Se-hyeon buttoned up his jacket. Desperate to prevent the conversation from ending, Ji-an quickly stood up and stepped in front of him.

But he still wouldn’t spare her a glance.

“Honey—”

“Do you think this contract is a joke, Yoo Ji-an?”

As he fastened the last button, he looked up sharply, his eyes fierce.

“Not even once.”

She had never taken it lightly.

Before coming here today, she had looked over the contract again — the same contract that made her feel suffocated every time she saw it.

She knew its significance. She knew exactly what that paper meant when Woo Se-hyeon handed it to her.

But even setting aside her brother’s situation, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could continue with this sham marriage.

Yoo Jung-ho’s threats were one thing, but the growing distance and distrust between her and Se-hyeon had worn her down the most.

Meeting his furious gaze, Ji-an forced herself to continue.

“Please… I’m begging you.”

Thanks to his father-in-law’s sacrifice, Se-hyeon had been given a second chance at life.

In return, he ensured that the company generously sponsored firefighters, drastically improving the corporation’s public image in the process.

Not only that, but he was also praised as a man who had married for love, not business.

He had fallen for Yoo Ji-an, the woman who had saved his life — a true fairytale love story.

The public adored him and expected him to succeed his father as head of the group. Se-hyeon’s career had soared after their marriage.

And now, not even a month after his inauguration as CEO, he wants a divorce?

It was absurd.

“How strange.”

Se-hyeon narrowed his brows as he studied Ji-an, trying to make sense of something that simply didn’t compute.

“What is it? Have you found another man?”

His voice twisted with sarcasm.

Another man?

If he knew anything about her life, he wouldn’t have said that.

She didn’t even have time to step outside for some fresh air, let alone meet someone.

For a moment, Ji-an was too stunned to respond; she was completely speechless.

Her lips trembled slightly before she finally managed to speak, offering a hollow smile.

“If I had found another man, would you have granted me the divorce then?”

“How amusing.”

Se-hyeon let out a hollow laugh in response to Ji-an, as if finding the idea absurd.

Despite their relationship being nothing but a façade — a contract — he had developed a decent understanding of Yoo Ji-an after three years of living together.

Given his profession, which required him to negotiate and achieve desired outcomes, it wasn’t difficult for him to discern a person’s true intentions from just a few words.

And right now, Ji-an seemed desperate, as though she were being chased by something. Desperate enough to make him suspicious.

‘Why wouldn’t I doubt you?’

‘Why was she doing this?’

He couldn’t help but suspect that Yang Jin-hee was somehow involved.

“She’s been pressuring you to have a child all this time, and now she suddenly wants you to get divorced? I’d like to know what her reasoning is.”

“What kind of scheme is this?”

His face twisted into a scowl.

Clearly, he would need to send someone to investigate Yang Jin-hee.

He had to find out what leverage she had over Ji-an and why she had taken Yang Jin-hee’s side.

Knock, knock.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

“Come in.”

Without taking his eyes off Ji-an, Se-hyeon answered the door.

The door opened cautiously.

“President, it’s almost time for your meeting. You need to leave now.”

Still staring at Ji-an, Se-hyeon replied.

“I know. You can go.”

“Yes, President.”

The secretary quickly left the office. As the door closed, Se-hyeon spoke again.

“You want it so badly… fine. I’ll give it to you. The divorce.”

Ji-an’s eyes widened in shock at the words she hadn’t expected to hear. She hadn’t thought he would actually agree.

“R-really?”

“But, there’s a condition.”

Of course. At the mention of a condition, disappointment quickly clouded Ji-an’s face.

“Six months.”

He said it firmly as he stepped closer to her. Now, there was only a hand’s breadth between them. Her breath caught in her throat at his sudden approach.

Unable to bear the pressure of his looming presence, Ji-an lowered her gaze. However, Se-hyeon lifted her chin with his hand, forcing her to look back at him.

“If you don’t get pregnant within six months, I’ll grant you the divorce.”

“What?”

Ji-an stared at him, utterly confused.

“Do your best not to get pregnant during that time. If you can prove that you’re not one of Yang Jin-hee’s pawns, I’ll divorce you without hesitation.”

‘Of course.’

Ultimately, they were back to square one.

He still didn’t trust her.

For a brief moment, she had dared to hope.

Now, however, she was disgusted by her own foolishness.

“And if I do get pregnant… what then?”

Ji-an asked, her voice filled with quiet despair.

Even when he saw her devastated expression, Se-hyeon showed no sign of wavering.

Curling his lips into a sneer, he spat out his answer in a low voice.

“You’ll pay for deceiving me. You’ll spend the rest of your life never being allowed to see that child.”

***

After dinner, Ji-an sat deep in thought. She couldn’t remember how she had got home.

After delivering his final words, Se-hyeon left her standing alone in the office, paying her no further attention.

She stood in the empty room for a long time before finally walking out and getting into the waiting car.

“Do your best not to get pregnant during that time. If you can prove that you’re not one of Yang Jin-hee’s pawns, I’ll divorce you without hesitation.”

Pregnancy. She had to make sure she didn’t get pregnant.

If she did, it would only confirm to Se-hyeon that Yang Jin-hee was behind her actions.

Se-hyeon had never wanted children. Even after marriage, he had always been meticulous with birth control.

His angry expression, his voice, the words he’d thrown at her in the office—
They all replayed vividly in her mind.

Hoo…

Ji-an took a deep breath, her chest tightening with frustration.

From the outset, she hadn’t expected things to go smoothly.

She knew better than anyone how their marriage had been exploited and manipulated.

Given his recent promotion to CEO, she had assumed that divorce would be impossible.

Nevertheless, she had gathered her courage.

And yet, it had all come to this.

Looking down, she saw the contract lying on the table.

She reached for her phone and opened her banking app.

“One hundred million…”

All that was left was a mere one hundred million won.

Should she just give it to Yoo Jung-ho and be done with him?

She wasn’t obligated to give him anything.

But if she didn’t, there was no telling whether he’d go to Se-hyeon and tell him everything. If that happened, everything would be exposed.

“I won’t tell President Woo. But in return, dear daughter-in-law, you’ll do as I say, won’t you?”

Yang Jin-hee’s voice echoed in her head, adding to the growing turmoil.

“If you don’t get pregnant within six months, I’ll grant you the divorce.”

His cold voice played in her mind once more.

Maybe she just needed to endure it for six months.

Just six months.

After all, this marriage had begun without love.

Click.

The sound of the bedroom door opening startled Ji-an. She quickly stood up.

“What were you thinking about so deeply that you didn’t even hear me come in?”

Se-hyeon walked into the room, his face expressionless.

She had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t noticed his footsteps at all.

“You’re home.”

Ji-an lowered the phone in her hand and quickly composed herself.

Seeing her reaction, Se-hyeon took off his coat and handed it to her.

Caught off guard, she instinctively accepted it. It was only then that she realised—

—he had come into the bedroom.

Recently, he hadn’t even treated her like a person, let alone shared the same room.

Perplexed by his unexpected behaviour, Ji-an watched as Se-hyeon’s gaze shifted towards something.

It wasn’t until then that she realised what he had seen. In a panic, she quickly grabbed the contract from the table.

“Taking out the contract like this, you must really want that divorce.”

His lips tightened into a thin, cold line.

Fidgeting with the contract, Ji-an cautiously opened her mouth.

“What you said earlier… did you mean it?”

As she attempted to confirm his earlier words, Se-hyeon paused briefly while unfastening his cufflinks.

A heavy silence filled the bedroom.

“Yes, as long as you don’t get pregnant.”

“…!”

Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist roughly.

With a sharp pull, the distance between them vanished in an instant.

His overpowering gaze bore down on her.

“If you really don’t trust me, shall I write up another contract?”

“Yes. Please do.”

“Haha”
Se-hyeon let out a bitter laugh at her request. As Ji-an met his gaze head-on, her eyes slowly turned red.

“And I have one condition too.”

‘A condition.’

At the unexpected words, Se-hyeon’s eyes turned icy, seeing a side of her he hadn’t seen before.

“I’m curious. What is it? Speak.”

Ji-an hesitated for a moment before parting her lips.

“For those six months…”

Her voice faltered for a brief second, her mind flashing with all the things she had once quietly wished for.

“When we’re together… treat me the same way you do in front of others. As if we’re truly married, like we fell in love.”

Se-hyeon furrowed his brows, unable to comprehend what she meant at first. Sensing his confusion, Ji-an continued, as if to clarify:

“Even if it’s just an act. Pretend we’re really a married couple. That we’re truly in love.”

For a moment, his handsome face overlapped with the memory of the very first day she had met Woo Se-hyeon. Ji-an’s gaze lowered faintly, darkening.