Chapter 29: Why did you marry me?
After Dominic’s polite refusal, Clara stopped teasing him and went to freshen up.
A while later, they joined at the dining table for dinner. However, a deep frown formed on her face when she noticed Hannah was nowhere to be seen.
"Where’s Hannah?" she asked, looking at the butler.
Before he could answer, Dominic spoke.
"She went back to the Pearl Mansion."
His answer caught Clara off guard.
"Already? I thought... we were finally starting to get along."
Their interaction that morning flashed through her mind. Although Hannah had accepted her apology, she had genuinely believed it was the beginning of a better relationship. Hearing that Hannah had already left made her heart sink.
Dominic noticed the disappointment on her face.
(Is she... upset because Hannah left?)
It surprised him. After all, Hannah had doubted Clara repeatedly, yet Clara still seemed to care about repairing their relationship.
Clara let out a quiet sigh before looking at him.
"Maybe I wasn’t sincere enough when I apologized to her."
She truly felt that way. She had wanted to get closer to Hannah—not only because they were family, but also because she wanted to help her see Eric’s true colors. Now that Hannah had left, that chance seemed even further away.
Dominic fell silent.
(Wifey... don’t be sad.)
(Should I call Hannah back? Hannah, how could you make my wife this sad?)
Clara’s eyes widened as his thoughts reached her ears.
She had never expected Dominic to even consider asking Hannah to return just because she looked disappointed. The warmth behind his thoughts caught her completely off guard.
"Wait? I will ask her to—"
"No!"
Before he could finish, Clara blurted it out.
Dominic blinked, startled by her sudden reaction.
How could he ask Hannah to drive all the way back in the middle of such heavy rain?
Realizing she had interrupted him a little too quickly, Clara paused and forced herself to sound calmer.
"I mean... it’s raining outside. Maybe you can call her tomorrow instead."
She smiled awkwardly, hoping she didn’t sound suspicious.
Dominic glanced at her before turning toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. Rain continued to pour relentlessly outside.
(She’s right.)
His eyes lingered on the storm.
(It’s raining so heavily. Asking Hannah to come back now would be troublesome.)
A faint warmth flickered in his gaze as he looked back at Clara.
(Wifey is so considerate.)
(Maybe I’ll wait until the rain slows down... or call Hannah after it stops. I can’t stand seeing my wife this upset. It hurts.)
Clara nearly choked on her own breath.
His thoughts were far too sweet—almost embarrassingly so.
On the outside, Dominic still wore his usual calm, unreadable expression, his voice as indifferent as ever. Yet inside, he was worrying about her with surprising sincerity.
"Okay," he said simply. "I’ll call her once the weather clears."
He set his phone aside, and Clara quietly let out a sigh of relief.
She had never imagined that the man she had hated for so long would turn out to be such a soft-hearted person.
All this time, she had misunderstood him. She had blamed him for ruining her life, believing he was cold, uncaring, and impossible to approach.
But every thought she heard from him chipped away at those old misunderstandings.
Little by little, without her realizing it, her heart was growing softer toward him.
"Dom, can I ask you something?" Clara asked suddenly.
Dominic looked up at her and gave a slight nod.
She hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Why did you marry me?"
The question slipped out so naturally that it caught even her off guard.
It wasn’t the first time she had asked him. In her previous life, she had asked him the same question countless times, and every single time, his answer had been the same.
"Because I wanted to."
Anyone else would have accepted those words at face value, but Clara never had. After a lifetime of being judged, misunderstood, and treated as though she was never enough, she simply couldn’t believe someone like Dominic would marry her for such a simple reason.
Across the table, Dominic froze for a brief moment, equally surprised by her unexpected question, as even his thoughts refused to speak.
***
Meanwhile, in the dining room of the Swam Mansion, the atmosphere was unusually quiet until Alaric broke the silence.
"Where have you been for the past two days, Eric?"
The question made Eric pause halfway through his meal. The moment he looked up at his father, Alaric let out a disappointed sigh.
"How many times have I warned you to stop fooling around?" he said sternly. "You’re about to get engaged to Hannah. Do you have any idea what it would cost this family if someone from the Sterling family found out about your womanizing?"
The Swam and Sterling families had been close for many years. Alaric’s father Dexter had shared a strong friendship with Nicolas Sterling, and even after Dexter’s passing, both families had continued to honor that bond while maintaining their business partnership.
Over the years, the Swam family had benefited greatly from the Sterling family’s support. The last thing Alaric wanted was for his reckless son to destroy that relationship because of his irresponsible behavior.
"Your father is right, Eric," Helena said gently from beside him. "You need to stop messing around and focus on Hannah. Do you realize how important it is for us to keep her happy?"
Despite their repeated warnings, both of them knew Eric had never truly listened.
Eric calmly placed his cutlery on the table before looking at his parents.
"You were the ones who told me to pursue Hannah," he said flatly. "I did. We’re even getting married."
He paused before adding, "But that’s all I can do."
"Eric!" Alaric snapped.
However, Eric had long since grown tired of hearing the same lecture over and over again.
"I’m done."
Without waiting for another word, he pushed back his chair, stood up, and walked out of the dining room, never once looking back.
Watching his son’s retreating figure, Alaric rubbed his temples in frustration.
"That brat is going to land this family in serious trouble one day."
Meanwhile, Eric had just stepped into his bedroom when he suddenly stopped.
As if out of habit, he pulled his phone from his pocket and unlocked it.
His brows slowly knitted together.
"Why hasn’t she called me all day?"
His expression darkened.
Ever since he had returned from his business trip, Hannah had always been the first to contact him, eager to see him as soon as possible.
Yet today...there wasn’t a single missed call.
Not even a message. And that was something that left him curious