The thought that he had even considered having a substitute made her jaw tighten.
Kael, meanwhile, felt his anxiety spike. Compared to what everyone assumed, he had never harbored malicious intentions toward the substitute.
He had only ever seen her from afar, only because she resembled Martha. He gifted her things, yes, but never once did he think of becoming intimate.
What no one knew was that Janet, the substitute, had nearly accepted him.
She had even tried to cross that line. It was Kael who stopped her, insisting on distance, warning her that he would lose interest otherwise.
That rejection was why Janet eventually grew bold enough to ignore him completely and even pursue marriage with someone else.
Kael, on the other hand, had grown accustomed to seeing her face from a distance, convincing himself that as long as he could imagine Martha, it was enough.
