Chapter 39 Regret Again

Chapter 39 Regret Again
Marilyn's POV

I suddenly picked up my spoon again and started eating even faster than before, like the conversation didn’t matter.

As if she were clinging to the last shred of hope that was left to her, Sophia suddenly wiped her eyes and began to speak again, her words pouring out in desperation, as though she needed to be heard at all costs.

“You were everything in this house,” she said. “You kept everyone together. Even when the master was cold, you softened him. You made our work easier—not because you had to help us skip our responsibilities as maids, but because you cared for us.”

Sophia paused and let out a dry, crooked smile that barely reached her eyes. Then she continued,

“You laughed with everybody. You defended us when we made mistakes.”

She shook her head sadly, as though recalling those memories cut into her deeply.

“Then one day… you were gone. Just like that.”

She snapped her fingers. “No goodbye. No trace. I couldn’t believe it when the rumors said you stole something from the master before leaving. I didn’t believe it then, and I don’t believe it even now—”

Sophia’s voice suddenly choked. She swallowed hard, her hands trembling as tears welled in her eyes. “Because you were never that kind of person. You wouldn’t have done that. Not you.”

I continued to eat but Sophia didn't even take a break.

She continued to talk. It felt as though she had been waiting for this moment for years, as though spilling all of this out was the only way she could breathe.

She didn’t care that I ignored her, didn’t care that I used her carefully painted emotions to accompany my meal. She just kept talking, while I sat there and ate.

Sophia’s voice suddenly dropped. “Riley, did you know what happened after you left?” she asked.

I paused and glanced up at her, then I shook my head once.

She sighed, “After you left, Lucian changed,” she said sharply.

She shook her head regretfully and let out that same crooked smile before continuing,

“Lucian became someone else. At first, he was quiet. Then he grew angry. And not long after—just within the first two years of your absence—he became completely ruthless. He would come home with different kinds of women every day, drink himself numb, and lose himself in them until nothing else seemed to matter. He’d take them real them hard, their moans filling the entire mansion. He wouldn’t stop until he’d fucked them useless and they had passed out.”

“Lucian became a playboy… it was unexpected, but it happened. He became an addict. An alcohol addict.”

Sophia swallowed hard, pausing briefly before she went on.

“He gets angry over the smallest things. Even a simple misplacement of a glass of water could make him fire a maid and throw her out of the house in the middle of the night. He doesn’t listen to anyone—he just acts.”

Her voice softened, heavy with regret.

“In the beginning, it felt as though you didn’t leave alone… as though you took his humanity along with you, leaving him behind as an empty shell—cold, reckless, and completely lost.”

My head suddenly snapped up.

That particular statement stopped me in my tracks.

It made me question just how deeply attached Lucian must have been to this woman—Riley.

He must have loved her fiercely for her absence to unravel him this completely.

Now I understood why they treated me so badly. In their eyes, Riley deserved nothing less than this punishment—except I wasn’t the Riley who hurt their precious boss.

I wasn’t her at all.

I’m Marilyn, dressed in Riley’s skin.

I didn’t speak, but my eyes said it all—that I could no longer ignore the ugly truth. Damage had been done by this woman, and if I wanted to get what I needed, I would have to pay the price for the stolen identity I had claimed.

Sophia sniffed, wiping away the liquid that threatened to spill from her nose. She brushed her hair behind her ear before speaking again.

“Lucian started handling the wrong kind of business,” she said. “Dangerous contracts. Things that could ruin everything and hurt him even more. He began taking deadly risks, like someone who had grown tired of living and was searching for a legal way to destroy himself.”

“During that period, no one dared go near him.” Sophia let out a bitter laugh. “Except Tessa. Only her. Somehow, she knew how to calm him down… even though it was never easy.”

Sophia continued talking, without stopping. “All the smiles on our faces suddenly disappeared after you left. Your absence alone took away a lot from this house. People started walking on eggshells. Nobody talked too loud or too much…or they risked their ass being kicked.”

Sophia sighed deeply. “Some say Lucian blamed himself. Some say he blamed you. Nobody really knows.” She suddenly paused and looked at my face, as if she was searching for something. “But I know one thing. This house was never the same after you left.”

My head slowly dropped back down and I continued eating like I hadn’t heard anything.

Like a glutton, I cleared the plate fast and even digested it with a full glass of chilled water.

I didn't show much expression on my face, but deep down, somewhere inside my heart, every word hit me hard.

My chest felt tight and my fingers shook slightly even though I tried to make them stop.

I didn’t look at Sophia again. I just sat there and stared at the empty plates before me.

Then she suddenly reached out for my hands, she grabbed my fingers at once and made me look into her eyes.

“You can fix this, Riley!” She said softly, her voice rising and falling with emotion.

I squinted, a cold chill shooting through me. “What—?” I stammered. I didn’t even realize when the word left my mouth.

Sophia moved closer, gripping my fingers even tighter.

“Did you really take something from Lucian?” she asked. “I know you wouldn’t steal—”

Her voice broke slightly, but she forced herself to go on, even though I could see how hard it was for her.

“I trust you, Riley. I always have. But please… help us fix Lucian. If you help us bring him back, we won’t have to keep living through hell at the hands of Tessa anymore.”

She swallowed hard.

“Tessa controls us now. But if you can help restore things—if you can make Lucian happy just one more time—then maybe we’ll be free too.”

She looked at me desperately. “My mother is sick. I can’t afford to lose this job. And with Tessa breathing down every maid’s neck, there’s no guarantee any of us will still be here the next day. Any maid can be fired at any time.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Everyone is scared. Everyone is pointing fingers at you. They think you ruined everything. They
think you broke Lucian—because in their minds, if you hadn’t left, things would have never become this bad.”

I couldn't say anything.

I just sat there, staring at Sophia's lips as they moved.