#61
I lay on the bed and turned to my side. I pulled the blanket up just below my eyes. This way, with my eyes closed, Hyun-oh wouldn’t be able to see my tear-stained face.
Even as Hyun-oh lay down beside me, I, Eunsol, deliberately tried to maintain steady breathing. Fortunately, I had pretended to be asleep in front of Hyun-oh many times before.
At last, the sound of deep breathing reached my ears. Perhaps because he was tired, Hyun-oh fell asleep earlier than usual. My shoulders trembled at the pheromones he released as he drifted off.
Despite my complicated feelings, my body happily relaxed as it absorbed the pheromones from my alpha that it had been craving.
However, unlike my body, my mind only grew clearer. I spent the night with tears flowing, unable to wipe them away or make any sound.
Even when the sun rose and I could hear Hyun-oh getting up early to prepare for work, I remained still with my eyes closed, killing time.
Only after he left the bedroom and considerable time had passed did I finally get up from the bed.
“…It’s cold.”
I ran my palm over the spot where Hyun-oh had been lying. As if I wanted to feel something, even though there was no way any warmth would remain.
Feeling like I might tear up again, I shook my head. I didn’t have time for this.
There was much to do. I needed to leave Hyun-oh before my pregnancy started to show. I had already experienced morning sickness in front of him. Hyun-oh simply thought I wasn’t feeling well, but the household staff might notice first.
Song Do-ye, who was by my side, might also notice my pregnancy. Then they would immediately inform their employer, Hyun-oh, of what they had discovered.
I got up and headed to the dressing room. I gently touched each wedding ring neatly arranged in the jewelry box.
“Baby, your daddy has such big hands.”
Even if the baby’s existence was a secret from Hyun-oh, I didn’t want to hide the truth about the baby’s father from the child.
It might be difficult to explain when the baby was old enough to understand, but at least telling the baby now like this should be fine.
In truth, even if I ran away from Hyun-oh, I didn’t know how long I could remain hidden. His influence probably reached every corner of South Korea.
I couldn’t escape Hyun-oh’s eyes alone, so I needed to meet with Ryu Jeong-woo and discuss this first. Following him to America was one option.
“Still… I want to give birth here.”
Although it might be greedy, I wanted to have the baby in Korea.
I looked around the dressing room. By now, my belongings had grown as numerous as Hyun-oh’s.
Though we each had our own dressing room, in the one connected to the bedroom, our belongings had settled in various places as if they belonged to a single owner.
“From here, what I can take is…”
Strictly speaking, I had nothing of my own since everything belonged to Hyun-oh. My gaze lingered not on the wedding rings I’d received as gifts, nor on my clothes, but on the neatly hung clothes that Hyun-oh frequently wore.
* * *
“Thank you so much for contacting me, Eunsol.”
Ryu Jeong-woo took my hand and gently patted the back of it. He couldn’t know how happy it made him to become someone I could rely on.
Though born and raised in a wealthy family, Jeong-woo’s life had been marked by loneliness. His parents were people who prioritized appearances, showing no interest in Jeong-woo when out of the public eye.
Before marriage, he lived according to his parents’ wishes to earn their love and attention. After marriage, he was careful around his in-laws and husband. Even his friends were people influenced by his parents.
At that time, he didn’t realize how pitiful his life was. Only after his divorce did he learn that his life had been nothing but a glamorous shell.
Amidst all this, I was like a shining jewel in a world full of artificial people.
Though I might look humble in their eyes, to him, I appeared more radiant than anyone else with my emotional honesty and untainted nature.
It wasn’t just that he treasured me; the fact that I was the only one who would turn to him in difficult times made his heart swell.
“I hope I’m not asking too much…”
Finding a hideout beyond Hyun-oh’s sight wouldn’t be easy. Getting there would also be challenging. Without Jeong-woo’s help, I might not even be able to receive proper prenatal care.
In fact, I had worried a lot until I brought this up with Jeong-woo today. I was concerned about burdening him unnecessarily.
But Jeong-woo seemed happy, as if receiving a precious gift rather than a request.
“Absolutely not. Actually, I shouldn’t be this happy… but knowing that you think of me so much makes me happy.”
Having to flee from my husband just because I was pregnant—despite the situation, Jeong-woo felt embarrassed for revealing his joy so openly.
“I’m also… really glad that you’re such a good person, Hyung. I’m truly blessed.”
If Jeong-woo had rejected my request, I wouldn’t have dared to run away. Everything seemed insurmountable.
“But now… I don’t have any money…”
My face turned bright red. I hadn’t received a single penny from my biological father. The items at home were essentially Hyun-oh’s possessions.
I wished I could pay Jeong-woo something for his help, but being penniless made me feel even more shameless.
“Why would you not have money? Hyun-oh transferred that prime building into your name. You also have cards.”
“But that’s not my money, it’s Hyun-oh’s.”
In truth, Jeong-woo could easily support me and the child with his own money. But I had been married to Hyun-oh for nearly a year.
During that time, I had perfectly fulfilled my role as Hyun-oh’s spouse. I was fully entitled to use the assets Hyun-oh had given me.
“No, Eunsol. That’s your money. Selling the building might take time and be complicated, so let’s just collect the rent that’s come in.”
“What…?”
Jeong-woo knew that rental income from the building had been steadily accumulating in my account. Given my personality, I would feel burdened if he paid for everything.
It was better in many ways for me to have cash that I considered my own.
“Get up now. Our first destination today is the bank. If we withdraw too much at once, it might raise suspicion, so let’s say it’s for shopping.”
* * *
After that, everything progressed smoothly.
After meeting Jeong-woo and withdrawing the rent money in cash, we went around luxury boutiques. I also bought carry-on luggage in various sizes, placed the withdrawn cash inside, and covered it with the clothes I had purchased.
Payments were made either with Jeong-woo’s card or I paid with Hyun-oh’s card.
I deliberately bought exceptionally expensive clothes and fine jewelry, so Song Do-ye, though puzzled, seemed to think Jeong-woo was giving me a tutorial on spending, like a private tutor.
“…Do I really get to take all this with me, just like Hyung said?”
I sighed deeply at the display of yellow bills filling the luggage. Then, as my sad eyes fell on my flat stomach, I remembered what Jeong-woo had told me repeatedly.
‘The baby will definitely be super cute and pretty, just like you, Eunsol. Baby, are you going to give us a hard time? Kids’ stuff these days is much more expensive than adults’ things, you know. We’ll dress you in the best clothes and feed you the best food.’
I couldn’t argue with that. While I could wear and eat anything, I wanted to give only the best to my baby, just as Jeong-woo said.
“Hyun-oh probably wouldn’t miss this amount of money.”
That was the moment when all of Hyun-oh’s education paid off. In fact, even the amount I had withdrawn was money that Hyun-oh had casually given me like pocket money.
I hadn’t sold the building, and the only money I was taking was a year’s worth of rent. Hyun-oh probably wouldn’t even notice the money was gone.
I carefully closed the luggage so the bills wouldn’t be visible, then stood up. Inside the cross-body bag I would take when leaving, I packed some clothes I had particularly noticed Hyun-oh wearing.
Ring ring- ring-.
It was then that the cell phone in my pocket vibrated. When I saw the name appearing on the screen, my eyes shook violently.
* * *
“Why is traffic so heavy?”
“It’s usually congested in this area during rush hour. Just a moment.”
In response to my question, Song Do-ye checked the traffic situation on her tablet PC. Her expression turned troubled at what she saw.
“It seems there’s been an accident on the road ahead. Driver, please take this route.”
“Yes.”
Song Do-ye showed the driver a side street. I anxiously looked at my wrist. Only 20 minutes remained until my appointment time with Hyun-oh.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
