The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 139
…He had to admit it—it was quite an impressive gift, tailored perfectly to his tastes and practical needs.
The problem was that he didn’t want to receive such a “sincere gift”… from Johanna Lucerne.
A chill swept through his chest in an instant. Yet paradoxically, heat rushed to his head, and his heartbeat grew erratic, like a warning signal flaring in response to a sense of foreboding.
Leonid forced himself to remember the original purpose of this arrangement. But what unexpectedly pierced through his thoughts was the image of Johanna’s clear, earnest gaze as she wished him a happy birthday.
He set down the revolver and abruptly stood up, raking his fingers through his hair as he turned away. He didn’t want to meet her eyes right now.
…It felt like she was encroaching upon him. Like waves that had once gently lapped at the boundary now crashing through the walls and spilling over.
The unwelcome sensation naturally stirred a sense of resistance in him. It was only natural to activate a defense mechanism to protect the world he had painstakingly built.
Once things start to mix, they lose their original form.
He felt a faint fear of that change, but he couldn’t articulate it. Anything left unspoken remained submerged in an abstract sea.
So, his ingrained habits kicked in—resorting to what was familiar was easier than finding a way to navigate these unfamiliar emotions.
“Miss Lucerne, are you trying to date me right now?”
“…What?”
Raising his defenses was his usual way. Those who found themselves pricked by his sharp words often retreated on their own. And if, by chance, someone persisted despite the barbs, he had other, sharper tools—knives to wield if necessary.
And so, in his world, no foreign substance could seep in. It was perfect as it was. There was nothing that could shake him.
“What I need is a dominant omega who will bear my child, not someone to play romantic games with.”
His response to the sincere warmth she had shown was rejection.
It was a rational warning—one that insisted they should not grow any closer.
“Don’t ever do something this pointless again.”
“…”
“You and I, Miss Lucerne, will part ways cleanly once this arrangement ends—nothing more, nothing less.”
It was a threat directed at her, but it was also a reminder to himself.
After over eight years of restraint, she was the first omega he had ever indulged in. It seemed that he had become far more engrossed in this instinctive attraction than he had realized.
Letting feelings follow the body’s closeness was something he could never allow. Now that he was aware of the need to maintain distance, his mind snapped back into focus.
“If you understand, you can leave now.”
Leonid glared sharply at her as she stood there in a daze, then turned his back and headed toward the bathroom. It seemed the only way to cool his feverish mind was with a drenching of ice-cold water.
A few moments later, the sound of water pouring down echoed from behind the closed bathroom door.
Johanna, who had been standing there frozen in shock, finally let her gaze drop to the gift box, left sitting on the table like a discarded object.
“……”
She had put thought and care into that gift. To be honest, she had poured a bit of her personal feelings into it as well. Even though she knew she shouldn’t, she had slipped a touch of tenderness into the gesture, beyond mere formality and gratitude.
Was that why?
Why it had all fallen apart like this…
She reached out, picking up the gift box. For a moment, she considered taking it back with her, but after a brief hesitation, she set it back down on the table. After all, it was a gift meant for him, so whether he kept it or threw it away was entirely up to him—along with the feelings she had tucked inside.
It would have been a lie to say she wasn’t upset, but Johanna didn’t want to allow herself to dwell in sadness. So, she forced herself to ignore the sting of the small wound that throbbed somewhere deep in her heart. Compared to the trials life had already thrown at her, this pain was insignificant.
When she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, she found Nella waiting anxiously, clearly curious about Leonid’s reaction. Johanna gave her a silent smile, as if nothing was wrong, as if everything had gone smoothly.
Johanna was fine.
And she would continue to be fine.
* * *
On the day of Leonid’s birthday banquet, Johanna came down with a severe cold.
She had felt chills running through her body since morning, and by lunchtime, a fever had set in, making her whole body ache.
In the end, she couldn’t attend the evening’s birthday banquet.
Maybe it was a blessing in disguise—not having to pretend they were a loving couple in front of others…
