.
âLeave. Now.â
They opened and closed their mouths soundlessly.
âDid you not hear me? I said leave.â
âW-Weâre sorry!â
Startled by his firm tone, they bowed hastily.
âI donât want to see you again.â
Knowing his temper well, the servants hurried away before another order came.
Aiden exhaled slowly, then studied Sarahâs face.
She must have looked shaken, bewildered.
Then he moved.
âExcuse me, then.â
Before Sarah could react, he slipped his hand around her waist and placed her arm over his shoulder.
Her breath caught. No one had ever held her like thisânot even as husband and wife.
She tried to pull away, but Aiden didnât let go.
âDo you want to get hurt again?â
ââŚâ
âIf not, then donât let go.â
Even if she didnât care about being hurt againâŚ
He firmly clasped her hand, his furrowed brow betraying genuine anger.
The air of the viscountâs estate seemed to shift around them.
Click.
The door closed. Aiden gently set Sarah down on the bed.
This time, he didnât bother with words of courtesy.
Perhaps he already knew from her reaction that she despised him.
After making sure she was seated properly, he opened a drawer without hesitation and took out a small box.
It was filled with emergency supplies. He pulled out an ointment and set it down on the nightstand with a firm sound.
Sarah flinched. She couldnât make sense of his behavior.
The man who once found joy in her pain was now helping her, even kneeling to meet her eyes as he held the ointment.
Their gazes metâhis blue eyes locking onto hers.
He reached for her ankle.
Startled, she jerked her foot away.
He had tried to touch it as though it were the most fragile glass in the world.
Running a hand through his hair, Aiden let out a quiet breathâone that sounded as if it held back suppressed anger.
ââŚWhy didnât you say anything?â
Sarah didnât know why he was angry, nor where his anger came from.
She had thought nothing between them would ever change.
But the husband she now faced, after just one week, was no longer the same man she had known.
