Chapter 46 …
I had moved three times in total.
At first, I changed residences frequently, but over time, I gradually realized it wasn’t really necessary.
There was no sign of surveillance at all. Chaido had decided to let me go. Perhaps he never intended to find me in the first place.
The news that had briefly caused a stir faded into obscurity, as it always did. There was no longer any news of Chaido anywhere.
There were rumors that he had been imprisoned, but Attorney Choi, busy as usual, didn’t know the full details.
Even if he wasn’t free, someone could have found me if Chaido wanted. But he didn’t.
As soon as I escaped, I sent a divorce petition to Chaido’s mansion. Whether it was received or not didn’t concern me.
Four months had already passed since I started a game of hide-and-seek without a pursuer.
Sehee folded a pillow behind her back to make herself more comfortable. Her belly wasn’t too big yet, but at five months pregnant, her body was slowly starting to show the signs of pregnancy.
That was another reason she couldn’t move often.
Morning sickness lasted longer than expected, and even a little movement made her nauseous, forcing her to lie down for long stretches.
There were more days when her body refused to cooperate with her will. Some days she slept the entire day. The summer heat only made her body even lazier.
Thankfully, her due date was in February.
She planned to find a new home and settle down once she had quietly hidden away long enough to be completely forgotten by Chaido.
By then, she thought, she would be able to live a normal life with her child.
Restlessly tossing and turning, Sehee fiddled with the laptop she had taken from Chaido’s house, then pressed the shutdown button.
Her father’s honor had been somewhat restored, and Chaido was paying for his own sins in his way.
Of course, her father had wanted to expose Haegang completely, but Sehee thought it might be better to stop here.
This wasn’t so much clumsy mercy… it was, she told herself, for her younger sister Sejin. That’s how she rationalized her actions.
Autumn had arrived, bringing a considerably cooler air. Though the due date wouldn’t come until next year, Sehee had already prepared a lot.
One corner of the room was stacked neatly with baby supplies: newborn clothes, blankets, bottles, handkerchiefs.
Even though she had bought only the essentials to minimize the luggage, most of the house was now filled with things for the baby.
Wearing a hat and mask, Sehee left home for her biweekly prenatal checkup.
She couldn’t dye her hair, so she tied her long hair tightly and wore loose-fitting clothes as much as possible.
At some point, her vigilance had relaxed, and she even occasionally ventured out for short distances.
Even though the workday had already begun, the bus was full. Sehee checked furtively as she watched seats open and fill again.
In the past, a personal driver had taken her everywhere, so she rarely had a chance to ride a bus.
“Ugh, why are there so many people?”
Just when she thought she had found a seat, a market basket flew past.
“Give me your bag, I’ll put it on my lap.”
A woman shoved past Sehee and sat down, stretching her arm toward someone standing far away. Sehee, caught off guard, was pushed backward while holding the handrail.
“Hasn’t the taste of the soft tofu stew changed? It’s not like it used to be since it got famous.”
“I think the owner changed. I won’t go again. The staff aren’t very friendly either.”
The spot where Sehee had been standing quickly filled with lively chatter.
She found a vacant spot again, holding the handrail. Every time the bus swayed, her legs tensed, and her sore lower back ached.
She worried that if her morning sickness flared up again, it would be disastrous. Although it’s said that morning sickness disappears after week 14, it still plagued Sehee.
Since she had no extra money, she had chosen the bus to save a little, but now she regretted it.
She bit her lips tightly as her lower abdomen throbbed. Standing in a confined space for so long made her feel nauseous and on the verge of vomiting.
Finally, she barely managed to get off the bus before her vision turned white.
She collapsed onto a small bench in front of the bus stop, exhaling deeply. The nearest obstetrics clinic was a 30-minute drive away, so she had no choice.
After gathering herself, she entered the hospital and saw familiar faces.
“Go in quickly. We’re all done here.”
They were fellow mothers around her age whom she had naturally befriended by repeatedly meeting at the hospital. One had just entered the stable stage of pregnancy, while another was close to delivery.
“I’ll be quick.”
Sehee wiped the sweat from her forehead, completed registration, and entered the examination room. At 20 weeks, the baby was moving actively, with weight and head size within normal range.
“How’s your body feeling?”
Taking the ultrasound photo, Sehee stood next to a heavily pregnant mother who had been waiting.
“My appetite’s huge. I have to control it now, though.”
“The baby must be growing.”
“Already 2.8 kg. But I can’t not eat because I’m hungry.”
A smile touched Sehee’s eyes.
She hadn’t had the energy to make other friends in the past. Sejin hadn’t forced her, but Sejin had no one else to befriend. She had been almost isolated in Minnesota, and even in Korea, she grew up under strict parental supervision.
Perhaps that’s why forming a bond with strangers and maintaining relationships felt both fascinating and fun.
“Let’s eat first.”
“Shall we?”
Though it was still a bit early for lunch, Sehee, feeling some hunger, followed the two. They had known each other before pregnancy, but their hospital visits had brought them closer recently.
“Don’t you feel frustrated without your phone?”
Hyesun, nearing delivery, was two years older than Sehee.
“Not really. No one’s contacting me…”
“We’re frustrated for you. We thought you weren’t coming today either.”
Seeing that Sehee had a story, they didn’t probe too much.
“What’s this person buying now?”
Hyesun leaned against the restaurant chair, trying to divert the topic while checking her phone.
“I need to save every penny. She said she’d buy a game console once the baby’s out.”
“I had a huge fight yesterday. Told him to put his socks away, but he doesn’t listen.”
“Lately, I watch videos on raising sons. Helps a lot with handling my husband.”
Sehee scratched her cheek silently, smiling. She knew the two were deliberately venting only their troubles to be considerate of her.
Meanwhile, they would probably pack food for their husbands as if nothing happened.
“Oh, a call. Just a sec.”
Hyesun picked up her phone and straightened herself. The other pulled out her phone, thinking she should also contact her husband.
Sehee quietly picked up her water cup and looked out the window.
Occasionally.
Very occasionally, she thought of Chaido.
Was he doing well?
After dragging him down to the ground with her own hands, she found it absurd that sometimes she missed him.
Sometimes she missed the gaze that had seemed sincere, the hands that would offer a pillow for her head while massaging her cheeks and nose all night, the long lashes, the lazy way he fell asleep by her side.
He never truly liked her. He was just under Lee Haesoo’s illusion.
Recalling the man who only satisfied his lust roughly when she needed comfort, she felt no guilt.
She was calming her mind this way.
“Who’s this?”
Sehee’s gaze, fixed through the window, met an unfamiliar man. Though she had never seen him before, his fierce expression made her instinctively shrink back.
Two men entered the restaurant, their blackened lips stained with cigarettes twitching.
“You’re Prosecutor Hyungjin’s daughter, right?”
