Chapter 1: Weren’t You Going to Confess?

Due to a sudden business trip, the alpha returned home to grab his luggage. Opening the bedroom door, he found someone curled up on his bed.

It was the omega he’d married over a year ago—someone he’d barely exchanged a few words with.

The omega was a pharmaceutical researcher. To put it nicely, he was polite and well-mannered; less charitably, he was cold and taciturn.

Back then, when the alpha was faced with a pile of photos, he picked out this omega at a glance. He couldn’t help it—the omega stood out too much. While other omegas smiled radiantly or playfully, this one had a blank expression, a small face set stiffly, shirt buttoned to the top, and a look of clear reluctance.

Conveniently, the alpha was equally reluctant to marry. If not for his family’s incessant urging, he would have preferred to live alone forever.

The omega came from an ordinary background, but the alpha’s grandfather valued the high compatibility of their pheromones. The old man only wanted an heir.

After the marriage, the omega behaved just as the alpha had hoped—quiet, proper, never deliberately showing up to disturb him. He knew exactly what to say when dealing with the elders, always acting sensibly.

Looking at the person on the bed, the alpha frowned. He was about to speak when the omega turned his face against the pillow, rubbing lightly, revealing a faintly flushed ear and a collarbone visible under his shirt.

He was sound asleep. Did the omega not need to go to work at the lab? For reasons he couldn’t explain, the alpha decided not to disturb him. He quietly grabbed a few clothes from the wardrobe and left.

During the weeklong trip, the alpha found his thoughts occasionally drifting to the omega at home—a silent little thing who either avoided him with a blank face or hid away but secretly slept on his bed and rubbed against his pillow.

Asleep and unaware, the omega had delicate features, a small, rounded nose, and, without the stiff expression, was surprisingly cute.

Why secretly sleep on his bed?

The alpha mulled it over several times and began to regret not immediately sending the omega back to his own room that day. He should’ve at least woken him up to ask why, instead of letting his thoughts circle endlessly, leaving him distracted all afternoon.

He wasn’t usually the indecisive type. He said what he meant and acted on what he thought. Since when had he become so hesitant?

Returning from his trip, the alpha felt inexplicably annoyed. He decided it was time to have a conversation with the omega who crossed boundaries.

The lab director was the alpha’s uncle. After getting off the plane, the alpha went to the lab to retrieve some documents from him—not specifically to find the omega.

“You’ve made no progress at all? How useless can you be? Don’t you know how to use your heat period to get things done?”

The alpha overheard this scolding just as he was about to enter the office.

“You two have such high pheromone compatibility. If you’d just released even a little, you’d have had him wrapped around your finger ages ago. How can you be this dense?”

The alpha frowned, feeling displeased. It seemed they were talking about him and the omega.

“He doesn’t like me,” came the omega’s flat, emotionless voice. The alpha didn’t speak, just stared at the slim figure in the white coat.

The omega scratched his head sheepishly before adding, this time softly and earnestly, “I like him. That’s my business. I’m already very happy to have married him. I don’t want to bother him or force him with pheromones to do something against his will.”

The alpha stood frozen outside the door, unable to step in. He’d been confessed to before and always rejected people directly. But how was he supposed to reject this omega? After all, the omega hadn’t done anything to bother him.

Moreover, he had eavesdropped.

Pretending nothing had happened, the alpha returned home. With this secret in his heart, he began to observe the omega intentionally and unintentionally.

He discovered the omega would secretly collect items he’d used, like a little hamster storing them in his room.

The omega would thoughtfully apply pheromone blockers to his glands to avoid releasing their highly compatible pheromones and bothering him.

He watered the plants at home meticulously and embroidered days of the week onto identical lab coats, changing them daily.

He would stare blankly at the alpha’s back, turn red in the ears when nervous, and avoid his gaze, immediately looking away when their eyes met.

When the alpha wasn’t home, he would sneak into his wardrobe, sleep in his bed, and stubbornly set multiple alarms to avoid oversleeping.

He even bought a perfume with a scent similar to the alpha’s pheromones.

His phone’s lock screen was an old group photo, taken at the alpha’s university graduation. In the corner of the picture, the omega’s half-hidden face gazed at the alpha.

Quiet, intelligent, and already leading research projects at such a young age, the omega had captured the alpha’s attention.

Before he knew it, the omega had made his way into his heart. The omega’s affection wasn’t off-putting, instead, it was careful and sincere, making the alpha’s heart race.

But recently, the omega seemed distracted, no longer avoiding eye contact but staring blankly with a pale face. Occasionally, he would hesitate to speak, only to silently walk away with his head down.

Was he finally going to confess? The alpha smirked, feeling good. He decided he’d say yes—being with the omega wouldn’t be bad.

Sure enough, the omega called, inviting the alpha home for dinner.

The table was laden with dishes that must have taken hours to prepare. The alpha looked at the omega with anticipation, waiting for a confession. When it came, he’d say he’d known all along and, seeing the omega’s stunned expression, agree. He’d then enjoy the sight of the shy omega’s happy, curved eyes.

“Husband, I want a divorce.”

The omega finally spoke, but his words were the exact opposite of the alpha’s expectations.

The alpha panicked. Something he’d been so sure of suddenly crumbled, making his confidence seem laughable.

“Why?” His voice tightened.

The omega kept his head down, avoiding the alpha’s gaze. “It’s because of me—there’s still no child.”

“It’s been two years. The deadline is up. Grandpa will help you select a new match.”

His tone was as calm as ever, but if one listened closely, they’d notice the omega trembling.

The alpha suddenly realized it was their second wedding anniversary. His chest ached with regret.

He shouldn’t have stood idly by, watching the omega love him in secret, only to push this person—who cared for him so deeply—into giving up.

The omega had never expected anything in return. Faced with familial pressure, he had taken all the responsibility upon himself. This omega, who didn’t know how to express emotions, must have been deeply hurt.

The alpha liked the omega. How could he let him suffer like this?

“If we had a child, would you stay?” the alpha asked.