There was a knock on the door.

I turned abruptly and found my mother, all glammed up more than usual in her red, sleek, floor-length strapless gown that was accessorized with a white gold necklace and a diamond sparkler.

She looked at me with her eyes narrowed, but I wasn’t willing to communicate with her, even if it was just by eye contact.

I felt a hand over my shoulder, but I stayed still, even when she gave it a little squeeze.

“Honey, the car’s ready downstairs,” she spoke softly.

I said nothing in reply.

The hand was finally lifted and I heard her take small steps back when her back heels hit the ground lightly, and then I lost it.

The grip on my mouth, I mean.

“Eomma,” I turned around and called for her, and she stopped to look back with a small smile, obviously happy that I was acknowledging her existence at last.

“Yes, dear?” she said.

I clenched my jaw tightly.

I knew she wouldn’t like the next part I was about to say, but then again, when did she ever have the decency to not say things I didn’t want to hear?

“When you demanded I divorce my wife…what exactly were you thinking?”

The question came out as a whisper.

She frowned for a split second before letting out a small, forced laugh.

“I beg your pardon?” she said, instead of replying to my straight-forward question honestly.

I ignored her request to repeat my words.

We both knew well that she heard what I asked as clear as day.

When she realised she wasn’t going to get anything out of me, she sighed softly.

“I wanted to protect you,” she replied firmly, like it was the most obvious thing on earth.

“Obviously, she didn’t want to bear any child of yours.

Why else would she have lost it?”

She adjusted the diamond ring clinging to her left ring finger.

“I mean, were you even sure that the baby was yours?

Do you know what she’s been up to when you were together?”

I tightened my fists into a ball.

It was all I could do to control the anger building up inside of me.

“Mother, I trust her.

She doesn’t deserve to be talked about like this and I don’t need to hear about this from anyone, especially you, Mother.” I spoke, my breathing uneven.

Her eyes narrowed intently on me in an attempt to intimidate me, I guessed.

"You will never understand why I did the things I did," she said.

I gritted my teeth and exhaled with difficulty.

"You're right. I'll never understand, just like how Eomeoni will never understand the things I'm about to do," I said, and with that, I bowed curtly and brushed right pass her.

As I grabbed the door knob, she did exactly what I had predicted she would.

"Cho Kyuhyun!" she raised her voice sternly, the same tone of voice she'd use on me when I was 5 and wouldn't listen to what she said.

I barely looked over my shoulder.

"If you go after her now, consider yourself cut off from this family!" she screamed.

I was about to retaliate, but I stepped back from the door when I heard high heels thudding out on the hallway.

The door flew open and a very tired and sweaty Ara stormed in, gasping for air.

She didn't even look at our Mother once, whose eyes widened at the ghastly sight of Ara with her pastel pink, floor-length dress soiled with mud at the hem and her , 5-inch pumps completely worn out.

Instead, she grabbed me by the wrist and looked at me with alarmed eyes.

"Oppa, you'll always be a part of this family!

You'll always be my family!" she panted.

"So don't call Mother's bluff and go after Eonni.

Take her back, Oppa!" she yelled desperately.

I nodded firmly.

"Where is she?" I asked, surprised at the coolness of my voice

Ara let out a breathless laugh before turning to me with a cheeky look.

"Where you promised you'd meet her ten years ago," she said.

My upper lip curved upwards.

[♥]———————[♥]

I got out of my white Audi and ran frantically on the stone pathway of the garden.

The trees were illuminated by the bright lights hanging off the branches and the flowers sprouted from the groomed, green grass in perfect bloom.

Damn, if I wasn't wearing this customized monkey suit...!

As my eyes roamed the place in search of her, disheartening thoughts kept popping up in my mind.

What if she's not here?

What if she got tired of waiting and just left?

What if she completely forgot about our promise to each other?

What if she completely forgot...about me?

I immediately stopped on my tracks when I caught sight of the woman with the long, loose curls in a beige dress.

She was sitting at a bench with perfect, legendary composure.

She looked so graceful and beautiful as she clutched her white blazer on her lap and rolled her heels back and forth on the ground to pass time.

I took a bold move froward towards her, but that was as far as I got.

I clenched my jaw as I tried to keep the tears from falling.

Come on, Cho Kyuhyun. This isn't the time...

I was frozen, as stiff as a statue, on the spot.

"Seohyun-ah..." It came out as a whisper, much to my annoyance.

What is wrong with me?

I'm such a coward.

I looked down on my Italian leather shoes, begging them to move an inch.

They wouldn't.

"Kyuhyun..."

I held my breath upon hearing my name so sweetly and softly being called out by a very familiar voice.

I gazed up slowly and saw her standing up from the bench in slow-motion, not breaking her eye contact with me.

Within those three seconds of looking into her eyes, I saw everything she wanted to tell me.

I'm sorry. I still love you. Please come back to me.

Within those three seconds, she told me all that was deep inside her for the last two and a half years.

Within those three seconds, she gave me the courage I needed to come to her and remember why I was there.

To take her back.

A single tear fell from her eyes and I sprinted towards her with all my might, then captured her into my arms.

I embraced her delicate body firmly, trying my best not to squeeze the life out of her.

I buried my face into her hair, and she hugged me back.

At that point, there was nothing I could do to suppress the tears.

They flowed endlessly as I rocked her gently from side to side in embrace.

I could hear her soft whimpers on my ear.

"Kyuhyun," she spoke, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

She wanted to be free, I knew, but I didn't want to let her go.

I waited far too long to hold her in my arms to release her just like that.

"Kyuhyun," she repeated, this time a hint of firmness and edge in her shaky voice made me realise that she was right.

I had to let her go.

For now.

I slowly released her from my hold and I caught a glimpse of her red and tearful eyes.

She used the back of her palm to rid of the dampness, and I couldn't help but reaching my hand out to her face and using my thumb to help her wipe them away.

"I...I came," she said softly, her voice still shaky.

"I know," I told her softly, fxing a stubborn strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"I came...because I still love you.

That was the promise, right?" she said.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My head rested on the pillows as I stared at the ceiling and rub the back of her palm in circular motion, taking in the softness of her skin.

Her warm body was against mine and her hair was tickling my shoulders.

"And then on the 5th Anniversary, Jeju!" I declared.

I felt Seohyun nod her head slightly against my chest.

"And then?" she asked.

"And then on the 6th Anniversary...Osaka," I grinned to myself.

"And then?" Seohyun asked.

"And then on the 7th Anniversary, Maldives.

For the 8th, Macau.

And then for the 9th, France!" I marvelled, throwing my arms above me.

She didn't say anything for a while but continued to fiddle with my fingers.

I guessed she was taking her time to sink it all in.

She flipped the other way so her chest was against mine and I could see her face clearly under my chin.

"What about the 10th?" she asked, seeming extra curious with her wide eyes blinking at me.

She released my hand and instead took my face into her palm, squeezing my cheeks and having a laugh about it.

"It has to be something special, right?" she said.

I took her face into my hands too, squeezing her back.

She shook her head to free herself as she released my poor cheeks.

I started playing with strands of her soft, brown hair.

"I have the perfect place for it," I told her.

She gave me a nod, but it seemed that she found my eyebrows to be the most interesting thing in the world as she them with her index finger carefully.

"Seohyun-ah," I said, in an attempt to capture her attention, but to no avail.

She moved on to counting my eyelashes.

"On our 10th Anniversary, let's meet up at the garden where we got married." I proposed.

I finally got her attention as she paused and looked at me, waiting for an explanation.

"In 10 years, let's meet up where we promised to be together 'for better or for worse, til' death do us part.'

It'll be symbolic," I said.

Seohyun tilted her head as she looked away.

"So after 10 years, if we're still together and in-love with each other, we'll meet up to stay true to what we promised," she smiled to herself, finally grasping the situation fully.

I gave her a frown.

"What do you mean 'if'?" I muttered.

Seohyun looked at me and saw my reaction to what she so cold-heartedly said.

She smiled brightly, her eyes taking on the shape of two crescent moons.

She gave me a quick brush of kiss on the lips.

"You know I'll love you forever, right?" she batted her lashes at me cutely.

I laughed and put my arms around her waist.

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(Seohyun's POV)

I watched him gulp harshly, his eyes were tearful.

He ran his hand through his dark brown hair to take a break before transferring his gaze back at me.

I waited patiently, but I could feel my arms stiffening up on both sides of me.

He rested his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look into his eyes.

"Let's start over again, Seohyun,"

The words came out in a soft but confident way.

"Be my wife again."

I breathed in, but I must've forgotten to breathe out because I found myself gasping for air.

I wanted to say 'yes' in a heartbeat.

I wanted him to wrap his safe arms around me and whisper the words I've been wanting to hear.

But I was sensible.

"We can't," I tried desperately to keep my voice even and firm, but instead it came out as a helpless whisper.

"Eomeoni will never allow it. She'll stop at nothing to keep us apart.

And what about work? What about our colleagues back at the hospital?

We can't just------"

"No, forget about them," he cut in impatiently, an edge in his voice was evident.

I found myself staring right into his soft brown eyes.

"I want you to think of only the two of us," he said in a much more softer tone than before.

"Don't bring in anything or anyone else in it.

Think of us," he whispered.

I swallowed harshly.

I could feel the tears trickling down my cheeks.

Think of us.

He was asking me to be selfish.

He was asking how I sincerely felt about it.

About him.

I exhaled exaggeratedly.

"Well," I put my hands on my hips and stepped back to stare at the concrete ground for a while.

"To be honest, being married to you wasn't all that great," I gazed up to meet his shocked eyes.

Of course, who would say that about Cho Kyuhyun?

I transferred my gaze back down to the ground, carefully choosing my words.

I sighed before looking up again.

"But I was happy," I told him.

Kyuhyun stared at me intensely but with warmth.

"And I guess that's all that really matters."

His eyes widened in shock and the smile on my lips could no longer be contained.

He opened his mouth and then his lips curved upwards with delight.

"R-really...?" he stammered, gobsmacked.

I nodded simultaneously.

"Yes!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

I laughed heartily as he picked me up in his arms and lifted me to the air.

He finally let me down so that we could both catch our breaths.

He gently placed his hand under my jaw, lifting my head up to look at him.

"I love you so much," he panted.

I bit my lip as tears started falling again.

I nodded continuously.

"Me too," I whispered gently.

I love you too, Cho Kyhuhyun.

You have no idea just how much.