Divorce Contract C45

Chapter 45

It was two more days before Go Igyeol was released from Seo Dohyeon’s hands. When Seo Dohyeon finally climbed off the bed, he looked refreshed, while Igyeol lay sprawled in ruin. His pale skin had been drained of all color, mottled with bruises from head to toe. His arms, bound in pajamas for over half a day, were stained blue with deep bruises spreading like ink from the elbows down. His ankles, calves, thighs—all bore handprints branded into them like marks of ownership.

His upper body appeared a little less marred, but even there, the closer one looked toward his shoulders, the dirtier it became. Bite marks trailed from his shoulder down his arms. The pile of ill-matched necklaces and the bracelets circling his bruised wrists made for a grotesque sight.

His breathing was unusually slow. It was unclear whether he had fainted or simply passed out from exhaustion. Seo Dohyeon stood at the bedside for a long time, staring down at him. He did not seem fatally injured, though glancing at the wreckage between his legs, even that could not be said with certainty.

“Mr. Go Igyeol.”

“……”

“Go Igyeol.”

“…Hhh… sob… please… stop… no more…”

Startled awake by the voice calling him, Igyeol flinched and drew back, trembling. He couldn’t even open his eyes properly. His lids were swollen to half their normal size, the skin around them rubbed raw and red from too much crying and wiping.

His hands, clasped together pitifully, trembled violently. The bracelets twisted around his wrists left small red marks on his fragile skin. Seo Dohyeon finally released the bruised shoulder he’d been gripping.

“I’m not going to. So stop crying and rest.”

Igyeol could not rid himself of his wary look, but he had no other choice. With a dazed expression, he gave a small nod. Seo Dohyeon let his eyes travel down Igyeol’s fully exposed body before turning away.

As soon as Seo Dohyeon left the bedroom, Igyeol shut his eyes. He was exhausted. During the rut, he had not been able to sleep; at most he had blacked out briefly before being roused again. Now, a faint sensation returned to the place that had been forced open nearly the whole time. Every shift of his body sent sharp aches through him, vividly cruel. He pulled the blanket over himself, inhaling the pheromones still lingering in the air. The sheets were stiff with dried fluids, damp with stains, but he was too spent even to feel disgust.

“Uhh…”

Everything hurt. Even under the blanket, he was cold. Shivering violently, he closed his eyes, and in the midst of that trembling, sleep washed over him at last.

Cough, cough. Igyeol poked his head out from under the blanket, blinking groggily. He felt like he had slept for a long time, but the darkness around him told him not much had passed. He exhaled faintly. His belly had been tightening the whole time. No matter which side he lay on, no matter how he adjusted, the contractions and pain would not ease.

“Ah…”

He coughed again. And then it happened. Something spilled hotly from below. Igyeol, lying on the bed, thought it was only residual fluids melting and seeping out. Perhaps Seo Dohyeon’s seed was still inside, causing the ache. He tried to relax at that thought.

With effort, he pulled the blanket back, weakly lifting himself from the bed. Maybe if he washed, it would be better. Warm water might ease the pain. His face burned hot; when he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, it came away damp with cold sweat.

“…My belly… it hurts…”

As he pressed his eyes shut and took a step forward, something hot spilled again. He felt it soaking his thighs. Unthinkingly, he reached down and swiped at the wetness between his legs. The slickness smeared across his palm. When he looked—

“…Wha—what is this…!”

A metallic tang filled the air. Even in the dark, he knew the stain on his hand was red. Stumbling, he flicked on the bedside lamp. The sheets beneath him were blotched crimson, soaked through where he had lain.

Just then, a knock came at the door. He didn’t answer, staring blankly until the door opened. Seo Dohyeon entered with a tray holding a cup and two pills—likely pheromone supplements. His eyes widened at the sight.

“…I—I’m not right. My stomach… I went to wash, but… blood….”

Even as he spoke, more gushed out from within. Igyeol couldn’t move a single step. His gaze, fixed on his own bloodied hands, shifted to Seo Dohyeon in mute desperation. He couldn’t even beg for help—his eyes alone pleaded.

Unlike Igyeol, panicked and trembling, terrified of what would happen to the baby, Seo Dohyeon was unnervingly calm. He set the tray on the bedside table, pulled out his phone to type, then dressed Igyeol. He sat him on the edge of the ruined bed. Igyeol wept, face crumpled in fear. Seo Dohyeon paused to check the message he received.

“The baby… sob… the baby, what do I do… the baby… what’s happening…”

Igyeol reached out, though he knew Seo Dohyeon hated being touched. There was no one else to cling to. His words tumbled out, only about the child, not his own ruined state. Watching him, Seo Dohyeon ground his teeth. Of all times, right after the rut subsided. The timing was abysmal. He too thought of the worst. The baby was far from due, and yet Igyeol was bleeding profusely.

“I said I hurt—sob—I told you I hurt, that the baby might be in danger—so why…”

Seo Dohyeon’s mind drifted for a moment, but Igyeol’s trembling voice, filled with blame, pulled him back. Tears streamed freely down Igyeol’s deathly pale face.

“Can you walk?”

“Hhh… hhh… ahhh…”

“Answer me. Can you walk?”

Seo Dohyeon bent close to meet his eyes. Blurred and unfocused, the gaze met his. At the repeated question, Igyeol nodded weakly. Supported by Seo Dohyeon, he rose to his feet. At the first step, hot liquid streamed down his legs again.

Igyeol cried out in horror. Seo Dohyeon’s gaze dropped to his thighs. Red rivulets streaked down his white skin like tangled webs. Grinding his teeth at the pitiful sound of Igyeol sobbing, Seo Dohyeon’s brow furrowed.

“I—I begged you—sob—I said I wanted to stop, that it hurt, that I was afraid for the baby, sob—so why…”

“I’ll carry you. Stay still.”

“You… you wanted this from the start, didn’t you? You wanted the baby gone. Isn’t that right?”

Clutching Seo Dohyeon’s chest, Igyeol forced the words out through sobs. He couldn’t stop crying. When his breathing grew ragged, Seo Dohyeon released pheromones to calm him. But Igyeol’s tear-filled eyes only glared back with rejection.

“I don’t need… your pheromones. They’re disgusting. Please… don’t.”

He covered his mouth and nose with his hand, gasping, as Seo Dohyeon carried him out the door. They hurried across the yard. At the gate, Yoon Jaeseon already stood waiting, rushing to open the rear car door. He froze at the sight of Igyeol’s condition, lips parting in stunned silence.

“Drive.”

“Y-yes. Yes, sir.”

Jaeseon quickly collected himself and headed for the obstetrics emergency ward he’d been told in advance. Seo Dohyeon sat in the passenger seat, Igyeol lying across the back. His faint sobbing filled the car. Jaeseon didn’t dare imagine what had happened.

It was late enough that traffic didn’t delay them. They reached the emergency ward swiftly. Doctors and nurses already waiting transferred Igyeol to a gurney. The white sheet beneath him was quickly stained through with red.

Emergency surgery was decided. The ultrasound showed there was no amniotic fluid left; the pregnancy could not be maintained. The baby needed to be delivered immediately. The cause of the premature labor was identified as the spouse’s rut cycle.