A Contract Marriage with My Child’s Father

One day, while living as a country single mother who was dumped by a man—pretending the child I picked up on the street was mine in order to protect her—I suddenly realized something.
This world was the setting of a childcare novel, and I was the mother of the female lead… destined to die early in the story!
‘Please, can’t the mom survive too?’
I mean, even if it’s a parenting novel, I’m still a person!
So I made a deal with the cold-blooded duke who becomes the female lead’s father in the original story…
“Let’s get married.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t see why you’re surprised. Didn’t you say yourself that you wanted a contract marriage?”
How could I not be surprised?
You never said you’d help me through marriage…!
“I’ll cherish both you and the child. So, Viola.”
“……”
“Marry me.”
***
Maybe I worked too hard pretending to be a single mother.
It seems my contract husband’s misunderstanding has grown far too deep.
“Do you still have feelings for that man? Melody’s biological father, I mean.”
How can I forget a man who doesn’t even exist?!
But I couldn’t reveal that the child isn’t actually my biological daughter.
“Your husband is me. Not some bastard like that.”
Kain’s eyes burned fiercely with jealousy as he looked at me.
Weren’t we… just in a contract marriage?