I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 48

Episode 48

Reflecting back, there stood Richard, holding a bouquet of roses in his arms.

Approaching Elisa confidently, Richard extended the bouquet to her.

“Congratulations on becoming a mother, Elisa.”

“Ah….”

“I may still be inexperienced, but I’ll strive to be a good father.”

Elisa blinked blankly, watching Richard awkwardly speak with a stiff expression.

She hadn’t expected him to prepare such an event.

“But maybe he feels a sense of responsibility as his child’s father.”

Despite everything, she felt relieved that the child wouldn’t resent its father. Simultaneously, hope arose.

“Thank you.”

Elisa smiled as she accepted the bouquet Richard offered.

Fortunately, the scent of the flowers didn’t overwhelm her. Instead, it had a relaxing effect on her.

Observing Elisa’s expression, Richard broached the subject.

“Also, it’s said that it’s good for the baby if mom and dad sleep together, so I was thinking we could start tonight.”

“Ah…… R-right. Let’s do that.”

Though she had never heard of it, the suggestion seemed plausible.

Elisa hastily agreed to his proposal.

“You must be tired, let’s go to bed.”

Richard led Elisa to the bed.

Feeling awkward, Elisa nervously swallowed her saliva.

‘It’s awkward…..’

No matter how many nights she experienced sleeping with this grown man, she never got used to it.

But even though it was awkward, she couldn’t stop him from fulfilling his role as a father.

Elisa hesitated before lying down on the bed.

However, Richard didn’t lie down and remained standing. With his gaze fixed on her belly, Elisa caught the meaning behind his stare and asked.

“Do you want to feel?”

After hesitating for a moment, Richard cautiously placed his hand on Elisa’s belly. But he didn’t feel the baby there.

“The baby is here.”

Elisa took his hand and guided it down a little. His large, warm hand covered her lower belly.

His hand trembled slightly without properly touching. His forehead also wrinkled slightly, as if concentrating.

As if afraid of exerting too much force and hurting the baby. As if trying to feel even the slightest presence of the baby.

Suppressing her laughter, Elisa watched him.

“It’s still tiny, so you won’t feel much.”

Upon hearing Elisa’s words, Richard immediately withdrew his hand. He was afraid of mishandling it and harming the baby.

Instead, he blessed the baby inside her belly.

“Welcome to the world, little one. Let’s meet you soon.”

And he lightly kissed Elisa’s belly.

Elisa was startled by his sudden intimacy. It was because memories of the night they conceived the baby came rushing back unexpectedly.

When Richard’s crimson eyes met hers as he looked up, her heart skipped a beat.

In the dimly lit room, his handsome face illuminated by the faint glow of the moonstone was breathtakingly beautiful.

Gazing at his face made her feel like she could be entranced by him forever, just like that night.

“I’m tired. I want to sleep now.”

Elisa hurriedly lay on the bed, avoiding his gaze.

Shortly after, Richard lay down beside her. He gently pulled Elisa into his embrace.

Surprised, Elisa exclaimed, “Richard?”

“Like before, it’s dangerous if you fall off the bed.”

“But I’m sleeping quietly now…”

Elisa protested, but Richard didn’t respond.

“Has he fallen asleep already?”

But she couldn’t turn back. If he was awake, she couldn’t bear to meet his eyes from such a close distance just moments ago.

Reluctantly, Elisa gave up struggling and closed her eyes.

However, as one sense was blocked, other sensations came alive, and everything felt so vivid.

The warmth emanating from his body where they touched, his warm breath on her neck…

Every cell in her body seemed to be tingling with anticipation.

Each time his breath tickled her neck, her heart fluttered uncontrollably. She was worried he might hear it.

“No wonder I can’t sleep!”

Contrary to her thoughts, her tired body soon succumbed to slumber.

As Elisa tossed and turned in her sleep, she instinctively sought warmth and nestled into Richard’s embrace.

Strangely, even though he held her, he felt anxious.

“…What if I can’t let go when I feel full?”

He pondered involuntarily.

It was a trashy thought. But even so, he wanted to keep her by his side.

Richard cautiously placed his hand on Elisa’s belly again.

She was a precious child who would hold her next to him even for a moment longer.

“Not as bad as I thought…”

Although the unexpected pregnancy had caught him off guard, he didn’t feel as much resistance as he had imagined.

On the contrary, he found it fascinating and curious that a life similar to theirs was growing in her delicate body.

“Perhaps because it’s Elisa’s child.”

As he pondered about the child, he suddenly felt a tingling pain in his back.

It was a very slight discomfort compared to what he had felt before, but it repeated several times, causing concern.

Quietly, Richard got up and approached the mirror.

He pulled down his loose nightshirt and examined his left back, where he felt the pain, but there was nothing noticeable.

“I should ask Agyl about it.”

Since it didn’t seem like an external injury, it might be different from ordinary wounds.

Agyl had acquired much knowledge in the Tower of Truth, so he might know.

“Does the pain get worse when Elisa isn’t around?”

At that moment, he heard Elisa tossing and turning.

“Ugh…”

Hearing her, Richard immediately returned to her side and fell asleep while holding her in his arms.

In the morning, sunlight gently streamed in through the window.

Elisa, who had been wandering in her dreams, tightly hugged the pillow next to her. The pillow was large and firm, making it difficult to hug, but it emitted a warm and pleasant scent.

“But… Why is the pillow bigger than me? And it’s… breathing?”

Half-asleep, Elisa suddenly remembered something and opened her eyes.

“Oh!”

She barely managed to suppress a scream.

To her surprise, what she had been hugging was not a pillow but Richard.

He was fast asleep, holding Elisa in his arms. With a slight frown, as if having a bad dream,

“Why does his sleeping face look so handsome?”

Even lying sideways, his face, rather than becoming ugly, seemed to be even more disheveled, adding a dreamy atmosphere.

“If I see this face every morning, maybe I don’t need prenatal education.”

But objectively, his face was not suitable for prenatal education.

Rather than resembling a handsome angel that brought peace to the heart, he was closer to a demonic figure that made one feel like surrendering their soul just by looking at him.

“Well, Hane’s going to take after her dad anyway, so maybe prenatal education isn’t necessary.”

As Elisa scrutinized his facial features like a sculpture, his eyelids, which had been neatly closed, fluttered open, revealing crimson irises.

Meeting his gaze, Elisa found herself holding her breath unconsciously.

A silence hung between them.

Elisa struggled to calm her startled heart and spoke a beat later.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Good morning.”

Richard greeted her with a morning greeting, then touched Elisa’s forehead, furrowing his brow, and sat up abruptly.

And he hastily pulled up the blanket.

Before Elisa could ask why he was doing that, the door opened, and Anne entered.

“You called?”

“Get the doctor. Now. Elisa seems to have a fever.”

Anne’s expression turned thoughtful at Richard’s words. She remembered the time Elisa suffered more than anyone else because of a high fever.

But Elisa, the concerned party, protested to Anne.

“No, Anne! It’s just a slight fever I’ve had before.”

Only now did Anne understand Elisa’s words and let out a relieved sigh.

But Richard’s expression hardened even more.

“Just a slight fever you’ve had before?”

“In the early stages of pregnancy, everyone experiences that.”

Only after hearing Elisa’s words did Richard realize.

As the heir to the family, he had learned how to conceive a child, but he had never learned how a pregnant woman’s body changes.

He felt sorry for Elisa for not knowing.

“I should go to the library and find books about pregnancy right away.”

While the two were having such a conversation, Anne, who was listening, asked.

“Shall I bring the meal to the room?”

“Yeah. Please.”

“Mine too.”

Anne replied briefly and left the room.

Richard, who was silently staring at Elisa’s belly, suddenly remembered something. He knelt by the bedside, leaned over to her belly, and whispered as he kissed it.

“Good morning.”

It was a morning greeting to the baby.

Elisa looked at him with a dazed expression.

“This feels… strange.”

Each time he kissed her belly, she realized the fact that he was the father of the child inside her belly, and that they had become a real “family.”

At the same time, she felt a warm feeling in her chest.

She knew he was just fulfilling his responsibility as a father, but still, the fact that they had formed a complete family gave her great comfort.

“Madam, may I come in?”

A moment later, Anne brought the breakfast.

Elisa’s meal was completely devoid of bread, and there was something like a sandwich added to Richard’s meal, but there were no strongly scented foods as a basic.

“Thank you, Anne.”

Elisa picked up some salad with her fork and put it in her mouth. The cool and fresh salad was well received in her queasy stomach.

But then, as Richard was about to eat his sandwich, he furrowed his brow and blocked his mouth.

Elisa looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Richard?”

“Ugh…”

But he couldn’t eat the sandwich and rushed out of the bedroom.

Elisa and Anne could only look at the door he left with puzzled eyes.