The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 165
They did not stay long in the banquet hall.
They simply made an appearance, exchanged a few words with people, and then returned straight to their private room.
Ash gazed quietly at Nina, who had finally fallen asleep after tossing and turning for quite some time.
No matter how much she may have bullied or hurt others, this must have been her first time facing a threat of poisoning from someone else.
Ninaās skin, as she slept, was so pale it almost seemed tinged with blue.
āTonight, if I cross the line, youāre not allowed to push me away. Thereās no such thing as self-defense tonight, understand?ā
Whenever they shared a bed, Nina would always create a āsafety lineā with a pillow or an extra blanket.
She always did that, even knowing full well she couldnāt actually overpower him if she tried.
ā¦But tonight was different.
Where she always used to tease him with a āself-defenseā joke at bedtime, tonight sheād asked him, just this once, not to push her away.
Even if she tried to hide it with a shameless face, it only made him feel sorry for her.
If the poison had been any stronger, she could have died.
āā¦ā¦ā
He spent a long time watching over her, then gently stroked her hair as she finally slept.
Creakā¦
With one large hand braced beside her, he bent over and pressed his lips softly to her round forehead.
āNo one will ever harm you again.ā
āā¦Mmā¦ā
As he closed his eyes and made this vow, a small sound of agreement came in reply, as if to say, āYes.ā
He didnāt know how heād come to care for this woman, butā¦
Recalling the breath sheād given him a chance to feel, he brushed his thumb over her lower lip.
āIāll go through with the divorce.ā
For a brief moment, he was seized by the urge to swallow those words whole, so she could never say them again.
When he rose, his gazeāso full of light when looking at Ninaāwas now as dark as if every bit of light had been extinguished.
It was because he was reminded of Joshua, who had been poisoned by his own birth mother.
He quietly closed the door to the private room and, using the flickering torchlight as a guide, made his way down to the palaceās underground prison.
Only a handful of people were permitted entry here, and the entrance was guarded by soldiers.
āPlease enter.ā
The soldiers, recognizing his face, immediately straightened their crossed spears to allow him through.
A musty, pungent, foul stench emanated from deep inside the prison.
He walked down the torch-lit corridor into the depths, where the sound of someone weeping echoed eerily.
When he reached his destination deep inside the prison, he stopped in front of a door.
Creakā¦
When he opened it, he found a maid tied to a chair, an interrogator, and Catherine Barrington in the room.
Catherine Barrington.
As the daughter of Baron Barrington, she was here becauseā¦
āIs this the woman?ā
āYes, thatās herā¦!ā
Catherine, pinching her nose and mouth, nodded vigorously.
Perhaps because she came from a family that ran a newspaper, Catherine had developed a habit from a young age of observing her surroundings carefullyālandmarks, peopleās faces, everything.
Thatās how she was able to remember the maid whoād looked unusually tense as she passed by.
āIs the Duchess alrightā¦?ā Catherine asked anxiously.
Ash nodded.
āI wonāt forget this favor. I promise, Iāll repay it someday.ā
Catherine had even skipped the banquet, running all over to help catch the culprit. She was the only one who could identify the suspectās face.
Thanks to her, the culprit had been caught, and so, of course, he owed her a debt.
He turned to the trembling maid, whose body was already ragged, as if sheād already undergone torture.
āWho ordered you to do it?ā
He had a strong suspicion who it was, but he needed confirmation, so he asked.
When the interrogator pulled the gag from her mouth, the maid spoke with a worn-out expression.
āW-Who ordered me, you askā¦ā
But before anyone could stop her, the maid bit off her own tongue.
They rushed to pry open her mouth, butā
āUh, ughā¦ā
Bloodied flesh fell from her mouth, and the maid rolled her eyes back, letting out a beastly wail.
Before they could do anything, she died from the shock.
Ash murmured coldly,
āā¦Ruthless.ā
Catherine clapped a pale hand over her mouth.
ā¦ā¦
What on earth could have been done to this maid, for her to end her own life without a momentās hesitation?
ReadingRainbow9266
She probably has a family member addicted to āAngelā, or perhaps she was addicted herself and was in crazy pain. Either way, not a good sign. Too bad they donāt have the medical skills and technology to do a toxicology report after death. Then theyād know for sure. So annoying. They need to get serious about investigating the Nords and Crews. Iām SO THRILLED Ash has finally put on his āgame faceā. Protecting the one you love always turns the male leads into beasts who will do ANYTHING to protect the FL. Ash will be no exception. I canāt wait for Rebecca to finally realize that his changed behaviour isnāt just because of some non existent baby, but about Nina herself, and the love he now has for her and can no longer hide. Love it š„°