When I Quit Being A Wicked Mother-in-law, Everyone Became Obsessed With Me - Chapter 159

It felt as if she were alone, abandoned in the dark.

A world without light, sound, or anything else.

Just by her being in a deep sleep,

the world lost its colors in an instant.

Alexei gently brushed Anriche’s cheek.

“The children, the family, no…”

He gasped for breath.

It felt as if someone were squeezing his heart with all their might, an intense pain surging through him.

“…me.”

Alexei squeezed the words out.

“Could you please think of me just a little longer?”

Anriche remained unresponsive.

Her face, which had always worn a bright smile, was now still and devoid of life.

‘If, by any chance, you were to die…’

The mere thought sent him into a panic.

He could no longer hold back.

The emotions he had barely suppressed now surged like a tidal wave, clawing at him.

“I…”

Thud.

His knees buckled.

Alexei crumpled to the ground.

“I can’t live in a world without you…”

His shoulders began to shake.

Tears fell onto the carpet, creating round spots.

He couldn’t control his emotions at all.

Lying face down on the floor, he clenched his fists tightly.

“Ugh, huff, sob…!”

Alexei burst into tears like a child.

***

The critical week the doctor had mentioned passed.

Anriche remained in a coma throughout that time.

Laughter gradually disappeared from the Balua household.

“Will the little lady really wake up?”

“Well, the doctor said we should monitor her condition…”

The maids whispered to each other with worried expressions.

The butler, who had been watching them from a distance, approached the maids briskly.

He sternly warned them.

“Stop talking nonsense and focus on your work.”

“Ah, butler!”

“We’re sorry!”

The maids scattered like startled sparrows.

Watching their retreating figures, the butler let out a long sigh.

‘…I wonder when the lady will regain consciousness.’

The anxiety on the butler’s face was evident, unable to hide his concerns.

***

Meanwhile, the children were also affected by the gloomy atmosphere of the townhouse.

“When will Mom wake up?”

“Don’t worry too much, she’ll wake up soon.”

Elliot answered Lilianna’s gloomy question with forced cheerfulness.

Lilianna was already blaming herself for what had happened to Anriche.

She didn’t want Lilianna to feel unnecessary guilt.

But…

‘…Will she really wake up?’

Elliot struggled to suppress the doubts that rose to his throat.

Otherwise, he felt like he would start crying at any moment.

Just then,

“Kids.”

A low voice called to them.

It was Alexei.

“What are you doing here?”

The two children, who had been huddled together, turned to look back.

“Uh, Dad?”

Elliot widened his eyes at his father, but

“W-well…”

Lilianna couldn’t hide her guilty expression and averted her gaze.

“…”

Alexei looked down at the children with an indescribable emotion.

No matter how many times Alexei told her it wasn’t Lilianna’s fault, she remained utterly dejected.

‘If it were Riche… what would she have done in this situation?’

Anriche’s cheerful voice rang in her ears.

“Kids, why do you look so glum? Huh?”

If it were her, she would have surely opened her arms wide to embrace the children.

“Shall we go eat something delicious? How about playing with dolls? Hmm, or would you like me to read you a story?”

…She would have tried to comfort the children in any way possible.

The image of her as a mother hen, gently nurturing her chicks, was vivid in Alexei’s mind.

Lost in thought, Alexei unconsciously reached out to the children.

‘If it were Riche… she would have definitely done this.’

Recalling her usual nurturing demeanor, he drew the children into his embrace.

“…Dad.”

Elliot quickly snuggled into his father’s arms, but

“Father.”

Lilianna stiffened, unable to lean against Alexei.

“I… I shouldn’t be…”

Her pale green eyes trembled.

“You shouldn’t be treating me… so well.”

“Don’t say that.”

Alexei shook his head firmly.

“Just like Elliot is my son.”

“…Father.”

“You are also… my daughter.”

Just as Anriche thought of her.

At his words, Lilianna’s eyes quickly welled with tears.

“…”

Finally, she bit her lip and leaned into Alexei’s embrace.

A moment later,

Alexei spoke in a hushed voice.

“Shall we go see Riche?”

“Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

The two children quickly nodded.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Alexei held the children’s hands tightly and headed to the bedroom where Anriche lay asleep.

***

Anriche was still peacefully asleep.

The children gathered around her bed.

“Mom, could you please wake up now?”

Elliot opened his mouth first, his voice trembling with emotion.

“If you tell me to eat tomatoes… I won’t complain anymore.”

“Me too, Mom.”

Lilianna hurriedly chimed in.

“I’ll study harder, not just for sword training, but for other subjects too.”

Her tiny hand, trembling slightly, held onto Anriche’s hand tightly.

“I’ll listen to everything you say, so please… come back to us.”

Unable to finish her sentence, Lilianna dropped her head.

Alexei looked at the backs of the two children with a sorrowful gaze.

His heart ached.

“Riche, the kids are looking for you like this.”

He whispered softly, his voice threatening to break.

“…How much longer will you make them wait?”

***

Her entire body felt heavy.

It felt like she was being sucked into a murky darkness.

‘…I need to wake up.’

Though that vague thought crossed her mind, her eyelids felt strangely heavy.

She couldn’t seem to regain consciousness.

Just then,

“The firstborn is a daughter? What bad luck!”

A voice as sharp as a whip struck her.

Gasp.

She drew in a sharp breath and lifted her head.

An elderly woman, looking down at her with contempt, stood before her.

The moment she saw her, it dawned on her.

‘…This is.’

A time when everyone turned away from her in the past.

More precisely, it was her previous life, before she lived as “Anriche.”

“Do you have any idea why I showered you with all that luxury just to give birth to a mere girl?!”

Her father, glaring with furious eyes at her mother,

“…I’m sorry.”

Her mother, who endured all the verbal abuse just because she had given birth to a daughter.

Once, she hated it so much that she rebelled against it.

“What’s wrong with being a daughter?!”

But then,

“Who do you think you are to glare at me, you useless daughter?!”

Crack!

A sharp slap echoed through the air.

A searing pain radiated from her cheek.

Thud!

Gasping for breath, she managed to lift her head.

“…Mom.”

She turned to her mother with desperate eyes.

Surely, her mother would stand by her side.

But that expectation was betrayed without fail.

“…”

Her mother remained silent.

Seeing her mother turn away, her eyes widened in shock.

“…Mom?”

She called out to her mother again.

But her mother only shouted at her with a deliberately fierce voice.

“Why do you defy your father? Keep it down!”

“B-but, Mom.”

“Because of you, there hasn’t been a peaceful day in this house!”