Chapter 2
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Yuri saw it clearly, and on our way home, he spoke up, his tone revealing deliberate consideration and helplessness: "Don't overthink it. She's just a new intern in the department. Everyone was just teasing and having fun. There's really nothing between us."
His explanation was reasonable, and I remained silent, seemingly accepting his words.
In the days that followed, he became exceptionally attentive.
He took me to various gatherings and held my hand tightly when we went for walks.
Tender and considerate—in those hazy moments, I seemed to glimpse again the bright scenes of our early romance.
Until that day, when a friend casually mentioned during idle chat: "Come to think of it, have you two ever thought about having a child?"
One sentence, like an unexpected hook, violently yanked out deeply buried memories.
Memories abruptly pulled me back to that dim evening.
A medical disturbance occurred at his hospital, with emotional family members pulling out knives.
I happened to be visiting him, wanting to give him a birthday surprise.
In the chaos, I blocked the knife that was meant for him.
A sharp chill penetrated my body, and after the intense pain came the doctor's somewhat heavy news: "The physical damage is severe; it may be difficult for you to have your own children in the future."
He never showed the slightest concern about this, but instead seemed to have a burden lifted, holding my hand and saying: "It's okay, having each other is enough for us."
Thus, "children" became an unspoken forbidden zone between us, never to be mentioned again.
I thought this was proof of our sacrifice for love, a mutual understanding beyond worldly conventions.
Until at that gathering, I saw the light that flashed in his eyes when he pushed that sweet drink toward a girl who closely resembled my younger self.
That wasn't merely a man's care for a woman.
Within that gaze, perhaps, was hidden a longing for a complete family, for the continuation of his bloodline, a desire he himself had never truly recognized.
And I, along with my lost fertility because of him, had become a heavy and silent obstacle in the face of his suppressed desire.
