The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 152
His words lodged in her heart like a curse, an ice shard that would never melt.
“I may not look it, but I could cherish you quite well. So… try not to hate me too much, alright?”
His cruel laughter echoed like a haunting melody. She watched his shoes as he rose and began to walk away, the sound of his footsteps growing distant. Her consciousness drifted, sinking into the scent of black roses. Through her fading vision, the blue diamond on her finger gleamed under the streetlamp.
* * *
Just as he was about to leave the estate with his search party, Leonid spotted Johanna collapsed at the front gate and rushed to her side.
Johanna was unconscious, and black rose petals were scattered over her body. And then…
He sensed pheromones.
The familiar Alpha pheromone that even Leonid recognized.
It was Ilian Rediess’s, that man’s scent.
‘That damned bastard…’
Clenching his teeth, Leonid removed his coat, draped it over Johanna’s body, and carefully lifted her into his arms. Though he wanted nothing more than to flood the area with his own pheromones to drive out the other man’s scent, he knew it might be dangerous if Johanna was in shock.
Returning swiftly to the estate, he brought Johanna to her room, laid her on the bed, and called for the physician.
It didn’t take long for Victoria Oder, the physician, to arrive. She examined Johanna closely before sharing her observations.
“Fortunately, she’s not in shock. However, there are traces of magical residue… It seems she was subjected to intimidation. That’s likely why she lost consciousness.”
“…”
“And it appears she’s injured her ankle ligaments. It’s not severe, but she may limp until it heals completely.”
“…”
“At the moment, she’s essentially in a deep sleep, so there’s no need to worry. However…”
Victoria hesitated briefly, then spoke carefully.
“She may have suffered psychological trauma. She has shown signs of emotional instability before… This incident could have had a negative impact as well…”
With a sympathetic gaze, she looked at Johanna, uncertain how to help her. Then, noticing Leonid’s watchful eyes, she prescribed a few tranquilizers and sleeping pills before leaving the room, advising Leonid to ensure Johanna receives careful care, especially when she wakes and will need stability.
Leonid dismissed all the attendants, including Nella, and went to the bathroom to draw warm water himself. He even added a few drops of lavender oil to help soothe her nerves, then returned to the bed and gently removed Johanna’s clothing.
Johanna was sleeping deeply, almost as if in a deathly slumber. The sight reminded Leonid of mythical figures lost to an eternal sleep, stirring a sense of unease within him.
He repeatedly checked for the faint warmth of her breath under her nose and the pulse beneath her ear, needing reassurance of her life. After a moment, Leonid lifted Johanna’s now-bare form carefully into his arms.
Moving slowly, he carried her to the bathroom and lowered her and himself both into the bathtub. As their combined weight caused water to overflow, the lavender aroma permeated the air, dissipating the lingering scent of the Alpha’s predatory pheromones.
With a soft sigh, Leonid released a gentle wave of his own pheromones, wrapping them around her protectively. Remarkably, Johanna seemed to find more peace, her breathing evening out from its earlier unsteady rhythm.
“…”
In that moment, Leonid was gripped by an indescribable emotion. He couldn’t pinpoint why he felt this way, or what exactly it was. It was something foreign, always accompanied by confusion.
In that fleeting moment, as the emotion seemed on the verge of revealing itself, Leonid noticed something on Johanna’s left hand, and he froze.
Expressionless yet tense, he reached out and lifted her left hand. There, on her ring finger, was a platinum ring he hadn’t noticed before, bearing an endless knot design and a blue diamond—nothing like their wedding ring.
“…Ha.”
With a bitter laugh, he roughly pulled the ring off her finger. That madman… he really must have lost his mind. Bored with life to the point of wishing for death, perhaps.
A surge of murderous rage flared within him, and his pheromones darkened with wrath. Johanna sensed it sharply, flinching as a small, uncomfortable moan escaped her lips.
Leonid hurriedly reined in his emotions. Thoughts of Ilian Rediess made the murderous urge rise unbidden, but he fought it back. He couldn’t allow his anger to destabilize Johanna’s already delicate state.
“Phew…”
Taking a deep breath, he held her close, steady in the warm water. Like a child seeking comfort, Johanna instinctively nestled into his arms, drawn to his warmth.
…It was always this way. She would wear that expression that said she could endure life, yet, when her hidden fragility surfaced, she became a child needing someone to hold her.
Did she even know—was she aware she was like this?
An odd ache spread through his heart. It was that very sensation, that delicate, precarious aspect of her, that he found impossible to ignore.
