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Chapter 05 …
Watching him remain silent, Christine gradually regained her composure.
Right. That couldn’t be true.
Christine suppressed the shock with denial. Convinced that he was lying, she grew angry.
“Mr. Dayrte.”
She couldn’t understand why he would go so far as to lie just to keep her tied to him.
Or was this revenge? Because she divorced him without his consent and left?
Even if it was revenge, such a ridiculous lie was going too far.
Christine’s fingertips tightened into a fist, turning pale.
“Do you really think a lie like that will work? It’s not funny at all. It’s disgusting.”
“It’s true.”
He leaned back in his seat, placed the back of his hand on his forehead, and let out a slow sigh.
“I’ve been diagnosed with a severe illness. Apparently, there’s no known cure at the moment. So, I thought we could talk calmly… while you take pity on me.”
Talk?
Christine frowned deeply.
No—first of all.
An incurable disease? This young, healthy man? That same “Seimon Dayrte” who dominated the world economy with relentless force?
“That’s impossible.”
“Are you saying this is a joke? Don’t play with someone’s life!”
“Christine.”
As Christine, who was usually calm, became agitated, Seimon tried to calm her.
“Don’t get angry. The baby can hear you.”
“Then let me go. I don’t want to hear your jokes or lies anymore. And that child is not yours.”
Christine glared at him and snapped.
Seimon looked down at her belly with a heavy expression.
“Enough, Christine. Seriously. This child is my only heir. I thought about it all night yesterday, and if I die, this is the only child who can inherit Dayrte.”
Christine felt her breath catch.
“…What did you just say?”
Seimon looked straight into her eyes and enunciated clearly.
“Heir. The child who will inherit everything I have, take responsibility for it, and lead it forward. Even if it’s another man’s child as you claim, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s your child.”
Christine stared at him blankly, as if struck in the back of the head by a heavy hammer, then slowly spoke.
“Heir? Why my baby? What are you even talking about? Explain properly.”
Her voice trembled.
The heir of the Dayrte company?
She had planned to raise this child independently of the Dayrte family.
Only then did she think she could be forgiven by her deceased brother and parents for having married a man from the Republican family.
She had thought that if she lived quietly far away from the Chester Republic with the child, perhaps they would smile at her when they met in heaven…
That was what she believed.
As Christine’s complexion worsened noticeably, Seimon’s golden eyes darkened further.
“If I die, a successor must exist to take my place. You don’t seriously think the Dayrte Company is some small shop, do you, Lady Christine Elitet Oredot?”
Silence fell inside the car.
In the darkness, his golden eyes were clearly visible. There was no sadness or anger about approaching death in them.
Only the eyes of a man stating a fact.
Only then did she realize it.
His words were real.
Christine suddenly felt as if she were drowning in deep water.
Seimon Dayrte… might truly die.
“Is it… really true?”
Her hands trembled. Even if he was her ex-husband, even if she had hated him, seeing him face death was something she could barely endure.
But Seimon, the one given a terminal diagnosis, remained extremely calm.
That made Christine even more emotional.
She clenched her trembling hands tightly and confronted him.
“Why are you dying? Why? What illness is it?”
“Are you believing me now?”
He gave a faint smile, resting his elbow on the window and his chin on his hand.
“If I explain, will you acknowledge this child as my heir?”
Seimon pointed at her belly.
Christine glared at him.
“Explain properly first. Don’t try to use the child as a bargaining chip.”
The mention of the baby made her more sensitive.
“Then let’s go out first. This place is too cramped for a pregnant woman.”
“Aren’t you just worried about your heir?”
Christine opened the door first in irritation and stepped out.
From behind her, she heard Seimon’s long sigh.
“…Ha.”
It was a sigh that felt painfully heavy.
Christine’s legs wobbled slightly.
‘What is this? Why is he dying? And that sigh… what is that?’
Unable to understand him at all, Christine followed Andrew, who guided her into the hotel.
She did not want to go with Seimon.
‘I need a proper explanation. What is happening to Seimon? Let’s talk properly.’
Just as she stepped into the hotel lobby—
“Ugh.”
A short groan came from behind her.
“…Seimon?”
Startled, Christine turned around.
He had collapsed onto a sofa in the lobby, head lowered.
“!”
A sudden wave of pain drained all color from Seimon’s face. A sharp, unbearable pain crushed his nerves.
But he forcibly suppressed it.
Showing such a broken state—especially in front of Christine—was something his pride would not allow.
Seimon clutched his forehead so tightly that his fingertips turned white.
Seeing him, Andrew hurried over to support him.
Seimon’s lips trembled slightly.
“Sir!”
Even Andrew’s support made him feel pathetic, but he could no longer endure it. Abandoning his pride, he finally spoke in a trembling voice.
“…Medicine.”
Cold sweat dripped down his chin.
Andrew quickly took medicine from his inner jacket pocket, and another attendant rushed to bring water.
“Here!”
Leaning weakly against the lobby sofa, Seimon closed his eyes tightly as if his pride had completely shattered.
He quickly swallowed three white pills handed to him by Andrew.
“Haa…”
He breathed heavily and slowly closed his eyes.
So he had to show even this side of himself.
The fear that he might end up dying in such a pathetic state rose deep within his chest.
Christine stood frozen, watching the scene as if it were part of a play.
“…Ah.”
It was shocking.
So Seimon Dayrte really was dying?
Even though she had half-accepted it earlier, she hadn’t truly felt it until now.
Honestly, when he first said he was dying, she thought it was some trick to manipulate the child situation.
No—more than that.
“How foolish am I…”
If it was a terminal illness, pain was expected, yet she hadn’t even considered that Seimon might actually be suffering.
“Haa.”
“Should I bring more water, sir?”
“No… need…”
Even while struggling to breathe, this was a side of him she had never seen in their two years of marriage.
Seimon had always shown only a perfect appearance, never allowing even the smallest flaw in public.
So he had taken extreme care of his health as well.
“Is he really sick?”
The Seimon she knew was excessively healthy. A man who never caught even a cold, a man who could work for days without sleep and remain perfectly fine.
That kind of man…
Completely shocked, Christine could only stare at him, unable to approach.
She couldn’t even move closer.
He didn’t look like Seimon anymore. The man in pain didn’t seem like the one she knew.
“Haa… haa…”
Seimon steadied his breathing, leaning forward with a frown.
Once the pain subsided slightly, he leaned back against the sofa.
Then he met Christine’s eyes.
Seeing her stiff and wide-eyed, he gave a quiet instruction to Andrew.
“Tell Lucy… to escort Christine to the room first.”
“Yes, sir. Lucy, escort Lady Oredot immediately.”
“Yes, understood.”
A female attendant named Lucy stepped forward and bowed stiffly.
“I am Lucy Verrent. I will guide you.”
She gestured for Christine to follow.
Christine, still dazed, followed Lucy toward the elevator.
“….”
“….”
Silence.
Waiting for the elevator, Christine swallowed hard.
Finally, she couldn’t hold back and asked:
“Does the Director… get sick like that often?”
Lucy glanced at her briefly and shook her head.
“All information regarding the Director is strictly confidential. I’m sorry.”
“Ah… yes…”
Her cold answer strangely made Christine feel distant and lonely.
She was now an outsider with no right to know anything.
She clenched her fist tightly.
‘Right. An outsider. We’re strangers now. Who am I to ask?’
But she was worried.
He had looked in so much pain.
‘…A terminal illness. He was fine until I left?’
Christine gripped her bag tightly.
Why? How? A man who seemed like he would live a long, prosperous life…
If he really dies, then what am I supposed to do?
Her heart pounded heavily.
