My New Love That Isn’t Fated - Episode 14

She had known it all along.
But actually seeing it with her own eyes — it felt like she was crouched in the middle of a heavy downpour.

The woman with Elad was dressed beautifully, with careful makeup and stylish clothes. She almost seemed to glow.
So that’s Louise, Lilia thought to herself.

Of course, Elad would say that Lilia was a shabby, poor-looking woman.
If Lilia was a pebble by the roadside, Louise was a full moon in a clear sky.

The carriage carrying the two of them rolled away into the distance.
Without a word, Lilia hurried home.
Owen stayed quietly by her side, holding an umbrella over her.

“I’m sorry… you had to see that,” Lilia said. “It’s embarrassing.”
“There’s nothing for you to be ashamed of,” Owen replied. “Should I not ask? About your personal matters, I mean.”
“You were kind enough to share your story with me, even the things you probably didn’t want to talk about.”
“No, in my case, there wasn’t really anything worth hiding. So even if I talked, you could’ve stayed silent.”
“I’m not trying to hide anything either,” Lilia said.

It’s just — she didn’t think it was something worth telling anyone.
Home was still far away.
Since Owen had already seen everything, maybe it was alright to tell him now.

“Half a year ago, I married Lord Elad. He…”

Lilia searched her memories.
Elad — thinking back, even from the start…

“Lord Elad always seemed to dislike me. Owen, you probably know about the scandals of the Tillys family. My mother abandoned me and left. My father remarried his mistress.”
“I’ve heard bits and pieces,” Owen said, his voice calm.
“Because of all those scandals, Lord Elad probably felt forced to marry me. I guess my father negotiated with the Griez family. Right before I graduated from the Royal Capital University, the marriage was arranged. But… there was no love.”
“Elad… had an affair?”
“I think so. He said he found his ‘true soulmate.’ That’s why… I decided to start working, so that I could survive even if I was divorced. My first paycheck will come next month. Once that happens, I plan to leave the house.”

She had been waiting, thinking: if Elad ever asked for a divorce, she’d be ready.
But now, she didn’t want to wait anymore.
There had been a time when she loved him. When she felt happy being loved.
But being ordered around, seeing him scowl every time they met —

Being touched by him —

After seeing what she saw today, she knew she couldn’t endure it any longer.
To Elad, she was nothing but a tool.
Not once had he ever looked at her the way he looked at Louise.

“I was never meant to be Elad’s destiny. My mother was cheated on too. Maybe… bad luck in love runs in the family.”

Lilia forced a smile. She didn’t want things to get too heavy.
She had already made peace with it. She loved her work at the library.
It wasn’t all bad.
In fact, the good outweighed the bad.
Today had been a good day. The coffee was delicious, and Owen had been by her side.
If she had seen that painful scene all alone, she might have completely broken down.

“Thank you for listening, Owen,” she said.
“Lilia,” Owen said softly, “you don’t have to force yourself to smile.”
“Huh…?”
“You don’t have to pretend you’re okay when you’re hurt.”

Hearing those words, Lilia’s fake smile melted away, and she lowered her head.
Puddles had formed here and there on the stone pavement from the continuing rain.

“I’m alright. Really,” she said. “Please don’t worry about me. Actually, seeing them together today made me realize something. I finally made up my mind. I’m going to leave that house.”
“Do you have somewhere to go?”
“I’ll start looking now.”
“Will you not return to your family home?”
“No. There’s no place for me in the Tillys house. And even if I remarried, the same thing could happen again. I’d rather live on my own.”

Would her father be angry?
Probably.
But he had never really cared about her.
He would likely just force another marriage on her.
She wanted to avoid that at all costs.
She couldn’t bear to go through the same pain again.

“I see. …Lilia, if you ever find yourself in trouble, you can rely on me.”

Surprised, Lilia looked up at Owen.

“On… you?”
“Yeah. I’m used to living alone. And it can be hard and dangerous for a woman to find a place by herself. So, if anything happens… please.”
“Thank you… This is the first time I’ve ever told anyone all of this. It feels like a weight has lifted off my chest. And… it really helps, knowing I’m not alone.”

This time, Lilia gave Owen a real smile — not the kind she forced herself to wear.

When they reached the Griez estate, Owen stayed with her until she stepped inside.

“I’ll see you on Monday, then. At the fountain square,” Owen said.
“Yes. Thank you for today. Goodnight, Owen.”
“Yeah. Thank you for staying out so late. Goodnight, Lilia. Sweet dreams.”

At the front door, they exchanged goodbyes.
Lilia watched Owen walk away through the rain, his figure slowly growing smaller.

She pressed a hand to her chest, then gave a small bow in the direction of his retreating back.