The Heirmaker's Bride のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 161 - チャプター 170

Night settled over the estate again.Dinner had ended not long ago.The house was quieter now, the earlier bustle of staff fading into the background hum of a large estate preparing for sleep.Nikolai had fallen asleep almost instantly after the long day at the medical center. The boy had barely made it halfway through explaining tomorrow’s test adjustments before his head dropped against the pillow.Upstairs, the corridor lights were dim.Sera stepped out of the room quietly, closing the door behind her so she wouldn’t wake him.She exhaled slowly.Three days.She froze mid step.Three nights.Her brows knitted slightly.She had only meant to stay one night.Just one.But between the treatment schedules, Nikolai’s excitement, and the sheer exhaustion of the sessions… the days had blurred together.She rubbed her temple.“Tomorrow,” she muttered quietly.“Tomorrow we go back.”But even as she said it, something in her voice lacked conviction.She began walking down the staircase slowl

Damian shook his head softly. “I never understood it.”“I was cold.”“Distant.”“Cruel sometimes.”Nikolai frowned. “Why?”Damian exhaled slowly.“Because I thought that was the only way to protect her.”Nikolai looked confused. “How?”Damian’s jaw tightened slightly. “In my mind… if I pushed her away… enemies wouldn’t see her as my weakness.”Nikolai blinked. “So you pretended not to care?”“Yes.”“Even though you loved her?”Damian nodded once.“I loved her more than anything.”His voice cracked slightly.“But I treated her like she meant nothing.”Nikolai’s small face twisted in confusion.“That’s dumb.”Damian let out a hollow laugh.“Yes.”“Yes it was.”He rubbed his eyes briefly.“I let another woman walk all over her.”Nikolai’s eyebrows furrowed. “The mean lady?”Damian nodded faintly.“Lysandra.”“I allowed it.”“I stood there and watched.”Nikolai looked shocked.“Why?!”Damian’s voice broke slightly now.“Because I thought distance would keep Seraphina safe.”The room felt

Sera’s fingers tightened slightly around the phone.“…Convenience.”Adrik sighed.“Sera.”“What?”“Don’t lie to me.”She said nothing.Adrik continued carefully,“I don’t trust him.”“I know.”“You shouldn’t either.”She swallowed quietly.“I don’t.”“You say that.”“But you’re living in his house.”“For treatment logistics.”“You could stay at a hotel.”“That complicates scheduling.”“Sera…”His tone grew more serious.“That man destroyed your life once.”Her chest tightened painfully.Adrik kept going.“You ran from him for a reason.”“I remember.”“Don’t forget what he did.”She stared at the floor silently. Because the problem now… Was that she had just learned something that changed everything.But she couldn’t tell Adrik.Not now.Not after hearing what Damian said.Adrik would never believe it. He would call it manipulation. A lie. A trap. And maybe… Maybe part of her still feared that possibility too.Adrik spoke again.“You know how men like him operate.”“He’s strategic.”“H

The staff were busy celebrating quietly with Nikolai.Anton was pretending to supervise but was clearly bragging about the boy to everyone who would listen.Which left Damian and Sera in a rare moment of quiet.She tapped the tablet thoughtfully.“Your spinal nerve regeneration is happening faster than expected.”“That’s good.”“It’s unusual.”He tilted his head.“You sound worried.”“I’m cautious.”He watched her analyze the screen, the focus in her eyes.“You enjoy this.”She glanced up.“Enjoy what?”“Medicine.”She shrugged slightly.“It’s what I do.”“No.”He shook his head slowly.“You love it.”Sera paused.It was a strangely accurate observation.“Saving people tends to grow on you,” she said dryly.He smiled faintly.“I can see that.”She returned her attention to the screen.“Your nervous system still shows instability in the lower lumbar region.”“Can that be corrected?”“With time.”“And pain.”“Yes.”He didn’t seem discouraged. Instead he asked something unexpected. “When

The first investigator pointed to one date.“Five years ago.”Lysandra’s expression hardened.“The car explosion.”“The reported death of Mrs. Blackwell.”She nodded slowly.“I remember.”The investigator zoomed in on the next point.“And then…”He highlighted another date.“Exactly two weeks later.”Another record appeared.Medical licensing transfer, Dr. Sera VossLysandra’s brows slowly pulled together.“…Explain.”The investigator brought up more files.“Before five years ago…”“There is no trace of Dr. Sera Voss.”“None.”“No medical records.”“No residency logs.”“No university transcripts under that name.”“Nothing.”The second investigator added, “It’s like she appeared out of nowhere.”Lysandra’s eyes flicked back to the timeline.“Right after Seraphina Blackwell died.”“Yes.”The investigator nodded.“Exactly when Seraphina ‘died.’”The room grew quiet.Lysandra leaned closer to the board.“Coincidence?”The investigator shook his head slowly.“We don’t think so.”He pulled