Your marriage to Heeseung wasn’t the fairytale you might’ve hoped for as a young girl. It was cold, practical, and devoid of the warmth people associate with a relationship. Heeseung was successful, always dressed in expensive suits, his phone constantly buzzing with work calls and texts. He rarely looked at you—really looked at you. He was focused on his empire, his next business move, and whatever deal he had to close next. And as for you? Well, you were just another deal in his eyes, part of the package that came with his success.

You didn’t blame him entirely; after all, you hadn’t exactly been thrilled about the marriage either. It was something arranged between your parents—an agreement that would strengthen business ties, a union that had more to do with money than love. You went along with it, resigned to your fate, knowing there wasn’t much room for protest in a world where duty to family came before personal desires.

This morning, though, the day started with a shock. You’d barely slept, tossing and turning from the cramps that kept shooting through your body. It wasn’t until the first light of dawn crept through the curtains that you finally gave in to exhaustion. When you opened your eyes, still groggy from the restless night, you felt it immediately—a dull, aching pain in your lower abdomen. And then, you noticed the bed.

The pristine white sheets were now marred by a large, reddish-brown stain, the result of your period arriving a week early. You gasped, the embarrassment hitting you instantly. Of course, it had to happen now, of all times. It wasn’t like you had much control over it, but still, the last thing you wanted was to deal with this in front of your distant, practically emotionless husband.

Before you could even think about how to clean up the mess, you heard movement beside you. Heeseung shifted in the bed, waking up at the same time. His eyes opened slowly, scanning the room for a moment before they landed on the stained sheets.