“That’s enough!”

Seoyul is surprised when the prescribed pills she takes daily is snatched out of her hands, and is even more surprised when it’s her husband that throws it away.

“Jongin, what’s wrong?” her question falls flat at the end, and Jongin looks at her like she’s crazy. Her eyes are glazed and empty, a look Jongin has grown to despise over the short span of weeks.

“You. You’re what’s wrong,” Jongin says harshly.

“Well then I’m sorry.”

Seoyul’s submissive attitude just ignites the flames of anger inside Jongin by tenfold, and he throws a random mirror placed on Seoyul’s vanity onto the floor spontaneously. The sound of glass shattering doesn’t surprise Seoyul.

“That’s the eighth pill you’re going to consume today, and that will kill you, Seoyul.” Jongin glowers. His words seem to have snapped something inside of Seoyul and her vision snaps back into clarity, her eyes staring fiercely into Jongin’s.

“So?” Seoyul taunts.

“So! You can’t die, Seoyul—you went through all the hell and even married a complete stranger like me just to stay alive—this isn’t how your life is supposed to end!” Jongin is screaming, and Seoyul’s head is pounding at the volume of his voice.

“All my life,” Seoyul stops to take a shaky breath, “I’ve been living for everyone else. And look where that has gotten me, Jongin. Open your eyes.”

“So live!” Jongin grabs her by the shoulders and literally shakes her, in hopes of shaking some sense into her. “The world is at the palm of your hands now—you have the money, you have me, is that not enough?”

Jongin’s breathing is labored, and his eyes look livid. Seoyul doesn’t understand why he’s so mad, when she’s the one that’s going crazy from her own thoughts. She her head to one side, analizing Jongin’s facial features, amusement apparent in her face at the sight of Jongin’s anger.

“You’re not mine, though?” is all that Seoyul says.

For a split of second, Jongin looks like he’s ready to throw everything off her vanity in a fit of rage. But he takes a deep breath, and composes himself.

“What do you want, Seoyul?” his voice is quiet and shaky, and instead of the comfort the words are supposed to provide Seoyul, it feels like a plea of defeat—it feels like Jongin is giving up on her. He most probably is, because everyone else has given up on her, so it’s about time Jongin does too.

“Just let me go my own way and I’ll be the perfect mother to your daughter till the day I die. That’s all I want, Jongin,” Seoyul answers levelheadedly. Jongin immediately looks like he has to say something, but goes against it.

“Okay. If that’s what you want.”

***

Haebit notices it. The way her parents don’t really talk to each other anymore, how her mother disappears from morning to night when she knows for a fact that her mother doesn’t go to work.

“Mommy,” she braves herself to ask her mother who is busy putting on make-up on a Sunday morning, her head peeking from the cracks of her parents’ bedroom door.

“Yes, sweetie?” her mother’s answer sounds not like the other times she’s ever talked to her, and Haebit forces herself to not cry right there and then. Her mother doesn’t even notice that she’s using the endearing term that Haebit only uses when she wants something from her. Haebit is a big girl. Crying will only make mommy feel bad.

“Is mommy and daddy going to divorce?” Haebit’s question causes the brush from Seoyul’s hand to drop, and Seoyul has to compose her facial expressions before she turns to face Jongin’s daughter.

“Who taught you about divorces?” Seoyul asks immediately, hoisting Haebit up so she’s seated on her lap, eyes glazed with a look of seriousness that Haebit knows she only uses when it’s important.

“My… my friends in school.”

Something inside of Seoyul stirs in pity, and she cups Haebit’s cheeks softly, willing the child to look at her when she’s speaking.

“There’s nothing wrong with mom and dad, Haebit-ah, why would your friends say that?” Seoyul asks softly, scared that one wrong word might give away the lie she’s been carefully building from the day she set her eyes upon Haebit.

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