I am born with a body that draws men in, but the moment I marry, I develop a terrifying allergy to them.

Every time my husband and I try to be intimate, my skin erupts in violent rashes, and I nearly suffocate.

Still, I want a child so badly that one night I climb into his bed in secret, willing to gamble with my life.

Strangely, nothing happens—no hives, no swelling, no shortness of breath. My husband even takes me to a clinic, where the baby is confirmed healthy.

For the first time, I believe life can return to normal.

Eight months in, we share a bed again. The allergic reaction hits instantly, worse than ever, and I'm rushed to the hospital.

When the procedure ends, he is nowhere to be seen. I step into the hallway and hear him talking with his friends.

"Did you see her face? Swollen like that. Ridiculous."

Leonard Carter swings a vial of the custom serum he has been giving me and snorts.

"I engineered this formula myself. It makes her break out the second a man touches her. It keeps her off me.

"She wanted a baby so badly. Fine. She's carrying mine and Hannah's. That should make her feel accomplished.

"When she gives birth, I'll let her spend the rest of her life calling herself Mrs. Carter."

Blood drains from my face. The child I've been cherishing isn't even mine.

"Leonard, if Kayla ever learns the truth, aren't you afraid she'll be furious?" someone chimed in.

The man let out a derisive laugh, the ash on his cigarette glowing and fading.

"Furious? She was born craving a man's touch. I didn't even need to drug her that night. She got exactly what she wanted without any effort. She should be grateful.

"She spent the whole night under me, and I even figured out a way for Hannah to become a mother without pain. Two birds with one stone."

One of the men toyed with the small vial in his hand, his smile sharp.

"Ever since Leonard got married, this stuff has been mass-produced at the hospital. And Kayla still thinks those are the supplements customizedjust for her."

Another chimed in, laughing. "Leonard really planned it well. Planting the fertilized egg during her worst allergic flare was genius. Flawless, really."

"Exactly. As if Leonard would waste time cherishing her. Hannah is the one he's terrified to touch and just as terrified to break."

Their laughter rolled through the hospital corridor, loud enough to rattle the walls.

I stood in the dim hallway, frozen from head to toe, as if every drop of blood in my body had turned to ice.

So many accidental touches with Leonard Carter had nearly killed me over the years.

Sometimes it was just hives. Other times it was full-body swelling that landed me in the hospital.

Our families had been bound by marriage for generations, and I had always blamed myself for failing to fulfill a wife's duty.

Leonard would soothe me with calm words and tell me it didn't matter.

I learned to endure the loneliness and keep the safest distance from him.

I finally understood. All of it had been nothing more than Leonard keeping himself pure for the woman he truly loved. And I was nothing but the vessel carrying the child they wanted.

My hand drifted to my swollen belly. Nausea climbed up my throat. I wanted to vomit up every drop of the so-called supplements I'd swallowed over the years.

Around the corner, Leonard kept talking, venting to his friends.

"If I could have created some other tool to help Hannah have a baby, I wouldn't have had to stomach that night. Thinking about it now makes my skin crawl."

His friends burst out laughing again, their mockery echoing through the hall.

My eyes stung, the tears spilling before I could stop them.

I should have known. Leonard was one of the best physicians in the field. If he had wanted to cure my allergies, he would have done it years ago.

I had been too naive. I never understood the depth of his obsession with a woman he could never have.

But why was I the one paying the price?

Five years of marriage without intimacy. Five years of humiliation. Friends whispering behind my back that I was a useless ornament, a woman incapable of being a real woman.

My in-laws barred me from visiting them. The Carters would sigh and mutter that bringing me into the family was an embarrassment, a daughter-in-law who could neither be touched nor bear children.

I endured it all, sinking in the mud, clinging to the foolish hope that someday things would return to normal.

Leonard, how would you repay the five years I gave you with everything I had?

I didn't have the courage to confront him. Instead, I moved blindly down the hall until I reached the reception desk.

"Hello," I said to the nurse, my voice barely steady. "I'd like to schedule an abortion procedure."

After confirming the abortion procedure three days later, I turned away and walked straight into Leonard, who was rushing toward me and out of breath.

"Darling, why did you come out here alone? It's dangerous."

Looking at his anxious face, a question twisted in my mind.

Was he worried about me, or the child I carried?

I forced a bitter smile and stepped out of his reach. "I'm fine."

Leonard's eyes flickered. He had always been the one avoiding me, and I had never once pulled away from him, even though I was the one who suffered through the allergic reactions.

When we got home, Leonard claimed he still had work to finish, yet he knelt down and spoke softly to the baby in my belly.

"Don't kick Mommy, sweetheart. Daddy doesn't want her to hurt."

If this had happened before, I would have been dizzy with happiness, grateful for the child growing inside me, and certain I had a husband who loved me.

Now every word cut like a blade. My heart bled with every syllable.

As always, Leonard brought me a warm glass of milk. His eyes curved with a familiar smile.

"Drink this and get some sleep. I'll be in the study finishing up."

His gentle tone and expression should have been comforting, yet my body trembled.

I didn't resist anymore. I took the glass, pretending nothing was wrong, and drained it in one swallow.

It didn't take long before my eyelids grew unbearably heavy and I slipped into unconsciousness.

Somewhere in the fog of sleep, faint sounds drifted from the study.

A rhythm. A breath. A stifled moan.

"Hannah, don't worry. I'll never touch her. I won't let you feel like I'm dirty.

"And I'll make sure you become the top intern in the entire hospital. With Kayla's help, everything will go smoothly."

I didn't have time to parse the meaning behind his words.

Because something else stunned me first.

Leonard, who famously refused to take female students, had placed his childhood sweetheart at his side to train personally. What did all the late nights, meetings, and endless workload really mean?

It was laughable. The entire world seemed to know, and I had never once doubted him.

A violent tremor shook the wall, and the noise sent our perfect wedding portrait crashing to the ground.

Such a perfect metaphor.

"Kayla, did something happen?"

Leonard's urgent voice suddenly came from the doorway.

He looked worried, but the glistening smear at the corner of his mouth pierced straight through me.

I forced myself to appear calm, as if I had just woken.

"Nothing. I bumped the frame by accident."

He let out a long breath, tugged awkwardly at his rumpled shirt, and quickly turned away.

"I'll go take a shower."

As he disappeared into the bathroom, something compelled me to pick up the phone he had left on the couch.

I unlocked it quickly. Messages filled the screen, one after another, each one tightening around my lungs.

"Leonard, everything's arranged."

"Kayla is now listed as our hospital's latest experimental subject. We'll live stream the entire procedure. Hannah will do the surgery herself, so she's guaranteed to pass her probation."

"Livestreaming is brilliant. Hannah delivering her and Leonard's child on camera will push her to full-time status, and Kayla will blow up online too."

My mind blew up all at once, and the world seemed to tilt under my feet.

Why would Leonard trample my dignity completely?

It wasn't enough that he made me carry the child he conceived for Hannah Jenson. He even wanted to use me to secure her full-time position.

Leonard came out of the shower and glanced at his phone, then casually suggested, "Our hospital is holding a launch for a new medication. I want to invite you. You're our family's greatest contributor."

The memory of their plan flashed through me and I flinched, taking a step back.

"I'm not going. I have things to do."

His expression darkened immediately. "You're a housewife. What exactly do you have to do? All these years you couldn't even be touched, and now that you're finally pregnant, you dare show an attitude?"

His words cut deeper than the cold ridicule of strangers. And who, exactly, had turned me into this?

When I still refused, he issued a command.

"This isn't up to you. Get dressed. We're leaving."

He pulled clothes from the closet and forced them onto me, ignoring my resistance.

The brief skin-to-skin contact sent a rush of hives crawling across my body, my skin swelling painfully.

He didn't care. All that mattered was Hannah's successful promotion.

I couldn't fight back. Leonard dragged me into the car, rough and impatient, and hauled me all the way to the press event.

People mingled with drinks in hand. At first glance, it really did look like an ordinary product launch.

I had just begun to exhale when Hannah approached with a bright smile.

"Kayla, your belly is so huge. You're really lucky. Allergic to men and still managed to get pregnant."

Every word was sharp, but Leonard sat on the couch, gazing at her with unmistakable affection.

Others stifled their laughter and chimed in.

"I heard Kayla has a natural allure. Being allergic to men for so many years must have been torture."

"They say women like her lose control the moment they're touched. Like a dog in heat. I wonder if it's true."

As they spoke, their hands reached toward my waist, brushing and squeezing without restraint.

Shame, panic, and helplessness flooded me so fast I could barely breathe. Heat rose to my head, and I snapped my gaze to Leonard.

"Leonard, you're my husband. Are you really not going to stop them?"

Only then did he raise a hand, reluctant and dismissive. The men backed off, disappointed.

Hannah stepped forward with a glass of water, wearing a look of manufactured kindness.

"Kayla, don't bother with those idiots. They haven't seen a woman in ages. They even go after a heavyweight pregnant woman like you. They really have no taste.

"Here. Drink some water. Calm down."

Her insult sat just beneath the surface; it was impossible for me to ignore.

"I've shown up. Can I go home now?"

The moment the words left my mouth, Leonard slammed his glass onto the table. The room fell silent.

"Kayla, Hannah is helping you, and this is how you repay her kindness?

"Drink it. Don't embarrass her."

Hannah held the glass, watching me with gentle patience.

"Kayla, just drink it. It's only a glass of water."

I looked around. Dozens of eyes hovered over me, expectant and unmoving.

A heavy weight dropped into my chest.

And I soon came to realize that this wasn't a simple product launch.

Leonard had lied.