I'll Just Be Friends With My Ex-Husband - Chapter 112.2

She peered inside the room.

“Countess, ma’am! Can you hear my voice?”

“…Yes, I can hear you.”

A collective sigh of relief filled the room at her frail response.

She stepped into the bedroom. Navigating through the people was easy; they parted to let her through. The woman on the bed, her wrists delicate and pale, slowly sat up.

“Where is… Gerald?”

It was her—a version of herself that looked more mature than she felt now.

“This…”

Her heart raced, overcome by an eerie sense of recognition.

Her chest felt light, as if lifted by some mysterious force.

“…He’s on his way now.”

The woman on the bed, whom she now recognized as Louella, offered a faint smile. It was like looking into a mirror.

“Is the child… okay?”

The moment she heard those words, she was certain. This was a past life she knew nothing about.

“Yes, the child is fine.”

Everyone in the room wore a look of guilt, even though no one was to blame.

Louella’s smile brightened, as if attempting to cleanse the room of any lingering guilt.

“That’s a relief!”

“It’s my fault, Countess! I failed to serve you properly…”

“Don’t say such things. I know you’ve been working hard for me.”

She, who was both an observer and the observed, comforted the weeping servants with a maturity that seemed to come from another lifetime.

“It’s Nisephor, right?”

When Louella asked with certainty, even the attending physician burst into tears.

“Will I be able to give birth to this child?”

Louella hugged her stomach with a worried expression.

“I can’t guarantee it.”

Louella slowly closed her eyes.

“This is serious. Gerald is someone who gets lonely easily. I wish there was at least a child to stay by his side. What should I do now?”

Breaking through the emotional tension, Gerald appeared.

He knelt in front of Louella, his face pale as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.

Fumbling, Gerald took Louella’s hand.

“It won’t happen.”

“Gerald…”

“There’s no way. You won’t leave me…”

As if wanting to deny reality, Gerald shook his head.

His shoulders trembled as he buried his face in Louella’s lap.

Louella patted Gerald’s shoulder.

“Gerald…”

“No, Louella, we promised, remember? We promised to be together forever.”

His trailing words were filled with tears.

“Don’t leave me alone. Please, I’m begging you…”

Only then did Louella let the tears she had been holding back flow.

The moment her tears fell onto Gerald’s head, the scene shifted.

She was still in Louella’s bedroom.

The only difference was that Louella now looked even more frail, barely blinking her eyes while lying in bed.

Gerald was providing a pillow for Louella’s arm.

He stared blankly into the air.

“Gerald, you have to be okay even if I’m not here.”

Louella spoke as if sensing her own death, her voice clear and unwavering.

“Promise me you’ll live well on my behalf.”

Gerald nodded slowly, his face seemingly devoid of the will to live.

“Yes.”

Could she really trust that weak response?

Louella let out a weary sigh.

“Gerald…”

Although her lips moved, she found herself unable to say anything more.

Louella’s stomach was slightly swollen; she was indeed carrying a child.

Gerald’s large hand mechanically stroked her belly, as if whispering reassurances to the unborn child.

“…I’m sorry.”

Those were Louella’s final words.

Tears rolled down her emaciated face.

Gerald’s eyes were hollow; he must have sensed their imminent parting.

And then the scene changed again.

The mansion was filled with a chilling air.

The bed where Louella had been lying was empty, and all the furniture was covered with white cloths.

She had… died.

She had ultimately left Gerald alone in this world.

Her heart felt like it was going to burst. She rushed out of the room to find Gerald.

She searched through the mansion, now engulfed in dark waves, until she found Gerald standing blankly in front of a door leading to the basement.

In Gerald’s hand was a handkerchief that had belonged to Louella.

It was stained with red blood.

She knew it was the last trace she had left behind.

Gerald placed his hand on the door leading to the basement.

The moment the door opened, she was also sucked inside.

Down into the abyss.

There, Gerald stood before a massive ring.

The ring emanated a purplish light and spoke in a sinister voice.

[Do you not regret this, Gerald? This is an irreversible contract.]

It was a black Ouroboros.

Gerald was now attempting to turn back time.

“Gerald!!!”

She screamed his name like a shriek.

Whether her voice reached him or not, Gerald slowly turned his head.

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