Chapter 1My husband is allergic to women's bodily fluids—even skin contact causes immediate allergic reactions and swelling.
So in our three years of marriage, we've never been intimate even once. We even had to do IVF for kids, but even after multiple failures, he still won't touch me.
The day the hospital told me I was pregnant, I was overjoyed. But then a stranger sent me a video that instantly plunged me into hell...
The video was shot exactly ten days ago—the day I went to the hospital for my final IVF procedure.
In it, my husband tangled up with some young woman, trying every position imaginable.
What shocked me most was that his completely naked skin didn't have a single red mark!
Looking up, I saw my husband cutting an apple for me right now, wearing a face mask, his collar buttoned all the way up, gloves on his hands—fully armored.
When I reached for the apple and accidentally brushed his sleeve, he immediately slapped my hand away.
"Don't touch me! Stay away from me!"
The look in his eyes—like he was looking at something disgusting.
I finally realized he wasn't allergic to women's bodily fluids at all—he was just allergic to me.
While my husband went to change clothes, I dialed the number that had been buried for five years.
The other side picked up almost instantly. "Send me your location. I'm coming over now."
...
My husband came out after changing clothes and casually threw the shirt I'd just touched into the trash.
"That's the birthday gift I gave you. You've only worn it once. What a waste to throw it away."
"You touched it. No matter how many times I wash it, it'll still have your scent on it. I don't want it anymore."
Darius's cold words instantly froze my outstretched hand in mid-air.
Noticing my mood plummeting, Darius softened his tone.
"Listen, Ivy, you know I can't handle contact with women. You just got pregnant—don't get yourself worked up. It's bad for the baby."
As if to comfort me, he pulled a pair of fuzzy mittens over his medical gloves and gently patted my head, like he was throwing scraps to a dog.
But it was exactly this action that made me completely fall apart.
I tilted my head away from his hand, my throat burning with bitter tears.
"Darius, am I really that disgusting to you?"
Darius froze, his brows furrowing.
"Look, Ivy, I get that pregnancy's rough on you, but you need to understand that work stress on me too. Quit being so dramatic."
Work stress?
How many times has it been that same excuse?
Even when I was going into my final IVF surgery, he was two hours late because of some "meeting." In the past, I would have been understanding—after all, he's the CEO of a public company and must have a lot on his plate.
But after watching that video, I finally realized his so-called "meetings" meant sleeping with someone else, and his "work stress" was probably just exhaustion from all that screwing around!
Thinking of this, I let out a bitter laugh.
"Darius, what were you doing during my final surgery?"
A flicker of guilt instantly crossed his face.
He was about to explain when a bright, cheerful voice came from the doorway.
It was Celeste, Darius's childhood friend of over ten years.
"Darius! How's Ivy feeling?"
Celeste pushed through the door, carrying a bouquet of flowers, her makeup flawless and her smile radiant.
She walked straight to Darius and casually pressed her palm against his forehead.
"Look at you, working yourself to death! You're burning up!"
To my surprised, not only did Darius not resist, he actually leaned into her touch, accommodating her.
And his forehead where she touched him remained smooth and clear—not a single red mark.
My pupils contracted as the video flashed through my mind.
Darius wasn't allergic to other women?
Or was he... only allergic to me?
Or maybe the woman in the video was Celeste herself?
Seeing me frozen in shock, Celeste grinned.
"Ivy, I heard what you were saying from outside the door. Don't fight—let's talk this out nicely. I hurt my hand that day and had him drive me to the hospital. I just found out you had surgery that day too, so I rushed over to apologize. You won't hold it against me, right?"
As she spoke, Celeste opened her palm to show me her evidence—there was a shallow scar on her palm, but her bright red nails were so vivid.
Suddenly, my heart clenched violently!
It was those hands—I was sure of it.
Those were the exact hands that appeared in the video!
Chapter 2
From what I could see in the video, Celeste'd gotten injured that day when she accidentally hit the edge of the bed while they were lost in passion.
Darius came over to stand by my bed, panic in his eyes.
"Ivy, I really did have company business that day. Taking Celeste to the hospital was just an emergency. Don't read too much into it."
"Besides, this was just a minor procedure. You've done it three times now—you should be able to handle it on your own by now. Stop making a scene. Once things slow down at the company, I'll take time off to stay home with you."
By then, Celeste picked an apple from the fruit basket, peeled it, and cut it in half.
She naturally handed one half to Darius, who instinctively took it from her hand with his mouth.
His lips barely grazing her knuckles. Celeste playfully punched his arm in mock annoyance.
After their little show, Celeste turned to me and affectionately took my hand, bringing the other half of the apple to my lips.
"Come on, Ivy, Darius and I have been buddies for years. I've got your back—I'll keep an eye on him. He'd never cheat on you, I promise!"
The strong scent of men's cologne on Celeste hit my nose, making me instinctively push her hand away and dry heave.
The juice from the apple got on Celeste's wound. She winced and let go, and the apple tumbled to the floor.
I was heaving so hard I could barely see straight.
When my vision cleared, Darius was cleaning Celeste's hand. His tone was urgent but gentle.
"How could you get your wound wet? We need to get the doctor to rebandage it right away—it might get infected."
Celeste waved her hand dismissively.
"It's just a scratch. You know me—I hate being dramatic. Making a big fuss over a little cut is just embarrassing."
As she spoke, her eyes glanced at me with a fleeting look, but I was already frozen in place, my gaze locked on their clasped hands.
"Darius... You said you were allergic to all women. Why can you touch her?"
Darius panicked and dropped Celeste's hand.
"Maybe it's because we grew up together? I've never really seen her as a woman, so I guess I've tricked my brain into thinking she's not one. That's probably why I don't react to her."
Oh, really?
So while I was having surgery, he was rolling around in bed with a man?
So he ignored me completely but was extremely worried about some tiny cut on a man's hand?
So fucking ridiculous!
Three years of marriage. I thought today would be about welcoming our first baby, but instead, it's the day my heart finally died.
Feeling completely numb, I pulled out my phone and texted my lawyer.
[Draw up divorce papers.]
Meanwhile, Celeste looked at her reopened wound and grimaced, trying to play it cool.
"I'm gonna hit the bathroom. Darius, you take good care of Ivy."
Darius frowned and immediately grabbed Celeste's hand.
"Are you trying to be tough and change the bandage yourself again? Didn't you learn your lesson from the scar you got last time? Wait here, I'll go buy gauze and change it for you."
With that, Darius pressed his hands on Celeste's shoulders, firmly pushing her down onto the couch, then rushed out the door.
Celeste sprawled casually on the couch, picking up the magazine Darius had been reading and flipping through it, as if the pain from her wound had completely disappeared.
Catching my stare, she shrugged.
"Sorry, Ivy. I had no idea he was allergic to other women."
"But seriously, Ivy, you guys have been married three years and he won't let you touch anything?"
"Damn, that's rough."
Suddenly she raised an eyebrow and waved the magazine.
"Oh, and this magazine? His female secretary brought it over, and I didn't see him having any allergic reactions from touching it."
"At the office, he's even always shaking hands with female clients too!"
"Wait... is Darius only allergic to you?"
"That's crazy—it's like you're contaminated or something!"
"I should totally call him out on this. That's no way to treat a girl..."
My head was buzzing, and I couldn't make out the rest of what she was saying.
My heart felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand needles. I tried desperately not to let my mind wander to those memories, but they came flooding back anyway, threatening to drown me.
So, it turned out Darius only acted this way toward me.
Turned out he'd always found me disgusting...
Chapter 3
When Darius returned, the lawyer had already sent me the divorce papers.
While they were lovingly tending to her wound, I went to the study to print them out.
"Just sign here."
I walked over to the two people sitting close together on the couch and handed over the pen and contract.
Darius instinctively reached for it, but when he saw that I was holding the pen, his hand froze in midair and he quickly pulled back.
After a tense moment, he tried to sound casual.
"What is this?"
I answered offhandedly. "Just a small contract."
"Oh, that Sterling Industries deal you set up, right? Just leave it there. I'll sign it later."
I stared straight at him.
"Why won't you sign it now, Darius? Is it because I touched this pen and you don't want to use it?"
Darius sighed.
"Ivy, you're overthinking this. The reason I react to you is because I see you as a woman. It's a symbol of my love for you. Stop being so paranoid."
With that, he turned his head and nodded at Celeste.
"Celeste, as my personal assistant, help me sign this contract. Ivy arranged this partnership, and I trust her, so just sign it directly."
Celeste winked playfully. "Yes, boss."
Then she took the papers from my hand, flipped to the last page, and skillfully forged Darius's signature.
When she handed it back to me, she seemed to realize it was a divorce agreement and gave me a meaningful look, but didn't say anything.
"All done, Darius. I put the contract in your bag."
Darius nodded lazily and put down his phone.
"Ivy, don't be mad. I made a reservation at a Japanese restaurant—I'll treat you to some marinated sashimi tonight."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Darius, do you remember I just got pregnant? Are you thinking about your child at all? Is that something I can eat right now?"
Having his offer rejected, Darius couldn't help but darken his expression.
"Could you please stop being so dramatic? I told you your body wasn't suitable for pregnancy, but you insisted on getting pregnant anyway. I'm allergic to women—I can't do that kind of thing. You knew from the start that IVF was the only option. You brought this on yourself, so why are you blaming me?"
"I'm busy as hell every day, but I still make time to be with you and keep you happy. What more do you want?"
With that, Darius stood up and put on his suit jacket.
"I was planning to celebrate closing the Sterling deal with you, but since you don't want to go, I'll take Celeste to dinner with my colleagues instead. You just rest up."
Hearing this, Celeste immediately clung to him, tugging on his sleeve and whining.
"Oh, yes! Darius, we haven't been out together in ages. Let's get absolutely wasted tonight!"
Watching this scene unfold, I felt a wave of dizziness, and sharp pains shot through my lower abdomen.
Alarmed, I grabbed Darius's sleeve.
"Darius, the baby—"
But Darius's face instantly filled with terror. Like he'd seen the plague, he jumped back and shoved me to the ground.
"I told you not to touch me! I'll break out in hives! I could die!"
Darius immediately stripped off his jacket—the area where I'd touched him was already red and swollen.
My back hit the edge of the table hard, making me gasp in pain, and a pool of bloody fluid was already flowing beneath me.
Terrified, I grabbed at Darius's arm, begging.
"Save the baby... please save my baby!"
