I was born with a strange, painful condition. Women are strongly drawn to me, yet after I got married, I became allergic to my own wife, Quinn Rowan.

Every attempt at intimacy left me covered in burning red welts, struggling to breathe. More than once, I nearly went into shock.

Nevertheless, my desire to have a child was overwhelming. So one night, gambling with my life, I quietly slipped into the bedroom.

Strangely, nothing happened to me that night.

Soon, Quinn became pregnant. I naively believed everything would finally return to normal.

Then, eight months into her pregnancy, a single accidental touch sent me into another violent allergic reaction, and I was rushed to the hospital.

When I finally came to, Quinn was nowhere to be found. At the end of the corridor, I heard her whispering with her girlfriends, "Look how ridiculous he looked, all swollen and gasping. Pathetic."

Quinn dangled the special tonic she had always claimed was meant to help me, her voice dripping with disdain, "I engineered this formula myself. I made sure he’d break out in hives the moment he touched me. That way, he’d never come near me.

"But since he was so desperate for a kid, I decided to let him raise the baby Miles and I conceived together. It’s charity, really."

My blood froze.

The child I longed for, the baby I treasured, was never mine.

"Quinn, aren't you afraid your husband will lose it if he ever finds out the truth?" One of the women let out a sharp laugh. The tip of her cigarette glowed between her fingers, flaring in the dim hospital corridor.

"Lose it? Please. He was born craving women. That night, I didn't even drug him, and he still managed to get what he wanted. He should be thanking me."

Quinn Rowan exhaled lazily, voice thick with contempt. "He had his fun all night, and I got exactly what I needed. I'd say that makes us even."

Another woman twirled the little bottle of liquid between her fingers, her smile dripping with mockery.

"Quinn, ever since you got married, this stuff has been mass-produced in the hospital. And your dear Noah still thinks you invented it just for him. God, that's hilarious."

"Right? As if Quinn has the time or energy to pamper him. He has no idea that Miles is the only one she actually cares about, the only man she's terrified of handling too roughly."

Their cackles exploded through the corridor, shrill and merciless.

I stood in the shadows, frozen from head to toe, every drop of blood inside me turning to ice.

Every accidental touch between Quinn and me had almost cost me my life.

Sometimes it was just red, itching welts. Other times, my breathing would crash, leaving me seconds away from asphyxiation and another emergency room visit.

Our families had been connected for generations. I had spent years blaming myself, believing I had failed as a husband.

Quinn had always soothed me with gentle words, telling me it was all right, that she understood.

So I forced myself to endure it, keeping the safest possible distance from my own wife.

Now I finally understood. Every moment and every inch of space between us existed because Quinn had been saving herself for Miles Jensen.

I was nothing more than a tool, the man fated to raise the child created by their love.

I could almost see Quinn's pregnant stomach in my mind, round and growing more obvious by the day. My gut twisted violently. I wanted to vomit up every drop of that so-called "tonic" she had made me drink over the years.

Around the corner, Quinn kept complaining to her friends, oblivious to me standing just a few steps away. "If I had found another way, I wouldn't have had to suffer through that night. Thinking about it now still disgusts me."

One of her friends burst out laughing. "Oh, I can imagine! Hahaha!"

More laughter followed, sounding sharp and mocking, cutting straight through me.

My tears broke loose without warning.

I should have seen this coming.

Quinn was a top physician. If she had wanted to cure my allergy, she would have done it long ago. There was no way she couldn't treat my condition.

I had simply been too naive.

I underestimated how deeply she pined for Miles, and how far she'd go for a man she could never openly have.

But why was I the one who had to endure all this?

Five years of a platonic marriage.

Five years of humiliation.

Friends whispering behind my back, mocking me as some useless man who couldn't even sleep with his own wife. A pathetic freeloader.

Quinn's parents never let me set foot into their family home.

"We gave you our daughter, but you can't even touch her and give us a grandchild. You're an embarrassment to the Rowan family!"

I swallowed every insult, dragged myself through those years like a man crawling through mud, hoping and praying that one day things would return to normal.

'Quinn, how the hell are you ever going to repay me for five years of real love?'

I didn’t have the strength to confront her. Not then. Not after all this.

Numb and barely conscious of my own body, I stumbled back toward my hospital room and pulled out my phone. My hands shook as I dialed a familiar number.

"Sylvia... hi. I need to ask about filing for divorce."

After hanging up the phone, I turned around and nearly walked straight into Quinn, who was pretending to be out of breath.

"Noah, why did you come out here alone? You just stabilized. It's dangerous."

Watching her rush toward me with such urgent concern, I couldn't help wondering, 'Is she worried about me or about the flawless plan she crafted?'

I let out a bitter laugh and shifted away from her touch. "I'm fine."

For a moment, Quinn's eyes narrowed. Usually, she was the one avoiding me. I had never once deliberately avoided her, even though I was the one suffering the agony of allergic reactions every time.

-

When I was discharged and went back home with Quinn, she took my hand carefully, through my clothes, and placed it on her belly. She spoke softly to the child inside, "Baby, you have to be good in there, okay? Daddy's been so worried about you."

If this had been earlier in our marriage, I would have been dizzy with happiness. I would have felt so grateful that fate had blessed me with a precious child and a loving wife.

Now, every word stabbed straight into my heart. My chest felt like it was bleeding.

As usual, Quinn brought me a warm glass of milk. Her eyes curved into a gentle smile. "Drink it and get some sleep. I'm going to the study to finish work."

Her soft tone and familiar tenderness should have felt comforting. Instead, my whole body trembled.

I didn’t try to resist anymore. I took the milk and forced myself to drink it in one go, as if nothing were wrong.

Before long, my eyelids grew unbearably heavy, and I fell into a deep, drugged sleep.

Through the haze, I faintly heard a video call coming from the study.

"Miles, don't worry. I would never touch him. I won't let you think I'm dirty. And I’ll make sure you secure that research project. You’ll become the rising star of the entire hospital. Trust me, Noah will definitely help me with this."

I didn't even have time to process the meaning behind her words.

What stunned me was that Quinn, who insisted she would never take on male interns, had been personally mentoring her beloved pretty-boy colleague this entire time.

Then what did all her excuses about overtime, meetings, and being busy really mean?

I didn’t dare think about it.

The funniest part was that everyone else seemed to know, except for me. I never suspected a thing.

From the other room, ambiguous intimate sounds drifted over, followed by a thud that sent our perfect wedding photo crashing to the floor.

What a joke.

"What happened, Noah?" Quinn’s anxious voice suddenly came from the doorway. She looked genuinely concerned, but the faint glow still lingering on her lips pierced straight through my chest.

I forced myself to stay calm and pretended I had just woken up. "Nothing, I accidentally knocked the frame over."

She let out a long breath of relief. Tugging awkwardly at her rumpled wool sweater, she quickly turned away.

"I'm going to take a shower."

As she disappeared down the hall, something compelled me to pick up the phone she had left behind.

I unlocked it quickly. Notifications were flooding the screen with pings from a group chat.

Every message hit me like a blow to the ribs.

"Boss, everything's done."

"Just waiting for the right timing. Miles will personally perform the live procedural demonstration for Noah's allergy treatment. That way, Miles can secure his position in the hospital, and Quinn will be delivering in the next room. It'll be a double celebration!"

My mind exploded, the world spinning violently around me.

Why did Quinn have to trample my dignity like this?

Not only did she lie to me and make me raise the child she conceived with Miles, but she even planned to use my illness to elevate him in the hospital.

When Quinn came out of the shower, she glanced at her phone and casually suggested, "Our hospital is hosting the launch of a new technology. I want to invite you to attend. You’re the most important part of my achievement."

The moment I remembered their plan, a shiver jolted through me. I stepped back instinctively. "I'm not going. I have things to do."

Quinn's expression darkened instantly.

"What things? You're a grown man staying home all day. Doing what exactly? All these years, you couldn't touch me. Now I've finally managed to get pregnant, and you're giving me attitude? Who do you think you're showing that attitude to?"

Her words stabbed straight into my heart, sharper and colder than any outsider’s mockery.

Well, who turned me into this miserable shell of a man to begin with?

Seeing I wasn’t budging, she snapped with a command, "It's not up to you. Get changed. We're leaving."

She went straight to the closet and pulled out clothes for me. Despite my resistance, she called in the housemaids to assist me in dressing.

The moment they made contact, even through layers of fabric, red welts spread rapidly across my skin, swelling painfully.

Nevertheless, she didn’t care at all. The only thing she cared about was whether Miles could climb higher.

I had no strength left to fight. The bodyguards shoved me roughly into the car, and before long, we arrived at the venue.

Everyone was drinking, chatting, and smiling. It really did look like a harmless promotional event.

I had just begun to relax when Miles walked over with a bright, almost mocking smile.

"Noah, you are one lucky guy. Despite being allergic to women, Quinn still managed to get pregnant."

Every word dripped hostility. Quinn sat on the sofa, her gaze soft and indulgent as she watched him.

The others stifled their laughter as they joined in.

"Hear the rumor? Noah here is supposedly irresistible to women. If he's allergic, he must've been suffering all these years, huh?"

"I heard once men with this kind of condition get the chance, they can't hold it in, just like a male dog in heat. Who knows if it's true?"

They patted my shoulder with fake friendliness, pointing and whispering at me with smug amusement.

Humiliation, helplessness, disorientation… all of it crashed into me at once, drowning me without mercy.

Heat rushed up my chest, and I snapped. I turned my furious gaze to Quinn.

"Quinn, you're my wife. Are you really going to sit there and do nothing?"

Only then did she lift her hand lazily, motioning the others back to their seats.

Miles stepped forward, pretending to be kind as he handed me a glass of water. "Don't take their words to heart, man. They're just joking. Here. Drink some water and cool off."

Hearing the sarcasm woven between every syllable, I couldn’t act like nothing was happening.

"I've shown up. Now, can I go home?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, Quinn slammed her wine glass onto the table with a sharp crack.

The room went dead silent.

"Noah, Miles is trying to help you out here. How can you be so ungrateful? Drink it. Don't embarrass him."

Miles still held the glass out to me, his expression seeming to be friendly. "Yeah, man. Give me a chance. It's just a cup of water."

I looked around and finally realized that everyone in the room was staring at me with anticipation.

My heart sank.

I finally understood. This wasn’t just a launch event.

Quinn had lied to me again.