Hi Ex, Your Uncle Is My Hubby Now - Chapter 52: Chapter 52

"Our birthdays are both marked by loss," she said quietly. "But you were lucky. You were seen as the continuation of your mother's life, loved and cherished by two families. I was born a curse—unwanted from the start. They said I was bad luck, a mistake.
"Shelby blamed me for Lenora's death. That's why she tried to drown me."
She said it with unsettling calm, as if she were recounting someone else's story. But the way it landed in Dorian's chest left a dull, aching weight.
"You never told me any of this," he murmured.
Irene gave a bitter smile. "You'll probably think it's silly, but when you came into my life, it felt like someone had finally turned on the lights.
"I was afraid to tell you. I thought… if you found out, you'd believe I was cursed too. That you'd toss me aside, just like she did."
Her voice trembled. "I didn't want to take Lenora's place. I didn't even have a choice in being born. I was just… brought into this world."
There were many injustices in life—but none as powerless as a child. No one chose the family they were born into.
Being born was like opening a blind box.
Some children won the jackpot—loving parents, warm homes.
Others were just born into hardship.
Irene laughed softly, mocking herself. "Maybe I was a traitor in a previous life. That's the only reason I can think of for ending up as Henry's daughter. This life? Feels like I'm just here to pay off a cosmic debt."
"Don't say that," Dorian said, unable to hold back. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
His heart ached for her.
The more he learned about her past, the more he realized how rare, how precious Irene truly was.
She had everything he admired in a woman.
Resilient. Proud. Clean in heart and spirit.
She came from a rural town but got into one of the most prestigious universities in the country—became the star of Aurelith University's architecture program.
With a face like hers, she could've taken shortcuts in life. But she didn't. She chose to build something of her own. To run her own studio. To be her own queen.
No other woman in his life came close.
Dorian gently cupped her face, his eyes full of warmth. "Irene, the world's not all bad. You've just gotten all the pain out of the way early. From here on, it'll be sweet.
"I'll be your sweetness. Whenever life gets bitter, come to me—take a little sugar, okay?"
'Ugh.'
Irene almost gagged.
Goosebumps crawled up her arms beneath her sleeves.
But as any skilled bitch actress knew, this was not the moment to break character.
She tiptoed up and kissed him lightly on the forehead.
Just a brush—like a dragonfly skimming water.
Before he could even react, she stepped out of his embrace.
Pressing her fingers to her lips, she smiled with a hint of bashful charm. "You really are sweet. I don't feel so sad anymore."
Her cat-like eyes curved as she smiled, playful and languid—like a kitten deciding whether to nap or pounce. It was effortless, alluring.
Dorian felt a sudden rush of heat to his lower abdomen.
He instinctively leaned in to kiss her.
But before he could, Irene tilted her head and asked, her expression suddenly serious, "Dorian… would you ever lie to me?"
He froze, arms halfway lifted. After a beat, he smoothly rolled up his sleeves, forcing a relaxed gesture. "Of course not. I'd never lie to you."
"Really?" Irene narrowed her eyes, voice laced with suspicion. "You're so perfect, it's hard not to wonder if you came into my life with an agenda.
"I mean, look at me. Aside from this face and this body, I'm nothing special."
She locked eyes with him, smiling sweetly. "Dorian, what exactly do you love about me?
"You're not secretly planning to steal my kidney for your precious lover, are you?"
Dorian's scalp tingled.
His fingers curled involuntarily. For a second, he almost lost it.