Divorce Contract C32

Chapter 32

Chapter II

After his clumsy escape ended with capture, the house he was brought back to was engulfed in darkness. No one had pushed him, yet his steps into the living room felt forced, as though shoved forward by unseen hands. Only pale moonlight seeped in. The air was warm, but an inexplicable chill made his body shudder over and over. His feet felt glued to the floor—he could not bring himself to go further.

When his hesitant steps stopped altogether, Chief Yoon tapped his shoulder from behind. At his reminder that he had to go in, Igyeol dragged his stiffened legs, stumbling forward. The door closed.

The realization that he would have to face Seo Dohyeon alone sent a terror through him that bordered on madness. With every step—one after another—the sound of his movements scraped out in an unbearable rhythm. Passing through the corridor, which today seemed unusually short, he soon came upon the vast living room.

And there he saw Seo Dohyeon, standing still before the window like a statue. Though the sound of Igyeol’s return echoed through the silent house, Seo Dohyeon did not move, remaining with his back turned for a long time.

The sheer size of his body loomed larger than ever, making Igyeol swallow dryly. Even the small act of his Adam’s apple bobbing felt as though it might draw notice.

The tension coiling through him left him feeling as though cramps might seize his whole body. Yet in that same moment, he collapsed helplessly against the pheromones lingering all through the house. Shame be damned—he inhaled them greedily, the pheromones he had craved so desperately. Though terror threatened to make him faint outright at the thought of facing Seo Dohyeon, the Alpha’s pheromones filled his lungs so completely that he thought, Even if I die now, it might be fine.

The nausea that had plagued him eased at last in the haze of that scent. His spinning vision cleared. He trembled as the pheromones seeped sweetly into his body, one that had nearly tipped into toxemia from the lack. Heat spread through his bloodless, chilled body. At that moment, Seo Dohyeon, who had stood staring out the window, turned.

“They say you’re pregnant.”

“…I—I can explain—”

“That’s why you ran?”

In the pale light of the moon, Seo Dohyeon’s expression was merciless.

“Because you were afraid I’d find out.”

The flat voice brought the tension crashing back, tightening every muscle in Igyeol’s body. Never, in all their time together, had he seen such a cold face. Seo Dohyeon lifted the glass in his hand toward his lips, then, as though unable to contain his rage, hurled it at Igyeol. Seo Dohyeon had not always been kind, but he had never been violent like this.

Crash! Shards of crystal exploded across the marble floor. At the sudden, shattering noise that split the silence, Igyeol flinched, wrapping his arms protectively around his belly and crouching low. Seo Dohyeon did not wait another moment—his strides came swift and heavy. His hand rose, and Igyeol squeezed his eyes shut in terror. A hollow laugh spilled out instead, and in an instant he was seized and dragged close. Seo Dohyeon’s hot breath fell over him at such proximity it was suffocating.

“Answer me. That child inside you—is it mine?”

His voice was terribly low, stripped of any emotion.

“Ah, so that’s why you wanted a divorce, isn’t it? Go Igyeol, you asked me for a divorce. You knew that once your belly began to show, I would find out the child wasn’t mine. So you tried to get ahead of me, didn’t you?”

The grip on his arm tightened. Igyeol winced, realizing then that Seo Dohyeon wasn’t denying the child’s existence—he was accusing him of betrayal.

“What do you mean…?”

The shock struck as sharply as a slap, though no blow had landed. His mind reeled—where could he even begin to explain? Through his blurred vision, Seo Dohyeon’s face remained icy.

“Why. Am I wrong?”

Never, not even when begging those men to let him go because he would die otherwise, had Igyeol expected words like this. In every imagined confrontation while in hiding, not once had he envisioned this scene.

“I’m not the kind of man who makes mistakes.”

“…So you’re saying now—”

“If you were going to cheat, at least don’t act as though your body was mine alone.”

“The baby…”

Tears fell, unbidden, sliding down his cheeks. Seo Dohyeon was certain he carried another man’s child. Not for a moment did he seem to consider the possibility it might be his. How could he? More than shock, sorrow consumed him. He could not believe Seo Dohyeon could doubt him so.

“I…”

He had thought, naturally, that Seo Dohyeon was angry because he had left without a word. He blamed himself for not being honest. All the way back, he had resolved to beg forgiveness, to confess the truth: that he had been afraid Dohyeon would prevent the birth, that it might sound like an excuse but that was the only reason. He had meant to say it all.

That the contraception had failed, that the child was theirs, and that he wanted to give birth. That he wanted to raise the baby, if only Seo Dohyeon would allow it.

“Since you were alone, I suppose the bastard who knocked you up has no intention of taking responsibility.”

But his cold, cutting voice left Igyeol unable to answer, only weep. Grief spread like black ink through his chest. Seo Dohyeon watched him, a bitter smile tugging his lips.

“But I’ve no intention of taking the child either.”

He let go, releasing Igyeol slowly. His lazy tone and languid expression only made the betrayal in his gaze sharper.

“Have the baby.”

“Hhhuhh… hhhk…”

Seo Dohyeon’s warm, broad hand covered Igyeol’s rounded belly as he spoke with unbearable gentleness.

“Because then I’ll see it only to lose it without ever holding it. So give birth, and give birth healthily. Our divorce will come after that.”

“Seo Dohyeon, the baby—”

“You’re not about to claim it’s mine, are you?”

As he moved to step away, Igyeol desperately caught at his sleeve, his touch too faint to be called a grip. Seo Dohyeon looked down at the jutting bones of his hand as though they were filth, and flicked him off. His face, once expressionless, twisted in visible disgust.

“You’re filthy, Go Igyeol. But I’m desperate, so I need to use you now. Wash yourself. Thoroughly.”

“…No. That’s not— It’s not like that, I—”

Tears streamed freely, hanging at his chin before dripping to the floor. Clutching Seo Dohyeon’s arm, Igyeol shook his head, stammering out the truth he had fumbled to speak. Not like that. No one else. Really.

“Ah, so now you say it’s mine. Really—those are the words you give me.”

Was it only to his own ears that the words rang desperate? To Seo Dohyeon, they were nothing but contemptible. He scoffed, brushing a hand over Igyeol’s tear-soaked face, his warm fingers wiping roughly at his eyes.

“Those are words you should’ve said before you ran. Not after being dragged back here.”

“No, no. That’s not—it’s true—”

“Go Igyeol.”

His name was spoken like a sigh.

“I’m holding myself back more than you know. So don’t push me further.”

His fingers traced under Igyeol’s eyes, sweeping away the damp, then he turned his body fully away. Watching his retreating back, Igyeol’s strength gave out. He collapsed to the floor, sobbing.

He knew Seo Dohyeon must be furious. Anyone would, in his place. He had promised himself he would accept the anger without complaint—it was his fault for fleeing, for leaving blindly. Yet that resolve now lay in ruins.

“I hid it… because I was afraid. Because you wouldn’t want the child. So I was terrified. But I… I want to have this baby. And I… I want to raise it together. If only you’ll let me, Seo Dohyeon.”

But the truth he most wanted to convey never reached him. The man who could not trust him refused to hear. His voice asking if the baby was his lingered sharply in his chest. Pain spread, throbbing in his heart. He clawed at it, pounded at it, but nothing eased the ache radiating from within.