TLAD 03

Chapter 03 …

Christine, who had returned home, locked the door with quick movements. The sound of the lock clicking shut finally brought her some relief.

Leaning against the entrance door for a long moment, she tried to calm her pounding heart before cautiously walking toward the balcony and peeking outside.

“Good heavens.”

Seimon was still standing in the exact same spot from earlier, looking up at her home.

Why is he doing that?

He wasn’t someone who used to act this obsessively toward her.

Her mind was in complete chaos.

After a while, she heard the sound of a car engine. Carefully looking outside again, she saw that Seimon—and his luxury sedan—had apparently left.

“Haah.”

With tension finally leaving her body, Christine slid down the wall and sat on the floor.

She had a feeling he wouldn’t give up so easily.

Christine placed her hand on her stomach.

“Stop it, baby.”

Did he realize it was his father?

The moment Seimon’s voice echoed in her memory, the baby in her womb began to move violently.

The child’s rebellious movements continued for quite a while, and Christine had no choice but to endure it.

In the end, she did not sleep at all that night.

I should move.

In the morning, Christine thought this while spreading butter on a dinner roll and taking a bite.

Seimon’s words about the place being shabby and small kept echoing in her head, and she began to think she should find a bigger house than this one.

Since she would be living with a baby anyway, a larger place would be better.

Christine, who intended to continue working at the Magic Quarantine Office, wanted to find an apartment not too far from her workplace, so she decided to ask her coworkers.

After arriving at work, Christine first approached a colleague she had become close with since joining the company.

“Ria. Is there an apartment around here with at least two rooms? It would be better if the security is good.”

“Hm. A safe apartment… Sorry, I’m not really familiar with real estate.”

Ria replied with a troubled expression. Christine felt slightly disappointed but nodded.

“Oh—right! Riet knows the real estate around here pretty well.”

Ria snapped her fingers and said brightly. Christine’s eyes widened at the unexpected name.

Riet was also a coworker, a somewhat uncomfortable man who was overly friendly toward her.

When she explained her situation after he approached her with a bright smile upon hearing his name, Riet quickly began listing nearby housing options around the Magic Quarantine Office.

“So, Hendrea Street is close to our workplace, but it has a lot of shops, so it’s a bit noisy. Not ideal for raising a baby.”

“I see.”

“I never thought about that.”

The two women nodded as they listened, which made Riet visibly excited.

He suggested they go look at places that same day, which made Christine hesitate, but Riet also proposed that they could eat dinner together afterward.

“Ria’s coming too, right?”

Christine quickly asked Ria, but she looked troubled.

“What should I do… I already have plans today, sorry.”

Christine felt a bit disappointed. However, Riet seemed even more cheerful.

In the end, after work, Christine ended up touring nearby houses alone with Riet.

“The apartment we saw earlier has too much debt tied to it. It’s risky.”

Riet whispered to Christine, and she nodded in agreement.

Although being alone with him bothered her, Seimon’s words still lingered in her mind, and she wanted to move as quickly as possible.

‘This is exhausting.’

Perhaps because they had walked so much while visiting various places, she felt her abdomen tightening.

When she said she should head home, Riet shamelessly stopped her.

“Come on, you haven’t even eaten. Let’s just have dinner.”

I just want to go home and rest quickly.

But Riet persistently held her back.

After hesitating, Christine remembered how he had gone out of his way to help her until late hours.

It didn’t feel right to just leave like that, so she agreed to have dinner with him.

Excited, Riet asked what she liked, and Christine replied that she liked everything except freshwater fish.

Hearing her answer, Riet suggested a place and said they should eat grilled chicken.

The two entered a nearby pub and took a seat. Energetic music was playing inside.

‘So this place is famous for grilled chicken?’

She had expected a normal restaurant, so being in a pub felt slightly strange.

Riet ordered grilled chicken and also got a beer for himself and juice for Christine.

After thinking for a moment, Christine told him about one of the houses she liked.

“How is it?”

Riet, holding his beer glass, flicked his fingers and winked.

“Good choice. It’s close to my place too.”

Your place?

Christine looked clearly confused, and Riet waved his hand dismissively.

“Why not? It’s good to live close as neighbors. Since you’re a woman living alone, isn’t it better if there’s a man nearby who can help you?”

Smiling broadly, he continued enthusiastically about helping her with groceries and showing her good nearby shops.

Christine began to feel increasingly uncomfortable. It felt like he was crossing a line too much.

Wanting to leave quickly, she nodded absentmindedly while listening to him chatter, eating and drinking her juice.

“One more drink here!”

Riet had already drunk three glasses of beer. When he ordered a fourth, Christine frowned slightly.

He looked strangely happy, smiling nonstop.

Christine felt uneasy and stopped him.

“Riet, stop drinking.”

“I’m fine, Christine… and I have something to tell you.”

Seeing the lust burning in his eyes, Christine froze stiffly.

“I…”

Ah.

She instinctively knew what he was going to say.

“I should go now…”

She tried to stop him and leave, but she was too late.

“I fell for you at first sight the day you started at the quarantine office. You’re so beautiful.”

Riet’s confession sounded anything but gentle—it felt sinister.

Christine pressed her forehead, her head aching.

“Mr. Riet. You’re very drunk.”

But Riet ignored her and grabbed her hand, insisting she become his lover.

Christine quickly pulled away and firmly refused.

“No. I’m a pregnant woman with a child.”

Hearing that, Riet shrugged with a grin.

“So what? Just give me one night. I’ll make you feel good.”

He lowered his voice and whispered.

It was the worst.

Chills ran down Christine’s spine. She pushed him away with a cold voice.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. I’m leaving.”

“You’re acting expensive.”

Riet suddenly pulled her down beside him and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Riet!”

Christine wanted to scream, but she held it back to avoid drawing attention, gritting her teeth.

“Calm down, Mr. Riet. There are plenty of other good women.”

“No. There’s no one as pure, sexy, and beautiful as you. Come on. Just one night. I want to sleep with you.”

“Stop it! That’s extremely rude! I clearly said no!”

“You like it, don’t you? Just acting shy.”

Riet sneered and grabbed her face, trying to kiss her.

She struggled, but she couldn’t overpower him.

Just as she trembled and pushed him hard—

Thud.

Someone struck Riet’s head hard.

“Agh!”

Riet screamed.

When she turned her head…

“How pathetic.”

Seimon was standing there, looking down at Christine and Riet with a cold gaze.

After hearing that she was here, he had rushed over, and his eyes were burning with fierce anger.

The moment he saw Riet trying to touch Christine, his mind went blank and his insides twisted.

He couldn’t understand why he felt so anxious and furious, but the moment he saw her with another man, he lost control.

‘Is it really true she didn’t have my child? Did she get pregnant by being with men like this?’

His stomach boiled.

Then his eyes met Christine’s shocked, widened gaze, and Seimon curled his lips into a sharp, mocking smile.

“So this is what I get for coming here. What a sight. What exactly is going on?”

He glared again at Riet before looking back at Christine, feeling even more unsettled.

Worry, anger, and uncontrollable possessiveness were tangled together, tearing his chest apart.

Even Seimon himself found his emotions absurd.

Have I ever felt this strongly about Christine before?

He didn’t know. But in this moment, one thing was clear—he had to keep Christine by his side no matter what.

“So you ran away, only to end up like this.”

He leaned toward her, grinding his teeth.

“If this is the kind of men you’ve been hanging around, that’s a problem.”

Seimon’s gaze was cold yet burning, confusing Christine.

Before she could say anything, he spoke firmly.

“Pack your things. I’m not letting you raise my child in a place crawling with filthy men like this.”