Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 56: The Truth I Didn't Know (1)

Chapter 56: The Truth I Didn’t Know (1)

What’s happening?

Eunchae took a deep breath and tried to calm her stomach. But instead of making her feel better, the smell of grilled fish on the breakfast table only made her nausea worse.

“I… I’m sorry. I’ll just… get up first,” she stammered, feeling the bile rise as she spoke to Tae Moo-jin.

She didn’t have time to wait for his permission to leave. Without another word, she hurried out of the dining room and dashed to the upstairs bathroom.

“Ugh—! Ugh!”

Holding on to the toilet, Eunchae threw up everything she had just eaten.

“Hah… Ah…”

The pain of it all turned her face a deep red and her breathing became erratic.

“Looks like I’m nauseous.”

As she stood by the sink to rinse out her mouth, Eunchae looked at her reflection in the mirror. In an instant, her face had turned pale and her eyes bloodshot. 

The stress-related gastritis and chronic indigestion that developed after her marriage continued after the divorce, although it wasn’t as severe as before. 

“I haven’t had anything to stress about lately. Work at the gallery and in the company is going well. Maybe I just have an upset stomach.“

As she finished brushing her teeth, she heard a knock on the bathroom door, followed by Lee Joon’s voice. 

“Eunchae, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. You should get ready for work now.”

“Do you want me to bring you some medicine?”

“No, I’m really fine.”

Once Eunchae refused again, Lee Joon didn’t press further.

A moment later, when Eunchae came out of the bathroom, her eyes widened in surprise. Lee Joon was standing at the door.

“Lee Joon, you’ve been here all this time…”

The unfinished words were swallowed as Lee Joon reached out and placed his hand on her forehead.

“You still have a slight fever.”

His voice and expression of concern made Eunchae’s chest tighten. Just a moment ago she had felt completely stuffed and uncomfortable.

“I’ve already contacted Dr. Oh. If it’s too much trouble to go to the hospital, I can ask him to come to the house.”

“No, that’s not necessary. It’s just a mild cold.”

“Mild, but you’ve been feeling unwell for days?”

Joon was determined not to give in. He was determined to make sure that Eunchae received medical attention today, and knowing his stubbornness, she nodded reluctantly.

“All right, I’ll go to the hospital. But it should be one close to the office. A university hospital isn’t necessary for something as minor as this.”

“You promise?”

“Yes, I promise.”

Eunchae answered seriously, and only then did Lee Joon take a step back.

“I have an early meeting today, so I’ll have to leave early. I’ll tell the driver to drop you off in front of the hospital.”

“Got it. You have to get ready for work now or you’ll be late.”

“Okay.”

In the car on the way to the office, Lee Joon listened to Manager Kwon’s report.

With so many tasks piling up and trying to spend time with Eunchae by leaving work on time, he felt like he barely had a moment to breathe. He needed to make some time for himself, if only in this way.

Balancing the responsibilities of the company and trying to win back Eunchae’s heart was hard enough; now he had to keep an eye on the small house that was starting to feel like a noose around his neck.

“We have recently acquired overseas property through Hong Kong. All expenses are paid through the company. There is also tax evasion through paper companies in the Cayman Islands, Liberia, Panama, and the Virgin Islands”.

“This must also have been done with embezzled company funds.”

Lee Joon said with a bitter smile as he looked through the documents presented by Manager Kwon.

“While I’ve been working hard, my uncle and Young-jun have been lining their pockets with company money.”

His frown deepened as he focused on the question that concerned him the most.

“How closely is Young-jun’s in-law, the Seoryeong Group, connected to this?”

“Their in-law, Chairwoman Hong Min-ja of the Seoryeong Foundation, is one of the largest shareholders in Geumyoung Construction. They also hold significant shares in both our electronics division and Geumyoung Chemicals.”

“How about Chairwoman Hong’s family?”

Lee Joon asked, his expression serious as he checked the stock ownership details. Hong Min-ja was the youngest daughter of the late former President Hong Chi-wol.

The Seoryeong Group, which had never been ranked in the top ten, experienced rapid growth in a short period as a result of the marriage. It was a classic case of politics-business collaboration, which some jokingly called the model answer.

Lee Joon’s family had also aligned with Seoryeong through marriage, making it even more crucial to leverage political influence, especially since the family was involved in construction.

“I need to dig deeper, but it seems that Chairwoman Hong is accumulating shares through her sisters. It will take some time to check the nominee accounts. Manager Kwon replied.

“I understand. Let’s focus on the defense for now. It’s much more effective to deliver a knockout punch than to throw weak punches.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and how’s that separate order I gave you coming along?”

“It’s almost ready. We should be able to move in next month.”

“Got it. Thanks for all your hard work.”

A small smile spread across Lee Joon’s face as he said goodbye.

Manager Kwon’s eyes widened in surprise at this side of Lee Joon. But he quickly composed himself and continued his report like the seasoned professional he was.

***

Eunchae moved her heavy body to finish getting ready for work. As she stood in front of the vanity mirror, applying lipstick and putting on her earrings, her eyes fell on the desk calendar sitting nearby.

“Oh, I haven’t told Lee Joon about the birthday party yet,” she muttered to herself, her eyes widening in realisation. She quickly grabbed the calendar and flipped through the pages to check the date. As she did so, her expression became increasingly stiff with worry.

“Could it be…?”

Eunchae’s complexion turned pale as her eyes darted around in panic. She hadn’t had her period yet this month.

“No way, it can’t be. I have been careful with contraception. It’s just… I haven’t been feeling well…”

She couldn’t shake the image of herself earlier, clinging to the toilet as she gagged.

She clenched her shaking hands and bit her lip, her face filled with fear. With a shaky breath, she quickly packed her bag and hurried out of the eastern annex.

“Driver, please stop at the nearest pharmacy. I need to buy something.”

Eunchae got into the waiting car and made her request to the driver.

“Yes, ma’am,” the driver replied politely, steering the car towards the nearest pharmacy. The few minutes it took to get there felt like an eternity to Eunchae.

When the car finally stopped by the roadside, she hurriedly got out and rushed into the pharmacy.

“I’d like two home pregnancy tests, please.”

“Here you go.” the pharmacist replied, handing over the tests.

Excuse me, can I use the restroom?”

After completing her purchase, Eunchae made a request and the pharmacist readily agreed.

“It’s right over there.”

“Thank you.”

Eunchae nodded her thanks. Almost unconsciously, she walked carefully toward the toilet.

***

“Welcome back, Eunchae. It’s been a while!”

Director Park Seong-kyung greeted Eunchae warmly. After the divorce, their communication had stopped and they could no longer maintain the personal friendship that had developed beyond their doctor-patient relationship.

“Hello, Director!”

Eunchae responded cheerfully and exchanged light pleasantries with her.

“Here for a check-up?”

“Yes…”

Eunchae nodded as she took the pregnancy tests from her bag. 

Recognizing the situation in an instant, Director Park looked at Eunchae and the tests with wide eyes.

“I bought the pregnancy tests in the pharmacy and they both showed two lines. So… I wanted to confirm it properly.” 

“I see. Let’s start with an ultrasound.”

A short time later, Director Park congratulated Eunchae with a beaming smile. 

“Congratulations, Eunchae! You are indeed pregnant. You’re about five weeks pregnant.” 

“Really…? Is that true?”

Eunchae’s voice trembled at the unbelievable news. The child she had longed for and tried so hard to conceive had arrived so unexpectedly. 

Perhaps that was why it felt so surreal as if she were dreaming.

“Yes, it’s true.”

She held the ultrasound in front of Eunchae, who was still in shock and unable to blink.

“See? This is the pregnancy sac.”

Even as she listened to the director’s words, Eunchae couldn’t shake the feeling of disbelief and remained in a daze.

“It just looks black…”

Eunchae muttered, still unable to gather her thoughts. Director Park smiled gently, a common reaction among expectant mothers with their first child.

“You’ll be able to see it with the naked eye at your next appointment. You’ll even hear the heartbeat then.”

“The heartbeat…?”

The last piece of information left Eunchae speechless. She couldn’t think of anything else at the moment. All she could concentrate on was the undeniable fact that she was going to have a baby.

A child, my child.

As the emotions surged through her, Eunchae felt her heart swell. Overwhelmed by indescribable feelings, her eyes began to mist. Only now did she truly understand that she was going to have a baby.

“By the way, I haven’t heard anything about your remarriage. Didn’t your husband come with you?”

“Um… well…”

Eunchae hesitated, unsure of how to respond. In the end, she found the courage to tell the truth.

“The baby’s father… is Lee Joon.”

“Excuse me? Lee Joon? Is it really Lee Joon?”

Director Park’s surprise was palpable as she sought confirmation. Eunchae felt a bit embarrassed by her reaction and nodded.

“Yes, it’s Lee Joon.”

“Wait, how can this be… This can’t be…”

Eun-chae felt a strange mix of emotions at Director Park’s unusually nervous reaction.

‘Well, if I were pregnant with my ex-husband’s child, it would make sense that she would be shocked. I would react the same way.’

Understanding the situation well enough, Eunchae managed a bitter smile.

“It just happened that way. I’ll explain the details later…”

As Eunchae spoke slowly, biting her lip, Director Park’s confused voice interrupted her.

“Oh dear, how did this happen? Has the tie been broken? Did Lee Joon untie it himself?”

***

As soon as she arrived at the art gallery, Mrs Kang was taken aback by So-hyun’s visit. It wasn’t just the early hour, but also the unusual expression and intense look in So-hyun’s eyes that made her feel uneasy. 

“So-hyun, what’s wrong? Is something wrong?” 

“Mother.” 

The seriousness in her voice made Mrs Kang tense for no reason. 

“All right, just tell me.” 

“I came all the way here trusting only you, you know that, right?” 

“Of course I know.” 

“Do you remember your promise to make me and Lee Joon a couple no matter what?”

“Yes, I do.”

Mrs Kang’s expression hardened at So-hyun’s persistent questioning. She felt the pressure of keeping this promise weighing heavily on her. 

“Knowing that… how can you just sit back and let this happen? I’m so upset…! Huh…!” 

“Oh my God, So-hyun! Why are you crying? What’s really going on?”

Mrs Kang was confused to see So-hyun suddenly in tears. 

“It’s not Lee Joon, mother. It’s that woman, Eunchae… she keeps making inappropriate advances towards him.”