The Billionaire's Insignificant Wife のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 71 - チャプター 80

The afternoon passed in careful silence.Alina heard Daniel leave the mansion at two thirty. The sound of his car, distinct from the others, pulling out of the driveway with the particular speed of someone fleeing something they couldn't name.She noted the time in her notebook.Clarissa was still at the hospital. Margaret too, almost certainly. Both of them stationed at Junior's bedside like sentinels, occupying the space that should have been Alina's.Which meant for the first time in weeks, the mansion felt emptier than usual. Fewer eyes. Fewer ears in the corridors.But not no eyes.Not no ears.She moved to the window and studied what she could see of the grounds.One guard at the main gate. Standard.Another walking the perimeter of the east garden, timing his circuit. She watched him complete one full loop. Six minutes roughly. Then he disappeared around the corner of the house.She noted that too.Not because she was planning to run. Not yet. Not today.But because Rachel had

Alina stood by the window at nine thirty, watching the driveway.She had rehearsed this in her mind a dozen times.Stay calm. Answer questions simply. Show no emotion. Get to the clinic. Trust Rachel.Her bag was hidden in the closet. Her notebook tucked inside. Everything ready.Footsteps in the corridor made her turn.Too heavy for Mrs. Helen.The door opened.Daniel stood there in a charcoal suit, car keys in hand."I'm taking you to the appointment," he said.No preamble. No explanation.Just a statement of fact delivered in the same tone he used for business meetings.Alina's heart dropped into her stomach."I thought Mr. Harris was driving," she managed. Her voice came out steadier than she felt."Change of plans." Daniel checked his watch. "We need to leave in ten minutes. Are you ready?""Yes."No point arguing. No point asking why. The answer wouldn't change anything.He left the door open, waiting.Alina collected her purse with hands that wanted to shake but didn't. Left th

The car glided along the busy highway. Inside the Mercedes cabin, the air conditioning hummed softly, but the silence between Alina and Daniel felt heavier than any sound.Alina sat rigid, her bandaged hand resting in her lap. Several times she felt Daniel's gaze slip toward her—brief, quick, but recurring. Not the usual cold, indifferent look.There was something there. Something that made Alina's heart beat erratically.She didn't understand. Five years of marriage, and Daniel had almost never truly looked at her. At most, a passing glance over breakfast, or when she greeted him in the corridors of that large, hollow house. There had never been warmth, never a touch that wasn't strictly necessary. Just yesterday, when Alina told him about the tea Clarissa had laced with medicine, Daniel had only stared at her with eyes full of doubt—as if Alina were manufacturing excuses, lying to save herself.And now? Suddenly he was opening the car door for her, holding her hand longer than neces

Margaret moved first.Crossed the distance to the bed in three sharp strides, reaching for Junior's small shoulders with hands that trembled despite her iron composure."Junior, look at Grandma. You remember Grandma, don't you?"Junior turned his head slowly. Looked at Margaret with eyes that held recognition of a face but nothing deeper. No warmth. No familiarity beyond the visual."You're Grandma," he said. Statement of fact. Not connection.Margaret's face went pale. "Yes. And you remember our house? The big house with the garden where you play?"Junior's brow furrowed. Small lines appeared between his eyebrows as he tried to reach for something that wasn't there."I... there's a garden. I think."Clarissa stood abruptly, moving to the other side of the bed, voice rising with barely controlled panic."Junior, sweetheart, what about Mama? You remember Mama, right? I came back for you. We've been spending time together. Reading stories, playing with new toys—"Junior's expression clo

Alina felt the floor beneath her feet vanish. The world seemed to spin in slow motion, Mrs. Helen’s voice sounding distant, as if coming from the far end of a very long hallway.“Amnesia?” Alina repeated in a voice barely audible. “You mean… he’s forgotten everything?”Mrs. Helen shook her head quickly, her hands trembling as she reached out to steady Alina by the arm.“Not everything, Madam. According to the nurse there… he still remembers Mr. Daniel, still remembers Mrs. Margaret. He still knows his own name, his age… but many of the memories from the past few years are gone. Including—” Mrs. Helen’s voice caught for a moment. “Including the memories with you, Madam.”Alina stared blankly. Her chest felt tight, as though an invisible hand were squeezing her heart.“I… I don’t exist in Junior’s memory? He’s forgotten me?”Mrs. Helen could only nod slowly, tears continuing to stream down her face.“Mr. Junior still remembers your name. But he doesn’t recall the details. He doesn’t rem