Chapter 26

The rage he had kept hidden beneath his calm exterior revealed its sharp edge.

Yaein shook her head violently. It felt as if her skull was rattling inside her own head.

“It’s your child.”

Gripping Taeheon’s arm tightly, she blurted out the words in a rush.

“There is no other man! It’s ours. Don’t you remember? That night after we came back from your father’s house, we were both drunk…”

“You already had your excuse planned in case you got caught? That came out quick.”

“I’m not lying. I only said that because I thought you’d agree to a divorce. Because I knew you didn’t want kids, and I knew your parents wouldn’t welcome one. I just wanted to raise this baby alone. I didn’t want them to grow up like I did. The number you saw—it wasn’t a man, it was…”

“That’s enough.”

Taeheon cut her off coldly.

“They said pregnancy would be too much for you. You heard it last time too.”

The doctor had explained it when she had miscarried before. Her *terus was shaped differently from others, and her body was weak, making pregnancy difficult. Early miscarriages were common, and pinpointing an exact cause was difficult, but even if the pregnancy had continued, she would have had a much harder time than other women.

“I don’t care. I want to have this baby. I will have this baby.”

Yaein declared firmly. She had thought the same thing back then. No matter how hard it would be, as long as the child was alive, she would do everything in her power to protect them.

Clutching onto Taeheon’s sleeve, she pleaded.

“If you’re suspicious, then do a paternity test after they’re born. I’ll live exactly as you want, right under your eyes. I won’t even move. You don’t even have to divorce me.”

Taeheon’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

Yaein rubbed her cheek against his arm.

“If you just let me have this baby, I’ll do whatever you want. Even if it kills me, I will give birth to this child.”

Taeheon leaned in closer.

“Oh? Even if it kills you?”

Yaein nodded.

His expression changed ever so slightly—something indecipherable flickered in his gaze.

“The surgery is tomorrow. Once you’re discharged, you’ll need time to recover, so I’ll arrange for someone to take care of you at home.”

The response made Taeheon’s thoughts clear.  

Betrayal clawed at Yaein’s neck. Her breath came out in ragged gasps.  

She scratched at her chest, rage thrashing inside her as if it would shatter her ribs. A sharp pain surged through her thorax.  

“It’s my baby! You can’t just kill it as you please!”

As the IV line in her wrist pulled taut, the IV stand rattled, nearly toppling over. Hospital staff rushed in from outside, grabbing Yaein as she tried to get out of bed.  

“Ma’am, please calm down.”

“Let go of me! Don’t touch me!”

Even as she was forced back onto the bed, Yaein screamed.  

Taeheon was watching everything.  

Without the slightest hint of agitation. Quietly. Sharply.  

Pinned down by multiple arms, Yaein glared at him. Even as her vision blurred, Taeheon remained crystal clear to the very end.  

*** 

Her mouth was dry. A faint dizziness persisted. Yaein scanned the hospital room. It was the same as before—except Taeheon was gone.  

It was already dark outside. The last thing she remembered was being restrained when the sun was still up. She must have lost consciousness.  

Her wrist ached. Looking down, she found a large bandage covering the spot where the needle had been inserted. A faint bloodstain had seeped into the fabric.  

She had no strength, but she forced herself to sit up. Slowly, reality sank in.  

She was trapped here. And Taeheon was going to take her child away.  

Without hesitation. Without even offering room for negotiation.  

She had tried to prevent this, but from the very start, her child had been unwanted.  

“Ugh… Hh… ugh…”

Yaein clutched at her chest.  

If only she could cry. But the tears refused to fall. The sorrow swelled inside her, suffocating her like a flood with no escape.  

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

She muttered to herself, trying to regain focus. She couldn’t just stay curled up in despair. She had to do something.  

“Mommy will protect you.”

The promise to her child gave her strength, however faint.  

The door to her private hospital room was firmly shut. When she opened it, as expected, Taeheon’s men were stationed outside.  

“Where is Taeheon?”*

One of the men, who looked particularly familiar, gave her a respectful bow.  

“He’s downstairs. Would you like me to inform him that you’re awake?”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

Yaein attempted to walk past them, but the subordinate hesitated before blocking her path.

“Where are you going?”*

“Do I have to report every little thing to you?”

“That’s not what I meant… You’re still a patient.”

“This is a hospital. Even if I collapse while walking, there’ll be people around to help, so don’t worry.”

“Even so, we’ll accompany you.”

Taeheon’s subordinates stubbornly followed Yaein, keeping a few steps behind her. Unable to stand their presence any longer, she suddenly dashed into the women’s restroom.  

They didn’t follow her inside. But they would surely be waiting for her in the hallway.  

‘What should I do?’  

Yaein scanned the restroom desperately. The small window near the ceiling was too narrow, and the floor she was on was far too high.  

“Ugh, I’m in the restroom now. I’ll text you later.”

Someone entered, laughing loudly.  

“Excuse me, I’m sorry…”

Yaein impulsively grabbed the woman’s arm.  

The woman flinched in shock and tried to step back, but Yaein held on tightly.  

“Can I borrow your phone, please?”

“Huh?”

“I really need it. Just one call—I’ll return it right away. It’ll only take a second.”

Perhaps intimidated by Yaein’s urgency, the woman hesitantly handed over her phone, looking bewildered.  

Yaein immediately pressed the call button.  

She had to ask someone for help. Only one person came to mind.  

Would they even pick up? She wasn’t sure.  

The dial tone rang.  

No answer.  

Her legs nearly gave out beneath her. She gripped the sink to steady herself.  

The phone’s owner, who had been watching awkwardly, finally spoke.  

“Are you done?”

Was this it? Was it really over?  

Yaein, feeling a wave of despair, instinctively opened the messaging app.  

“Just a moment.”

She hurriedly typed a single sentence, not even having the time to explain. She was typing so frantically that some of the final characters were split between consonants and vowels.  

Shortly after, the phone rang.  

─ “Now you’re calling from another number too? I told you not to contact me! Why are you so persistent?”

A sharp, hysterical voice pierced her ears.  

Yaein squeezed her eyes shut in disbelief before forcing them open again.  

She had rehearsed what to say over and over before making the call, but the moment Gyeongju answered, her words tumbled out in a jumbled mess.  

“Mother, please… help me. The baby…”

She could feel the woman beside her staring, but she had no time to care.  

Sensing the awkwardness, the woman turned on the faucet and started washing her hands.

─ “The baby what? You suddenly call me and start talking nonsense. Speak clearly so I can understand.”

Yaein took a deep breath. Her head was still spinning. But just as Gyeongju said, she had to stay calm. There wasn’t much time left.  

“Taeheon is trying to get rid of the baby.”

Gyeongju went silent for a moment.  

─ “What do you mean? Are you pregnant? What is Taeheon trying to do?”

“Please, just help me this once. If I lose this baby, I won’t be able to go on.”

Her voice trembled involuntarily. She needed Gyeongju to understand that every word was true.  

─ “Is Taeheon at the hospital?”

“I don’t know. I don’t see him right now.”

─ “I’ll try contacting him to gauge the situation. Who else is there? Kim Sungwon and Park Jiseok? Those guys who are always tailing him?”

“Yes, they’re here.”

─ “Alright. I’ll see if I can come to the hospital. For now, try to stay calm.”

Gyeongju’s voice was composed and firm. Yaein nodded hard, even though the other woman couldn’t see her.  

‘I have to pull myself together.’

She had to do something—anything.  

“Here you go. Thanks to you, I was able to make my call. Thank you.” 

Before the woman could respond after taking her phone back, Yaein hurried out of the restroom.  

As expected, Taeheon’s men were still stationed in the hallway. They immediately moved to follow her.  

Ignoring them completely, she walked straight back to her hospital room. She slammed the door shut with a loud **bang**, the sound echoing through the room. Only then did the overwhelming pressure in her chest subside just a little.  

She pressed her hands over her stomach, waiting for her erratic heartbeat to settle.  

The protection she had once longed for as a child—she would give that to this baby.

***

How could he stop thinking about that woman?

The anger simmered, never losing its heat.  

Taeheon was surprised to realize that feeling nothing and being perpetually furious felt quite similar.  

“That’s how we wrapped up the Shanghai logistics deal. But it looks like their operations lead has been replaced by the son this time. They’re expecting a face-to-face meeting.”

The subordinate, engrossed in explaining the work situation, glanced at Taeheon.  

The bench outside the hospital wasn’t exactly the best place to discuss illicit dealings, but Taeheon had no intention of moving away from that building—more specifically, from his wife inside it.  

“Tell him to come here. I have no plans to go on overseas trips for the time being.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“They’re the ones who need us. If they refuse, just put my father in a wheelchair and take him over there.”

“Uh… The chairman?”

The subordinate wiped the sweat from his brow, looking utterly confused as if unsure whether Taeheon was serious.  

Of course, Taeheon had no qualms about using his father. If pushing his sick father into handling this matter would actually solve it, he’d do it without hesitation.  

“I’ll talk to them myself, so stay out of it.”

But the truth was, what they really wanted was direct communication with him. They’d come to the same conclusion—that now, the son had fully taken over.  

“Just explain that my wife is sick, so I can’t travel.”

Once the surgery was over tomorrow, he’d need to keep an even closer watch on Yaein.  

“Earlier, the madam said she wanted to visit the young mistress in the hospital. Should I just tell her it’s not possible?”

Taeheon gave a slight nod.  

“That number.”

His subordinate blinked in confusion before quickly understanding.  

Whenever Taeheon suddenly brought something up out of the blue, it was almost always about his wife. So “that number” could only mean the burner phone he had been trying to track down lately.  

“Last time, you ordered us to find them and bring them in no matter what.”

Taeheon gazed at the city skyline stretched out in the distance. The lights flickered as they moved across the night streets.  

“I need to think… about how I’m going to kill them.”

His murmur was low and thick, sinking into the heavy air.  

Silence filled the car for a moment, broken only by the vibration of a phone. 

The subordinate checked his phone after a brief nod of permission from Taeheon. His expression shifted slightly.  

“Uh… Director, are you staying at the hospital all day?”

“Yeah, all day.”

“The chairman asked you to stop by this morning.”

Taeheon’s jaw clenched tightly. A faint grinding noise came from his teeth.  

“Why?”

“He didn’t say. Just mentioned it wouldn’t take long.”

Not stating a reason only made it clearer what this was about.