We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 193

The positive thoughts began to spiral uncontrollably in Ian’s mind. What if, perhaps, it was true? These possibilities flashed through his mind, but he couldn’t get too excited. It could just be that someone else had told the child about it.

“Still, it’s not good for you to be staying up this late, Dia.”

“Uung…”

“Hmm, then how about this?”

“What?”

“I’ll stay here and wait for Mom, and when she comes, I’ll wake you up.”

“Weally?”

“Yes, Dad is an adult, so I can stay up later than you. I’ll wait for Mom in your place.”

“Yay! Dad have to up.”

“Good, now you need to sleep.”

“Ung…”

Diers seemed to be really tired, and after a few gentle pats, he fell asleep quickly. Ian sat for a moment, staring at the sleeping child.

His mind went blank, and he couldn’t bring himself to get up right away.

Could the person Diers was talking about really be Melissa? Was he just hoping it was her, wanting it so badly that he convinced himself? No, she was a wizard now, and she could easily teleport here if she wanted.

His heart raced with both nervousness and excitement, almost as if it were about to burst. Ian could barely keep his composure, silently waiting for time to pass.

As he sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought, a sudden realization hit him. He quickly jumped up, moving around the room to hide behind the curtains. He was afraid that if Melissa saw him first, she might disappear again.

He held his breath, completely still, and closed his eyes. Time seemed to drag on, but soon enough, the night had deepened. A strange shift in the air signaled someone’s presence, followed by the sound of footsteps.

Hearing the sound of someone sitting on the bed, Ian carefully peeked through the curtains to confirm who it was, then covered his mouth with his hand to silence his breathing.

It was truly Melissa.

She sat by Diers’s side, gently cradling him as if he was the most precious treasure in the world. Ian watched the scene with awe, but his heart grew heavy.

How wonderful it would have been if he had realized his love for her from the start. If he had, perhaps both the child and she would have been happy by now. Despite knowing there was no point in regret, the ‘what if’ scenarios kept creeping into his mind.

After a moment of watching her, Ian grew anxious, worried that Melissa might suddenly disappear with a teleportation spell. He stepped out from behind the curtains and softly called her name.

“Mel.”

Startled, Melissa quickly stood up, looking as though she might vanish. Ian held out his hand, keeping a respectful distance, and quickly added,

“Wait, just for a moment, I’d like to talk.”

“…”

“I won’t approach you any closer. I’ll just stand here, please don’t leave.”

Melissa looked at him for a moment, then nodded lightly. At her consent, Ian’s heart soared with gratitude.

“Thank you, Mel. I really appreciate it.”

“Sorry for sneaking in like this, but I am Diers’s parent too. I only wanted to see him for a moment, I won’t cause any trouble.”

“Please, don’t worry about that. It’s actually a relief that you’re here to see Dia. But more importantly…”

Ian, who was visibly nervous, swallowed dryly and slowly continued.

“I wanted to clear up a misunderstanding. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but the carriage accident wasn’t my doing. I’ve gathered evidence and caught the accomplices. I also know exactly who the perpetrator is.”

In his rush, his words spilled out clumsily. He kept watching Melissa, afraid she might disappear before his eyes.

“Why would I harm you? I only… I just wanted to move your place of stay from the annex to the villa. I decorated it with things you like, so you’d be able to rest comfortably. I chose a nearby location so you could visit Dia whenever you wanted. Please, believe me.”

Melissa listened silently to his explanation. When they last met at the tower, she had thought that there was no longer any connection between them. She hadn’t wanted to listen to his words, not wanting to dredge up the painful past.

But now, things have changed. Or rather, they had to. She realized that her decisions weren’t only affecting her, but Diers and Adela as well. This thought made her reconsider her stance.

Suppressing all emotions, she decided to focus on the truth and the facts. After hearing his sincere explanation, she spoke up.

“I have a question.”

“Yes, I’ll answer anything.”

“When the contract expires, it wasn’t supposed to matter what I did, right? So why did you try to send me to the villa instead of just letting me go?”

“…I thought it would be disastrous if you stayed close to me. You, the one I imprinted with, seemed so anxious, and I feared that anxiety would affect me too. That’s why I did something so petty.”

His honest response didn’t upset her. In fact, she felt a sense of relief from hearing the truth, and continued with her next question.

“Was Monica the real culprit behind the carriage accident?”

“Yes… the head maid testified, and I also got a statement from the coachman who was driving the carriage at the time.”

“Honestly, if it wasn’t you, I could only think of Monica. People don’t care about me as much as they think. And it was something only someone close could have done.”

“Then why did you think I would do such a thing?”

“You despised the imprinted Omega. You hated and loathed not just me, but Lady Nicola too.”

“…”

Her words, said calmly, pierced Ian like a dagger and hurt his heart. Melissa stood at a distance, briefly glancing out the window to gauge the time.

Realizing what she was doing, Ian couldn’t hide his impatience and quickly spoke up.