To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 118

Graham furrowed his brow at Daphne’s attitude of treating his close friend Cliff as a stroke of luck. At that moment, Daphne suddenly pointed her finger at Graham and Marissa, turning her accusations toward the couple.

“You two… especially you, Graham. How could you marry Marissa? You said you’d love me forever. Then you should’ve kept looking for me. You should’ve protected me.”

“Marissa, you too. Did you think I wouldn’t know? You liked Graham since we were young. Be honest. Weren’t you actually happy when I disappeared? Smiling inside, thinking you had your chance?”

“And do you think I ever expected to meet you two like this? I was just as shocked. I never imagined there would be any connection between Cliff and you!”

Graham, who had stayed silent even at Daphne’s absurd complaints, hardened his face when she turned her blame toward Marissa. And before Daphne could even finish speaking, he spoke in a cold, emotionless voice, his eyes chilling.

“Daphne, you.”

“Don’t ever talk to Marissa like that again. After you left, Marissa was the one who helped me get through it. She’s more precious to me than anyone else in this world now my wife. And you say things like that to her? If you’re not careful, I might do something you won’t like. Got it?”

“And let’s be honest. Are you saying Cliff never mentioned us? You swear he never once said my name, or Marissa’s, or anything about the Parden family?”

Daphne was startled by the side of Graham she’d never imagined so unlike the foolish boy she remembered. Fearfully, she nodded without meaning to.

“H-He did mention it.”

“But you still say you had no idea he was connected to us? I’m the only one in the empire who uses the name Graham Parden.”

“I found out late. Really. At first Cliff pretended to be a commoner when he approached me. He didn’t mention your names at all back then.”

That was true. When Cliff first met Daphne, he had deliberately hidden his identity. But even if his performance was flawless, his clothes and natural manner made it impossible to completely conceal his noble background. Daphne realized he was a rich noble pretending to be a commoner within just two hours of meeting him.

Of course, she had no intention of telling Graham or Marissa that. With tears in her eyes, she lied again, claiming she had truly not known.

“Graham, Cliff only said your name after our relationship got serious! After he fell deeply in love with me!”

Her large eyes spilled tears beneath her pale lemon-colored hair, making her look completely sincere. But Graham didn’t even blink.

“So what?”

“What? What do you mean, ‘so what’…?”

“Whenever you found out, you should’ve broken up with him immediately. And now you show up, acting shamelessly like you’re going to marry my closest friend? Are you out of your mind?”

“I didn’t have a choice. Really, I didn’t…”

“You never have a choice, do you? It’s never your fault.”

Daphne was flustered by how much colder Graham’s reaction was than she had expected. At a loss, she stomped her feet and tried to appeal to their old friendship again.

“G-Graham. What’s wrong with you? You were never this scary. Right?”

“You think I’ll give in because of that face? Daphne, don’t fool yourself. You’re no longer my precious first love or childhood friend.”

“To me, Cliff is more important now, and I won’t betray him. So go to him right now and—”

But even that didn’t work. Graham looked ready to tell Cliff the truth at any moment, and Marissa silently agreed with her husband. Completely cornered, Daphne glanced at Marissa’s belly, then fell to her knees and revealed the last card she’d been hiding.

“I’m pregnant.”

The day Daphne found out Cliff’s close friends were people from her past, she finally allowed him to sleep with her something she had avoided until then to keep up the image of a pure maiden. Cliff, deeply in love with her, couldn’t resist even as he apologized, and just as Daphne had planned, she found out she was pregnant not long after.

“I’m carrying Cliff’s child.”

Their time together had been short, but Daphne knew how obsessed Cliff was with family. Because of his broken family caused by land disputes, he became fixated on building a perfect family of his own. He repeatedly said he would be the perfect father to his future children.

I was saving this for when the truth about my past might come out

Daphne, observing Cliff closely, judged that he was not someone who could easily abandon his own child. She believed her pregnancy would become her strongest card. But the word “perfect” continued to nag at her. Someone obsessed with perfection might very well destroy the entire plan and start over if he saw even a flaw.

Still, this seems like my best chance.

That’s why Daphne kept her biggest card hidden until the moment she met Graham and Marissa. As she talked with her childhood friends, she quickly decided which side to bet on to benefit her life the most.

“Graham, Marissa. You’re about to become parents too. To a child, having both parents is the most precious thing in the world. Without one, that child could grow up unhappy.”

Though they had remained cold, Graham and Marissa showed flashes of sympathy. When Daphne mentioned her miscarriage, the first emotion that crossed their faces was pity.

A pure country girl like “Renée” is already considered a poor match for Marquis Lloyd. But me, Daphne, who ran away with a man while pregnant? Not a chance. The marriage might not even happen, and even if it does, Cliff will never love me the same again.

Daphne couldn’t afford to lose Cliff. For the sake of her marriage and her future, she desperately tried to stir her friends’ sympathy.

“Please… for this child’s sake, just this once. Help me give this baby a complete family. I’m begging you. Please help this child live as happily as the one you’re expecting.”

Graham and Marissa, being older, might have seen through Daphne’s shameless act. But they were still young, inexperienced newlyweds, holding on to warm memories of their childhood friend.

“Stand up. It’s not good for someone pregnant to kneel.”

In the end, Graham and Marissa decided to cover up Daphne’s past. The guilt of deceiving Cliff weighed heavily on them, but the words “pregnant” and “old friend” barely outweighed that burden.

But there’s no such thing as a perfect secret and the choice they made that day to remain silent was far from the right one.

Cliff and “Renée’s” wedding was held in grand fashion. As expected, there were many rumors about the unknown, possibly commoner bride. But those only lasted a few years. Less than nine months after Renée became the lady of the marquis household, she gave birth to Ian. The whispers quieted down, and with time, no one dared to criticize the marchioness to her face, even if they spoke behind her back.

“Graham! How’s the countess doing?”

“She says she feels heavier than before. I’m worried.”

“It’s your fault. Getting her pregnant again without thinking of her health. Aren’t two sons enough?”

It had already been five years since Cliff’s wedding. After Edward, Daniel was born to the Parden family. But the count and countess didn’t stop there they were expecting another child. Considering Marissa’s busy schedule with both housework and business, it was quite surprising.

“Stay out of my business. Marissa and I always planned to have at least three kids.”

“Sure, suit yourself.”

Four years after Ian’s birth, the Lloyds were expecting another child as well. Cliff had grown anxious after no children came for a while, so he was overjoyed when he heard the news. Graham and Marissa congratulated them, though they couldn’t hide a hint of unease.

“I hope it’s a girl this time.”

“You too? Same here. Ian’s so mature probably because he takes after me. I want a sweet daughter who’s more like Renée.”

“I agree Ian’s mature but are you saying you’re mature?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Despite the secret they shared, the Lloyds and Pardens remained close like sibling families. Cliff gave up joining the powerful old noble faction, choosing instead to remain politically neutral and occasionally helping Graham. Thanks to that, the Parden family gained influence in the rising faction of new nobles.

“Remember what we agreed? If the Parden family has a daughter this time, she’ll marry Ian.”

“And if it’s another boy?”

“Then he can marry my daughter who’s about to be born.”

“So you’re sure it’s a girl?”

“I’ve got a feeling.”

Unlike their husbands, who saw each other almost every other day, Marissa and Renée didn’t interact much. They only saw each other during the biweekly family dinners. They weren’t especially close, but raising boys around the same age had brought them a bit closer.

“Actually, once the babies are born, we should have dinner together more often. Twice a week, maybe? Let the kids bond more.”

“No thanks. People are already watching us closely… We meet often enough.”

“You can’t live worrying about that stuff forever. And honestly, there’s still some distance between Renée and your wife.”

“I’ll talk to Marissa. But don’t expect too much.”

Cliff, hoping his wife and Marissa could become as close as he and Graham, often suggested more family dinners. But Graham, knowing the truth, always made up a reason to avoid it.

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