The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 166
The day after the banquet.
When she opened her eyes in the morning, she let out a sigh of relief.
Sheâd been worried she might cross the line in her sleep, but thankfully, she woke up in exactly the same position sheâd fallen asleep in.
Before leaving for home, Nina sincerely begged forgiveness from her grandfather and parents.
Sheâd thought that, in order to be forgiven by the three of them, she would have to build a new reputation and change peopleâs perception of her through meaningful deeds, as she had at the charity event.
But that wasnât the case.
âIf youâve truly realized your mistakes, thatâs enough.â
âI never once thought you werenât my daughter. If things are hard, come find your mother anytime.â
âItâs the same for me. No matter what anyone says, youâre our daughter. You can always come back.â
Nina realized that, for far too long, she had forgotten what kind of people her grandfather and parents truly were.
Her grandfather, who had taken all the blame upon himself, was unwilling to send his granddaughter to prison.
Her parents, who had been forced to languish in prison, became victims of their political enemies after her grandfatherâs downfall.
And Neville, who died from overwork trying to save the family.
She had declared emancipation from them, but in truth, they must have believed sheâd come to her senses and return one day. Somehow, she felt certain of that.
How foolish, she thought, to believe that, like in a game, sheâd have to fulfill a âquestâ or set of requirements to earn forgivenessâŚ
She believed she could never receive such unconditional, warm affection from her family in this life, which is why sheâd thought such a foolish thing.
The belief that parents must love their children unconditionally.
She had believed she had to fulfill certain conditions and prove herself worthy of being welcomed with open arms. That belief came from her life as âJang So-youngâ.
After her death, she was reborn.
And her childhood and school years,
For her, who reincarnated with the sense of self of âNina Bayernâ, those times were like hell.
Her body was a childâs, but her soul was that of an adult. The studies, play, and friends suitable for a child of Jang So-youngâs age held no interest or enjoyment for her.
Her teacher, noticing that she didnât interact well with friends and showed little interest in anything, realized something was wrong.
At the teacherâs suggestion, her parents took her to counseling.
âŚBut after answering honestly in counseling, she was suspected of having delusional disorder for believing in reincarnation.
After that, she grew distant from her parents.
They supported her with tuition and the bare minimum for living expenses, butâunlike other childrenâthey could never love a daughter who was excessively precocious and could not abandon her aristocratic habits.
âShe said I made her uncomfortableâŚâ
That she was creepy for not acting like a child.
Being precocious isnât the same as being like an adult.
Anyway, Jang So-young grew up under such parents.
Emotionally deprived, but she was able to change her personality thanks to what sheâd learned from media and experience: that living that way would be disastrous.
But here, sheâd forgotten that she had been loved unconditionally, even receiving more care and affection because sheâd been weak since childhood.
âHow foolishâŚâ
To have forgotten that sheâd been loved, despite her strange, selfish, and difficult personality.
After giving her family one last hug, Nina boarded the carriage, sniffling as she cried.
She looked at Ash, who pretended to be asleep with his eyes tightly closed so as not to embarrass her.
His long, thick lashes, high nose, and firmly shut lips.
âIâm the one clinging now.â
Come to think of it, sheâd almost forgotten those words heâd said, because the joy of reconciling with her family was so overwhelming.
As she dabbed her tears away with a handkerchief and stared at Ash, he quietly opened one eye.
âAre you done crying?â
Sniff.
âNo.â
ââŚâŚâ
He kindly closed his eyes again.
ââŚIâm done crying now. Anyway, thank you for saving my face in front of my parents yesterday.â
âWhen did I do that?â
âYou said so then. That you were the one clingingâŚâ
Up until now, it had always been her clinging to him, obsessing, and almost begging.
So, wasnât he just trying to preserve her pride by saying that?
