The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 2
As if mocking her complacency, he had managed to find her.
A strong intuition, almost a premonition, hit her. If she opened the door and entered the reception room now, she would face none other than him.
Johanna’s heart started to race.
“Oh my, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
Mrs. Drebyul, worried, reached out to support Johanna as she suddenly staggered. Johanna, barely holding onto her faltering consciousness, asked breathlessly,
“…Did you tell him?”
“Tell him what?”
“That I’m pregnant… Did you tell him?”
Mrs. Drebyul frowned, looking puzzled at the sudden question, and shook her head in bewilderment. It seemed she had realized by now that something unusual was going on.
“What are you talking about? Of course not. How would I know who he is?”
“…”
In a moment of weakness, Johanna’s legs gave out, and she crouched down. It was a small blessing amidst the misfortune. If Leonid knew she was pregnant, she couldn’t predict how he would react. She knew she might meet him again someday, but not now. She didn’t want to reunite with him unprepared.
“Madam…”
“Yes, what’s going on?”
“Please don’t tell him I’m here. Please.”
Fearing her voice might reach the reception room, Johanna whispered her plea. Then, she stood up and took hesitant steps backward, like a frightened prey facing a predator.
“Promise me, please.”
She implored again, her already pale face looking ghostly. Mrs. Drebyul, feeling an ominous sense of foreboding, gently asked,
“The man in there, is he a bad person? Is that why?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just… my situation. Please, just don’t tell him.”
“It’s your request, so of course, I’ll honor it…”
“Thank you, Mrs. Drebyul. I’ll explain later.”
After holding Mrs. Drebyul’s hand tightly for a moment, Johanna left hurriedly, as if being chased.
Left alone in the dark hallway, Mrs. Drebyul watched Johanna’s retreating figure and muttered absently,
“What on earth is going on…?”
The interior of the boarding house was silent, with all windows closed, blocking out the sound of the rain. Occasionally, lightning flashed outside, and the sound of thunder broke the bleak silence.
Johanna relied on the faint light of the low-cost magic stone lamps sporadically installed on the walls as she climbed to the second floor. The hallway was darker than the stairs, almost pitch black.
Once inside her room, she quickly closed the door and took a moment to catch her breath. Her heart pounded erratically. The room looked the same as it had that morning. A single bed, a wardrobe, and a desk crammed into the small space that had been her only refuge for the past three weeks.
She felt overwhelmed thinking about where to go next. However, she didn’t have the luxury of sitting idly.
Without turning on the lamp, she moved quickly in the darkness. She pulled a large bag from the wardrobe and began stuffing it with whatever she could find. Her mind was a chaotic jumble of thoughts, but she consciously tried not to dwell on them.
After packing her sketchbook and pencils from the desk, she finally tidied up the bed. She straightened the blanket and lifted the pillow. Seeing the hidden item beneath, her eyes darkened.
“…”
A turquoise tourmaline necklace, the same color as her eyes, glowed softly even in the dark.
She stood still, hesitating, then, as if drawn by an irresistible force, picked up the necklace. The teardrop-shaped tourmaline on the thin platinum gold chain swayed like a mobile over a cradle.
This necklace was the first gift Leonid had given her. When she left him, she had left her wedding ring behind, but she couldn’t bring herself to part with this necklace.
“…”
The emotions she couldn’t discard pierced her heart like a dagger. She gritted her teeth, holding back the tears that threatened to fall. He and she… they were never meant to be. In retrospect, it was always clear.
“The contract period is one year. During that time, I need a dominant omega who can bear my heir.”
“…”
“As you may know, Miss Lucerne, it’s difficult for a hyper-dominant alpha like me to father children. The partner has to be a dominant omega for there to be any chance.”
He needed an Omega to bear his heir, and Johanna needed money.
When had discord begun to creep into what was supposed to be a simple relationship?
Now, carrying his child, her fate seemed cruelly ironic. She sighed in self-mockery and continued packing. She needed to escape for now, and after that… She tried to pull practical plans from the chaotic thoughts in her mind as she packed her messy suitcase.
Just as she turned towards the door, she suddenly heard footsteps ascending the stairs.
Thump, thump… Creak—
The heavy, low sound of boots and the groaning of the old wooden floor unable to bear the weight pierced the silence.
Johanna froze in place, gripping her suitcase tightly. A sense of foreboding washed over her like a wave.
The approaching footsteps stopped right outside her door. Cold sweat ran down her back like rain. Pale and trembling, she instinctively took a step back.
Creeeak—
The sound of the hinges creaking accompanied the slow opening of the door. Even before Johanna could clearly see the intruder’s face, she sensed the Alpha’s pheromones wafting into the room.
It was a scent reminiscent of a snowy winter landscape: cold yet comforting, like a warm cup of tea enjoyed while gazing at a garden blanketed in white snow.
As the familiar pheromones enveloped her body and overwhelmed her senses, her breath caught in her throat. Her Omega body, carrying this Alpha’s child, instinctively rejoiced at the supreme pheromones it hadn’t felt in a long time, ready to react with euphoria.
Johanna, now acutely aware of her own nature after such a long time, stood frozen, trembling uncontrollably. She tried in vain to suppress the Omega pheromones emanating from her, but it was a futile effort.
Just like on the countless nights they had intertwined in the same space, the Alpha’s and Omega’s pheromones mingled thickly. The sweet floral scent was overtaken by the bitter tea aroma. His pheromones, as always, fiercely consumed her.
“Ah.” A low, thick sound escaped her lips. As the door finally swung fully open, Johanna’s legs gave out and she collapsed, looking up.
Her expectations had been correct.
Leonid Neubitz stood there, at the threshold separating Johanna’s space from the outside, looking down at her with stormy eyes.
