Hidden Desires - Family Secrets-Chapter 166 Did I see wrong that night? Part 1

We locked eyes, and suddenly, I found myself at a loss for words.

Betty just kept crying, trying to speak but failing to find the right words.

Silence hung between us, heavy and awkward, a stark contrast to the unspoken understanding we once shared.

I couldn’t begin to guess what was going through Betty’s mind at that moment.

Time ticked by slowly, stretching out for what felt like an eternity.

After about ten minutes, neither of us had spoken.

Finally, I broke the gaze and pulled out a cigarette from my pocket, lighting it up.

It was one of those harsh, strong ones I had grabbed from Luna’s desk—the kind that had overwhelmed me before.

But now, it felt smooth, and I understood why Luna chose them.

They were a balm for the soul.

"Why are you still kneeling?" I asked, breaking the silence without looking at her.

"It was her kneeling before, now it’s you..." Betty finally spoke.

Her voice was real, unlike the one I had heard through the surveillance, but it had become unfamiliar.

"You don’t owe me anything; you don’t need to kneel," I said, stepping back to avoid her direct gaze.

Her kneeling made my heart too soft.

"She really did hate me, that hate was so real... Her hate for me was genuine, her love for you was true," I said without meeting Betty’s eyes, referring to Luna.

"There’s nothing between her and me..." I blurted out, not understanding why I felt the need to explain this to Betty.

Maybe I still loved Betty, wondering how long it would take to forget her, unsure if I could ever love another woman like that.

"I haven’t done anything to betray our marriage..." Since I had already started explaining, I decided to make my stance clear.

I spoke with conviction, though I avoided Betty’s gaze.

"I believe it was me who wronged our marriage..." Betty said, then fell silent.

I hoped she would explain, but she didn’t, and that disappointed me.

"You should go back, take Michael and leave this place..." I suggested.

"And what about you?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly as she looked up at me with hopeful eyes.

She couldn’t ask anything of me; she just wanted to know my decision.

"Let’s talk about it when you get home..." I had intended to tell Betty that I had already consulted a lawyer about a divorce.

If she hadn’t disappeared suddenly, the divorce papers might have been signed already.

But after everything that had just happened, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

I decided to wait until she was more settled.

The room fell silent again, no sound for a long while.

I glanced at the camera, wondering if Luna was watching us from the surveillance room.

"You’ve lost weight..." Betty spoke again after a long pause.

"Because of work, because of me, I have no excuses.

I made mistakes that can’t be undone.

It seems like fate is playing tricks on me.

No matter what I do, I can’t cleanse myself again.

Just once, and everything became irreparable.

I beg for your forgiveness, even just once, I ask for it, but I have no right to demand it.

I wanted to find you, to make you forgive me at any cost, but seeing her, I realized that fate chose someone who truly loves you, and I don’t deserve you.

So at this moment, I’ve given up.

Whatever you ask of me, I’ll accept..." After saying this, Betty knelt down, covering her face as she started to cry.

Her statement seemed to anticipate a divorce, and in that moment, seeing me, she had fulfilled her wish and knew the price she had to pay.

She finally let herself cry.

Betty’s crying wasn’t loud or unrestrained; it was a controlled sobbing.

She was trying hard to keep herself in check, not using tears to gain my sympathy or pity.

Listening to Betty’s sobs, I looked up at the ceiling, my heart in turmoil.

Her cries, though muffled, tore through the silence, revealing the raw pain she felt.

I glanced at the surveillance camera, pondering, then made a decision.

"Come out with me," I said, turning to look at Betty.

She stopped crying, her eyes swollen and red.

At my words, confusion flickered in her eyes, but she obediently stood up, nearly stumbling after kneeling for so long.

I instinctively reached out to steady her but stopped midway.

Betty managed to regain her balance, noticing my half-extended hand and giving a self-deprecating smile.

I led Betty out of the basement, where Luna was standing by the door.

Whether she had heard our conversation through the surveillance, I couldn’t tell.

"Give us a quiet room," I said to Luna.

She glanced between Betty and me, reluctantly nodding with a hint of unwillingness.

I took Betty into a secluded room, leaving Luna outside, giving us the privacy we needed.

The room appeared to be Luna’s study, with large bookshelves in the corners adding a scholarly air.

Betty stood in the center of the room, her eyes still red.

I walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the garden bathed in sunlight.

The vibrant colors contrasted sharply with the numbness in my heart.

What was I hoping to ask Betty in this room?

What could I even say?

"Why?" I finally asked, standing by the window.

I could have sought answers from the surveillance footage, but I needed to hear it from Betty, to gauge her honesty.

"It’s all fate, I don’t know what to say.

I can only tell you, from the beginning to now, I never willingly did anything," Betty responded from behind me, her voice low, avoiding eye contact.

"So, it was Michael who forced you?" I asked sharply, hoping she would pin the blame on him, giving me a reason to forgive her.

"No matter the reason, it’s because I didn’t uphold my marital vows, I wasn’t faithful.

The deed is done, does the reason still matter?" Betty bit her lip, struggling with her words, but ultimately, she didn’t blame Michael.

Betty was always one to take responsibility, even when it wasn’t hers to bear, so her response didn’t surprise me, but it still stung, feeling like she was covering for Michael.

"So, in just two months, you fell out of love with me and in love with a minor?"

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Your own godson? A kid who’s only been in our home for a few months outweighed our years of marriage?" I didn’t want to attack Michael at this moment, but since we were facing each other in this room, it was time to lay everything out.

I believed in Betty’s love for me, but her physical enjoyment and engagement with Michael were undeniable.

Could her feelings for him be merely platonic?

"No, that’s not it."

"I only love you, my feelings for Michael are just affection, not romantic love.

"I’m sure of that," Betty suddenly looked up, her gaze firm, her tone definitive.

"Is that so?"

"Did I see wrong that night?"

"We’ve been married for years, and you’ve never asked for that kind of intimacy from me, nor have you initiated it."

"But I saw you with Michael, do I need to spell it out more clearly?" Hearing Betty’s reply, anger surged within me.