We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 180

Meanwhile, Melissa was beginning to feel increasingly annoyed by Ian’s refusal to leave. She didn’t want to show Adella to him, so she made her intentions crystal clear once again.

“I am no longer someone connected to you, so please don’t come back.”

Ian felt as if his heart were being ripped apart by her cold words. At the same time, he sensed the subtle shift in their relationship.

As far as he knew, Melissa had imprinted on him. Back when they were together at the Duchy, she had always been eager for even a fleeting attention from him.

But did she really no longer need him? Was the confession that she had imprinted on him a lie?

No, Melissa wasn’t that kind of person. She was not one to deceive others; she was someone who had been deceived.

Ian froze with dizzying thoughts. Melissa stood up and opened the door. She repeated herself with her voice firm.

“Leave.”

“Why…?”

How had she changed like this? What had happened to her that made her reject him so harshly? Why?

“…Let’s go back together.”

“Did everything I’ve said so far hold no value to you? It’s a little frustrating.”

“You don’t belong in a place like this. You shouldn’t be living in such a shabby place.”

“You’re talking as if I was treated lavishly at the Duchy?”

“…I got rid of everything.”

That was right. He had tidied up the mansion in anticipation of meeting Melissa again. He had organized, cleaned, and prepared everything just for her return. The areas of the annex and the green rose garden could be dealt with slowly. After all, she would be staying in the main house.

The ache in his chest began to subside. Ian slowly rose to his feet, never taking his eyes off Melissa. He fixated on every detail of her, from her hair to her fingertips, moving closer with each step as he spoke.

“Please, think of Dia and come back.”

He still had questions about why she was rejecting him, but right now, it was more important to bring Melissa back to where she belonged. He was determined to take her back to the Duchy by any means necessary. He avoided the blatant disdain reflected in her expression.

“Don’t cowardly bring up Dia…”

To her, Diers was the embodiment of guilt. As she realized how little she had done as a mother while raising Adella, her sorry feelings only grew stronger. However, she couldn’t complete her thoughts.

That moment Adella, who had been sleeping in the next room, began to cry out for her.

“Uwaah, ma, ma, mm….”

She froze, unsure of what to do with Ian. But she hurried toward Adella as the cries rang out again.

As she stepped into the hallway, she saw Sara and Pedro waiting with concerned expressions. She was relieved to see them and headed into the room where Adella was.

Ian, who had staggered out behind her, stared blankly in the direction Melissa had gone, then quickly moved. Just as Melissa was about to close the door, he slipped his hand through the crack and gently pushed the door open.

Inside, the comforting scent of milk and baby supplies filled the air. He couldn’t take his eyes off from the sight of his Omega cradling the child.

The image of her with Diers flooded back to him, and he felt a surge of emotion he couldn’t contain. The time he had spent apart from her made him feel like he might go crazy.

“That’s my child.”

Melissa, who had noticed that Ian had entered the room, turned her head sharply to glare at him.

“No, it’s my child.”

“That’s when the child was conceived.”

Melissa couldn’t recall exactly when she had gotten pregnant, but Ian seemed to know. As he confidently referred to the child as his, she firmly replied.

“It’s not your child.”

“….That can’t be true. May I see the child for a moment?”

Melissa instinctively hid Adella closer to herself, blocking Ian’s view. For the first time, Ian felt a sense of injustice. While everything was his fault, he couldn’t accept the fact that she was hiding their child from him.

In response, he began to release his pheromones, hoping to soothe his Omega and allow the child to respond to the scent of her father.

But something felt off. He couldn’t take his gaze from Melissa’s expressionless face, so he released his pheromones even more intensely.

The Omega who once would have eagerly sought his pheromones now remained utterly still, showing no signs of the rapture he had once expected. Her complexion and even her breathing were calm and composed.

At that moment, Ian felt a deep sense of foreboding. Something was terribly wrong. Just then, the previously quiet child erupted into loud cries.

Adella’s hard wail startled Melissa, causing her expression to harden.

Only then did she realize that Ian had done something. The thread of the composure she had been maintaining snapped.

Summoning an immense amount of magic at once, Melissa unleashed an unrestrained attack toward Ian. Sharp shards of ice shot toward him like blades. Ian instinctively dodged it and couldn’t hide his astonishment.

Before his mind could catch up with the situation, another wave of attacks came his way, forcing Ian to evade once more. Melissa quickly handed Adella to Pedro and began to channel her magic into her fingertips, drawing intricate symbols in the air.

Pedro, straining to endure the repugnant scent of Alpha pheromones, naturally stepped back while holding the child.

Ian, watching with a dazed expression, noticed the magic circle forming beneath his feet and instinctively drew his sword. Determined not to be trapped here, he charged his aura and slammed the sword down onto the floor.

Bang- The clash of magic and aura shook the entire tower.