Once the seed of suspicion was planted, it grew wild—entangling every corner of Emma's mind.
She became a detective, scrutinizing every detail about Gu Liang. She noticed he'd switched to looser, more comfortable loungewear at home. Though he still wore tailored suits in public, the crisp shirts had quietly disappeared from the apartment. She noticed the meals prepared by the housekeeper had become unusually bland, overly focused on nutrition. Gu Liang never objected.
But what truly unsettled her— One night, as she passed his closed bedroom door to get water, She heard it. A faint, suppressed sound. Dry retching.
It was brief. Then came the sound of running water— As if to cover it up.
Emma froze. Her fingers whitened around the glass.
Morning sickness? That wasn't something low blood sugar could explain.
Then, one weekend morning, the moment came.
Gu Liang overslept. He didn't appear for breakfast—unheard of. The housekeeper knocked on his door, concerned. His voice came back hoarse and tired: Not feeling well. No breakfast.
Emma's heart leapt into her throat.
She forced herself to finish eating. Then, under the pretense of retrieving a document, she approached his room.
The door—unusually—wasn't locked. Just ajar.
She held her breath and pushed it open a crack.
Gu Liang sat on the edge of the bed, back turned, shoulders slightly hunched. He looked unwell. At his feet, crumpled tissues filled the trash bin.
And on the nightstand— That familiar pill bottle.
This time, the angle was perfect. She saw the label clearly.
It wasn't for blood sugar.
It was a prenatal Omega multivitamin. And beneath it, in small print: Folic acid supplement.
Boom.
A thunderclap exploded in her mind, shattering every last shred of denial.
Prenatal.Vitamin.Folic acid.
Each word hit her like a hammer.
He was pregnant. With her child.
After that violent, humiliating night. After the breakup. After the revenge. After the forced marriage. After her plans to cheat.
A child had arrived. Quietly. Unplanned.
Emma's mind went blank. The shock erased all thought. She forgot to hide. She just stood there—staring at the bottle, at Gu Liang's thinner, subtly changed frame.
Gu Liang sensed her gaze. He turned sharply.
When he saw her pale face in the doorway, panic flashed in his eyes. But it was quickly buried beneath ice and defense.
He swept the bottle into the drawer with a swift motion. Stood up. Still pale, but composed. His eyes were calm—too calm. And beneath that calm, rage simmered.
"Who said you could come in?" His voice was glacial.
Emma didn't answer. Her eyes stayed locked on the drawer. Her voice trembled.
"You… the pills… what are they?"
Gu Liang's pupils narrowed. But he didn't flinch. He stepped forward, gaze sharp.
"What they are—does it concern you?"
"Does it concern me?" Emma's voice cracked. She looked up, bloodshot eyes blazing.
"That's my child! How could it not concern me?!"
"My child?" Gu Liang repeated, lips curling into a bitter, icy smile.
"Emma, have you forgotten how this child came to be?"
His words were knives. Each syllable cut deep.
"It was the night you lost control during rut. The night you forced me. The night you'd already planned to throw me away. The night you were full of disgust and irresponsibility."
"And now you ask if it concerns you?"
Every word shattered her defenses. She opened her mouth— But no sound came.
What could she say?
She was the aggressor. The betrayer. The Alpha who forced a marriage she didn't want.
She had no right.
Gu Liang looked at her crumbling figure. His eyes remained cold.
"This child is mine," he said firmly. "From beginning to end. It belongs to me. It has nothing to do with you."
He walked to the door. His voice was final.
"Get out."
Emma stumbled back, hollow. Her eyes lingered on his still-flat stomach.
Inside— A life was growing.
Their child. Born of violence. Of hatred.
Shock.
Confusion.
Fear.
And something else—
Something she couldn't name—
Crushed her like a tidal wave.
She didn't know how she got back to her room.
She collapsed against the door. Curled into herself. Hands tangled in her hair.
A child…
A child with her blood. And Gu Liang's.
This unplanned, unwanted life—
Had shattered the abyss they'd built from revenge and resentment.
What now?
What would Gu Liang do?
This absurd marriage, born of betrayal, Had been thrown into chaos By the arrival of something pure.
After the thunder—
Came silence.
And beneath that silence—
A storm was gathering.
Stronger than ever.