Author’s Note: I do not own anything.

P.S. Don’t worry, this is a Happy Ever After story. As most happy-ever-after stories go, you need to take the long road before you reach forever. Jiyong will make our darling Dara happy. Just wait. J

She felt someone touching her lips and she smiled. “Ji-hoon, stop teasing Mama”, Dara chided. She heard a deep chuckle beside her and a voice that said, “I’m not Ji-hoon, my love”.

Her eyes snapped open and a blush was steadily creeping her neck and face. “W…What are you doing, Jiyong?” Dara asked. “Do you think I’d leave today knowing you’re here? I’m getting to the bottom of why you left me all those years ago”, Jiyong answered. She bit her lip and looked away. Rather than force her to look at him, Jiyong combed his hands through her hair. ‘Still as smooth as silk.’ “Babe, look at me please?” he picked up her hand and her fingers until he reached the scar on her wrist. “What happened, my love? Do you not trust me? Please look at me. I will protect you with my life. I love you.”

It was the way he said ‘I love you’ that prompted Dara to finally look at him. ‘He sounds so lost, so sad.’

“Why do you have scars on your wrist, Dara?” his steady voice unnerved her. Dara sighed and told him in a shaky voice. ‘This is going to be difficult for me, Jiyong. I hope you meant it when you said you won’t leave me.’

Flashback – Dara

Today, Ji-hoon turns two. Her little bundle of joy was walking around, talking in that sweet, garbled voice of his. Dara loved her little boy so much. Her childbirth was very difficult, going into labor weeks earlier than she was supposed to. Her slim body already weak from lack of food to support both her and the baby she loved with all her heart, she pushed and cried out the name she hasn’t said in years “Jiyong! I need Jiyong!”. The nurse handed her baby wrapped in a blue blanket. “You have a beautiful son, Miss Pyo”, the nurse said. ‘Oh Ji-hoon, I don’t know the first thing about being a mom. Don’t cry baby. Mama is here and Mama will take care and protect you. How I wish your Papa was here to see you and love you.’ She started to cry and the nurse left her to feed her baby.

Dara brought Ji-hoon to the supermarket so she can get ingredients to bake him a cake since she can’t afford to buy a ready-made one. Her son was in the grocery cart happily playing with his toy cars so she went a few feet away to grab the powdered sugar for her icing. When she turned back, Ji-hoon was no longer in the cart.

“Ji-hoon!” Dara was frantically running through the aisles and asking strangers if they’ve seen her little brown-haired and brown-eyed son. “No, I have not seen him. I’m sorry.” Each person she asked seemed to have the same answer. She stepped outside the supermarket and was abruptly yanked towards a gray van with heavily tinted windows, her nose and mouth covered with a cloth. Dara struggled to escape but was slowly losing her strength until she finally fainted.

She woke up with her hands handcuffed behind her back and in a dark room. “Let me out! Ya! Let me out! Help!!” Dara screamed for help. The door opened and a tall, muscled man entered followed by a face she never thought she’d see again.

“Well, what do we have here? Park Sandara? I can hardly recognize you from the last time we met.” the woman asked. “Let me go, Kiko. My son is out there, missing. Please let me go. I kept my end of the bargain and left Jiyong so please, please let me go.” Dara begged. “Oh you mean, him?” Kiko gestured to the man and another part of the big room was illuminated. Dara saw her Ji-hoon playing with building blocks and surrounded by toys. “Ji-hoon! Mama’s here! Ji-hoon!!” she called out. “He’s in a soundproof room with a one way mirror, Dara. He can’t see or hear you. Tell me, Dara, what are you willing to give up to keep him?” Kiko asked. “I don’t have anything. You already took everything away. My life, my love, you took it all. What more do you want?” Dara asked.

“He took everything away from me and my father. Now, I get to repay the favor. I’ll take everything away from him. Everything.” Kiko smiled and an evil smirk came over her face. She walked out of the room and the tall muscled man approached Dara. He had nothing but greed and malic