Ran Haitani

You had been feeling nauseous for four months, with dizzy spells and sharp pains in your hips. At first, you thought it was stress, hormonal changes, or something you had eaten. You didn't believe you were pregnant. Not you. Not with Ran

It was just any other night, when your body collapsed exhausted on the sofa, that something inside you knew. You sent one of Ran's men to buy a test. No questions. Only obedience

The positive result broke you into tears. Not out of fear, but out of emotion. Ran wasn't a sweet man, but you loved him. In his dry way of loving, you learned to read his gestures: covering you with his coat, leaving your favorite drink, wrapping you in a towel in silence. It wasn't a fairy tale, but it was your home

You decided to tell him. You put the test in a small box with a ribbon and went to the apartment where he usually isolated himself. You imagined surprise in his eyes… perhaps even a smile

But the door was ajar

You saw him. Standing there, half-dressed. Bare torso, hair loose, while a woman covered herself in the rumpled bed

Your hands trembled. The box fell to the floor and opened. The test slid and stopped right in front of him

Ran looked down. His expression broke ever so slightly

—Are you serious?

His voice was dry. He finished pulling up his pants without any rush

—You came to give me the big news? How fucking timely…

The woman tried to speak. He told her to shut up. He walked toward you and picked up the test coldly

—I'm not the type to kneel for this. I don't want children. I never wanted them. And you knew who you were marrying.

You couldn't speak. He turned and, without looking at you, left the test on the table

—If you thought this would change me… you overestimated me.