Returning home late at night, Yoon Ju leaned against the front door for a moment. Her legs swelled up after just a bit of walking, due to her increasingly heavy body.
“Are you just getting home now?”
Do Jin’s mother’s voice suddenly echoed from a dark corner of the room.
“Mother, you haven’t gone to bed yet?”
Yoon Ju looked up, startled.
“How can I sleep when family members haven’t returned home yet?”
Yoon Ju frowned at her mother-in-law’s cold voice.
“Has Brother Do Jin not come home yet?”
“He’s busy with work outside. And you, not even by yourself anymore.”
Yoon Ju felt a surge of anger.
“Mother, I work outside too.”
“Why are you acting like this again?”
There should be a limit to being unreasonable. Do Jin’s mother clucked her tongue in disapproval.
“What kind of pregnant woman wanders around outside at this hour?”
“It was for work.”
Yoon Ju tried to make an excuse when,
“Isn’t Do Jin your superior? Is he making you work so hard?”
Her mother-in-law began prying, seemingly determined not to back down.
“I’m going to rest now.”
Hearing the nagging voice was grating on Yoon Ju’s nerves. She quickly kicked off her shoes haphazardly and walked to her room.
“Hey, how can you walk away while an adult is talking? Is that how your parents raised you?”
Yoon Ju spun around in an instant.
“Don’t talk about my parents!”
Her voice rose in a sudden burst of anger. Do Jin’s mother’s eyes narrowed.
“How dare you talk back when your mother-in-law is speaking!”
“You started it first. Why are you bringing up my parents!”
“Is it proper upbringing to come home at nearly midnight?”
Yoon Ju felt unjustly accused. They didn’t even know why she had to come home so late.
After getting married, Do Jin almost always came home late at night. The only time she saw his face was at the office. Asking him why he was late only irritated him. Yoon Ju was becoming increasingly disillusioned with her married life.
That’s why she started going to clubs again with her friends. The loud music drowned out her complex thoughts. The only regret was that she couldn’t drink alcohol, but just being in the club improved her mood.
However, stepping out of the club and returning home on the dark streets, checking her phone devoid of any messages from her husband, her mood plummeted.
Contrary to Do Jin’s claims about his mother being ill and near death, she looked quite healthy.
She ate more than Yoon Ju and was more active. Not only that, she interfered in Yoon Ju’s business in every way, especially bringing up Do Jin’s ex-girlfriend, Ji Na, for comparison, which made Yoon Ju feel dizzy.
Even knowing he was dating Ji Na, Yoon Ju had liked Do Jin. Compared to the terrible men she had dated before, Do Jin was impressive. He was a young executive in a large company, with a tall and handsome appearance and gentle manners.
Yoon Ju, knowing that Do Jin had a girlfriend, thought he would soon leave her and come to her. After all, love is ever-changing. But she never imagined that the love she thought had come to her would move on again.
“So, Mother, you must be proud of how well you raised your son.”
“What?”
Do Jin’s mother’s eyes widened at Yoon Ju’s sarcasm.
“Considering he hasn’t come home yet, he seems to be rolling around with another woman outside. I’ve heard that his late father did the same every day.”
Slap.
A harsh slap echoed through the house. Yoon Ju’s face turned to the side as if struck by lightning.
“How dare you, how dare you say such a thing?”
Do Jin’s mother muttered, trembling with her arm raised in the air. Yoon Ju, clutching her stinging cheek, said nothing. The harsh breathing of the two women filled the air.
“If it weren’t for the baby in your belly, I would never have let Do Jin marry you. Never.”
With those words, Do Jin’s mother entered her room. Yoon Ju could no longer cry.
With dry eyes and a numb gaze, Yoon Ju walked into her room. The bedroom, which should have been filled with the warmth of a newlywed couple, was cold. The chilly air greeted Yoon Ju.
“Sob….”
Yoon Ju sat down on the cold bed and covered her face. Her body felt parched, as if all moisture had been drained, and despite wanting to cry, her eyes remained as dry as desert air. Her cheek still burned from the slap.
“I can’t forgive you, Kim Do Jin.”
Yoon Ju’s eyes sparkled. Before marrying, she had known about Do Jin’s multiple girlfriends. She thought marriage would change him.
But he hadn’t changed. She realized she was just one of many after they were married. It was too late to back out; she was carrying Do Jin’s child, a precious life.
“I’m sorry, baby.”
Yoon Ju gently stroked her swollen belly and bowed her head, silently apologizing to the child who would be born to loveless parents.
“I want to make it hard for your father. I want to.”
Still, no tears came.
Do Jin had received important company information from Sun Young, the accounting clerk. Sun Young, who also handled some accounting tasks, had organized crucial ledgers.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
