Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

Chapter 203: Ethea’s Tale [1]

’But that was just the start,’ Soren said, his voice dropping as he steered them toward the memory of that night. ’I lay there thinking about all of this, and eventually, I fell asleep. It was during that sleep that my Awakening actually happened. My dormant power finally unlocked, though I didn’t even have time to process what was happening to my body. Because the very moment my eyes snapped open, I saw an assassin standing over your bed, their blade already falling toward you.’

Soren paused, letting the memory of that split second settle between them before his tone grew serious.

’Ethea... Before I go any further, I want you to know something. I obviously know you were the actual target of that assassination. But... I also know the incident that left you in this condition was no accident. There is someone powerful, whether it is a single person or a whole organization, behind all of this. I think they are probably your biggest enemies, and they must have been the ones who opened that gate as well.’

The mental link remained still as he let his words sink in, giving her space to process what he was saying.

’But I don’t know who they are,’ Soren admitted. ’I don’t know why they are targeting you relentlessly, or... how your father is involved in all of this. That is why I am hoping to get those answers from you.’

’...’

The connection fell into a long, suspended pause. Soren waited as the seconds stretched on, eventually realizing that he might have pushed a bit too far.

However, he had no desire to corner her, so he focused on finishing the food, placing the lid back on the pot to let it simmer.

A minute passed.

’Ethea...’

’You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,’ he sent through the link, his tone easing to reassure her. ’I only brought it up because—’

’Soren.’

Ethea’s voice cut him off, carrying a freezing edge that made him freeze in place.

’That... wasn’t an assassin.’

Soren blinked. ’Huh? What do you mean?’

Another pause stretched between them. When her voice returned, it sounded incredibly distant, as if she were forcing herself to face a nightmare she had spent so much time trying to ignore.

’...I think... it was my older brother.’

’?!’ Soren froze, his heart hammering against his ribs. The revelation caught him entirely off guard.

’Y-you mean... Calix?’ he asked, his thoughts scrambling.

He immediately thought back to their wedding day. Aside from her parents, Calix was the only family member who had actually bothered to attend. Although they had barely spoken, Calix had left a good impression on him. He had seemed polite, presenting himself with respect. But now, a sudden wave of disgust hit Soren. It seemed the man was just like his father, a two-faced snake hiding his venom behind a pleasant smile.

But Ethea’s next words only deepened his confusion.

’No... it was not him,’ she sent, her tone turning tight. ’Though he might have had a hand in it.’

Soren paused, trying to reconcile her words with what little he knew of her family. As far as he could remember, Ethea only had two brothers. One was Calix, and the other was a younger boy named Roan, who was only about fourteen. There was no way it could be him. After all, he was still just a child. The idea of someone that young attempting to murder his own sister was too absurd to even consider. Not to mention the build of the assassin.

’Wait...’ Soren paused, a sudden chill settling in his chest as he tried to make sense of her words. ’Don’t tell me... you have... another brother?’

’...Yes.’

The mental link trembled slightly with the weight of her admission, the connection suddenly feeling incredibly fragile.

’...His name is Julian,’ Ethea continued, her thoughts turning tight. ’But you won’t find his name in public data, and you will never hear anyone, even my father, speak of him. To the rest of the world, he doesn’t exist.’

Soren stood completely still by the stove, the wooden spoon in his hand forgotten. ’What do you mean? How can a son of the Morvain family just... not exist?’

’Because...’

She paused, a cold, bitter note echoing through their bond.

’My family is just as rotten as yours, Soren. Perhaps even more so. Beacuse your family did not completely erase you or your sister from the face of the earth at least.’

Soren froze. The parallel struck him instantly, a sharp piece of realization falling into place.

This Julian guy might be both unawakened and an illegitimate child.

As if reading his thoughts, Ethea’s voice returned to confirm his suspicion.

’He’s unawakened like you were, and also a product of an affair... My father’s, to be more precise.’

Soren fell completely silent.

His opinion of his father-in-law, already incredibly low, quickly hit rock bottom and plunged straight into the negative. He then recalled how Darius had acted during their wedding, behaving like a devoted husband. He also remembered when the man had first visited them, speaking with such warmth and acting as if his wife were the center of his universe.

Soren didn’t truly expect Darius to be like his own father.

No, maybe he shouldn’t be surprised anymore. Heck, the man was probably even more depraved than he could imagine.

’Julian was one of my father’s biggest mistakes,’ Ethea’s voice was laced with cold disgust. ’He was the physical proof of his hypocrisy.’

Soren kept his gaze fixed on the stove, listening in silence as the ugly truth unfolded. He didn’t interrupt, sensing that she needed to get these words out just as much as he needed to hear them.

’To protect his public reputation as a flawless leader and a perfect husband, he decided Julian had to vanish,’ she continued, her thoughts sharp and bitter. ’So, he declared the child dead at birth. He hid his existence from the world entirely, ensuring no one would ever find out about his failure.’

The mental link went quiet for another beat. When her voice returned, it sounded smaller, stripped of its sharp edge and replaced by a hollow quiet.

’I only learned it by accident.’