TNR CH 05

Chapter 5 – The Family That Wasn’t Hers

Seriniel looked like someone who had just been struck in the head.

The man she saw in the distance — it was definitely Calian Helkar.

Her husband.
The same man who had told her he’d gone to inspect the mines today.

And beside him was—

“Benny! You have to be careful. If you fall again, Daddy will be so sad.”

Calian’s warm, gentle voice rang out, followed by the sound of a child’s laughter — bright and innocent.

“Yes, your father’s right. You scraped your knee last time, remember?”

And then—

Seriniel’s dull green eyes caught the sight of a woman walking toward them with a soft smile.

Leraie.

Laughing, radiant, and graceful.

Calian, Leraie, and the little boy — they looked like the perfect family.

The child’s eyes sparkled with joy. His smile — that same warm, charming smile Seriniel had once loved so much — mirrored Calian’s exactly.

Seriniel swayed, dizzy.

“There’s nothing to worry about anymore. We can finally live together — you, me, and our child. A real family.”

Her breath hitched.

“I’ll send for the nanny and Benny right away. He’ll celebrate his seventh birthday here, at the villa.”

Seriniel stumbled and sank to her knees, despair written across her face.

She had imagined this moment a hundred times on the way here — the possibility of a child she’d never met, a secret she hadn’t known.

But seeing it with her own eyes was something else entirely.

She had tried to convince herself that maybe there was another explanation. That maybe she had misunderstood something.

But no — it had all been true.

“…”

Her hands trembled violently. Countless emotions swirled inside her chest — grief, betrayal, rage, disgust.

“It’s my fault, Seri. I just wanted to raise our child in a better home someday…”

No. Not our child.
Your child — yours and Leraie’s.

He’d known how much she wanted a baby.
He’d watched her visit doctors, drink medicine, pray for life to grow inside her — all while laughing behind her back.

How pathetic she must have looked to them.

Seriniel gave a hollow, broken laugh.

The boy in Calian’s arms looked about two years old — which meant he had been born before Seriniel’s marriage.

“I’m sorry, Seriniel… I haven’t been well lately.”

Now that she thought about it, Leraie had disappeared for a few months before the wedding.

When Seriniel had asked if she was sick, she’d simply smiled weakly and said she just needed some rest. That she felt bad for missing her best friend’s wedding.

And the fool that Seriniel had been — she’d sent her expensive medicine, not knowing Leraie was already carrying another woman’s husband’s child.

From the beginning, there had never been a place for her.

They had been a family long before she joined the picture.

“My lord, I think I saw a carriage at the front gate,” a woman’s voice said — the nanny, most likely.

That brought Seriniel back to her senses.

“A carriage? What do you mean?”

“It stopped near the villa. Did you call for someone, sir?”

“Leraie, stay here with Benny. I’ll go check.”

Calian’s voice grew sharp, and he turned quickly toward the entrance.

Of course. He’d be nervous — he had plenty to hide.

Seriniel covered her mouth and staggered backward, pressing herself behind the trunk of a large tree.

Just in time.

Calian appeared only a few steps away, scanning the area suspiciously.

Had he heard her? Her heart pounded painfully. She squeezed her eyes shut, hardly daring to breathe.

Footsteps crunched nearby — and then slowly grew fainter.

Seriniel opened her eyes just enough to see him heading toward the road — toward her carriage.

“Who are you? This is my villa.”

“…”

“I asked what business you have here!”

The coachman — the one Seriniel had hired — glanced briefly toward her hiding spot before bowing his head to Calian.

“My apologies, sir. I must have the wrong address. I was called here but must have made a mistake.”

“What?”

“I’ve been waiting for someone who never showed up. If you didn’t summon me, then I’ve clearly come to the wrong place.”

“Get out. Now.”

The coachman’s excuse was perfect. Calian frowned but didn’t question it further.

He waved his hand irritably.

The coachman obeyed, turning the reins and driving away without hesitation.

Calian stood still, watching until the carriage completely vanished from view — making sure it was truly gone.

Then, after one last glance around, he went back inside the villa.

He had no idea his wife had been only a few feet away, watching everything.

“…”

As soon as he disappeared, Seriniel’s knees gave out. She sank under the tree, covering her mouth again.

If she let go, she wasn’t sure what would come out — a scream, a sob, or vomit.

Her shoulders shook.

Then, softly — plop.

A raindrop landed on her back.

The first of many.

Cold spring rain began to pour, soaking through her cloak and golden hair in moments.

***

The rain didn’t stop.

Her long hair clung to her back, heavy and wet, and her black cloak was dripping.

Her face was pale, lips trembling from the cold. Still, she walked — one slow, dragging step after another.

There was no expression on her face anymore.

She looked like a soldier who’d lost everything in battle — because that’s exactly what she was.

“Filthy… disgusting people…”

Her voice was low, shaking, bitter.

She wanted to kill them.
Both of them.

Calian and Leraie.

But the more she replayed what she’d seen — what she now understood — the more the fury turned inward.

Why hadn’t she noticed?
Why had she been so stupid?
Why hadn’t she questioned anything?

Was it because, like Leraie said, she’d been too naïve? Too kind? Too trusting?

Was this punishment for her foolishness?

Seriniel gave a weak, broken laugh — not sure if she was mocking them, or herself.

But no.

This time would be different.

She whispered it like a vow, over and over.

“This time… it’ll be different.”

First, she needed to find her uncle, Velles.

“Yes… Uncle will help me. He has to…”

Her only friend. Her only husband. Both gone.

All that was left was her uncle — the man who’d promised to take care of her after her parents’ sudden deaths.

She knew he was involved with Calian in the mining business, but still — she wanted to believe in him.

He’d said he’d fill the hole her parents left behind. Surely, he would help her now.

But how could she get revenge?

Even if she took away their tax privileges, it wouldn’t destroy them.

If she divorced Calian, they’d probably be happy. Leraie most of all.

They’d live blissfully, raising their child in peace.

“…”

Seriniel stopped walking and looked up at the gray sky.

Her emerald eyes reflected only despair.

If she couldn’t even hurt them properly — then why had she come back?

What was the point of this second chance?

There was no answer.

Just the sound of rain.

And then — the clatter of wheels.

A carriage approached from the distance and stopped right beside her.

“…”

Startled, Seriniel turned her head.

The window slid down slowly.

A familiar voice broke the silence.

“Not exactly the kind of weather for a nighttime stroll, is it?”

The man’s face appeared through the opening.

Someone she never expected to see here.

“Wouldn’t you agree, Seriniel Berdellet?”