Seo Ji-woo had just returned home after visiting the obstetrics and gynecology clinic for a regular checkup.

“Yeah, Mom. I went to the hospital a little while ago. Of course. They say I’m healthy. My heart is beating well. No, don’t think about coming home. I’ll take care of everything. It seems like my brother doesn’t like you coming to our house often. Yes, he takes good care of me. Yeah, I know. Don’t worry too much, and take care of yourself, Mom. You’ve been complaining about your back a lot these days. Yeah. I’ll contact you again.”

She sent the photos taken today to her husband, Park Min-kwon.

It would have been better if they went together, but it seemed like he was exceptionally busy these days, so she went alone again this time.

Contrary to her expectation of a prompt call, two hours passed without any contact from her husband.

“What’s this? Haven’t you seen it yet? He must be busy. My brother.”

She took out a watermelon from the mart and placed it awkwardly on the table.

It wasn’t easy to split a watermelon with weak arms, but she had no choice.

Her husband suggested hiring help since she was pregnant, but Seo Ji-woo refused immediately.

Her mother-in-law, or precisely speaking, her husband’s mother, had firmly opposed hiring help from the beginning, even before the wedding.

“Honestly, I don’t like you. I don’t know why our son brought you here, but I really don’t like you. I don’t need to explain why; you know better. You used to be an announcer? Why did you give up on that? Were you trying to fix your palmistry after asking a wealthy man? I don’t know.”

The insults her mother-in-law spat out did not affect the good-natured Seo Ji-woo much.

After all, she had anticipated this level of opposition due to the difference in family backgrounds.

Moreover, since everything was true, it didn’t bother her much. She gave up her job as an announcer with the intention of capturing Park Min-kwon, knowing that he was much older.

In the end, she succeeded and became the youngest daughter-in-law of Hansan Group.

So, her mother-in-law’s advice not to hire help didn’t bother her at all.

Her husband’s family, who subtly ignored people whenever she visited, was unaware of her situation.

“As long as I have my brother, it’s enough.”

Although he had a sometimes irritable personality, he was a capable husband.

Now, with the baby soon to be born, she believed that if she gave birth to a boy, her mother-in-law would acknowledge her.

Seo Ji-woo enjoyed the freshly cut watermelon.

“So, my baby, you just need to be a son and help your mom recover. No. Mom was wrong. Even if you’re born as a daughter, I’ll love you more than anyone else. So, don’t worry about anything and stay happy inside Mom’s belly. See you in a few months. Be healthy! Be strong!”
Putting away the watermelon she was eating, Seo Ji-woo entered the laundry room.

When she opened her eyes, the household chores piled up like a mountain, but she actually found this time better than when she was working as an announcer.

It seemed more suited to her temperament.

It was the moment when she was putting the laundry pile into the washing machine, humming a tune. She had been thinking of meeting Woo-yeon for a chat after a long time on the weekend.

“Th-this…”

There were lipstick stains on her husband’s shirt that she had never found before.

What was more surprising was that the stains were not on the outside of the shirt but on the inside.

It felt like someone deliberately left a mark on it.

A chill ran down her spine, and Seo Ji-woo hastily grabbed the shirt and used soap to wipe it away at the sink.

Ding.

While the washing machine was running, she, who had been sitting in front of it absentmindedly, silently took out her phone from the apron pocket.

It was her husband.

[I’m glad the heartbeat sounds good. I should have gone with you; I’m sorry. It seems like I’ll be a little late again today. Should I get something on the way back? If you want something to eat, leave a message.]

After a long while, Seo Ji-woo replied with “tteokbokki.”

Her head was spinning.

Ironically, it was her husband who confessed that his relationships with women were not clean before marriage.

Due to his distrustful nature, he met several women, and because the family was conservative, he played more wildly in his younger years.

But he made a clear promise.

He regretted the past. That’s why he was thankful for getting married at a late age and promised to do his best.

“Is this your best?”

Seo Ji-woo, who was laughing bitterly, got up from her seat immediately. She searched for the key to her husband’s study, which he had warned her not to enter recklessly.

Despite pretending not to care, she knew that her husband kept the study key neatly in the second drawer of the dresser in the master bathroom.

Life is about give and take.

If there’s something to give, there’s something to receive, and if there’s something to gain, there’s something to lose.

For some reason, she deliberately lived in ignorance as if she were opening Pandora’s box.