Chapter 31

*FLASH*

“Milady! Follow me! Hurry!!!”

One of the maids waved for me to come with her. Her voice was kept in stern whispers as her eyes worried and alerted for fear that someone might discover us. We must keep our coordinates unknown. I tip-toed quickly towards her and took the hand that she offered. Once in a while, I glanced back to see if we were followed. My heart was thumping hard, deafening my ears.

Distant crashing sounds were heard echoing through the hallways. I silently followed the maid towards an exit and tried hard not to think about how far the intruders had come within the house. We needed to escape and hide, and fast.

As keen as I was to stay strong, the tears just couldn’t stop from flowing. My heart was beating wildly, thinking of all the possibilities which mostly end up with me leaving this complicated world. Will I be able to escape from their grasps alive? Will I ever see Changmin again? Will he ever get to know that he’s a soon-to-be father?

My free hand immediately reached for my tummy. My heart ached painfully at the thought that my life would not last the night…

“AHHHHH!” The maid suddenly screamed out of surprise as we hastily turned a corner. I immediately looked up... and saw him.

“Changmin!!”

Without thinking any further, I ran towards him and hid my face in his chest. My arms wrapped tightly around him, asking for his protection. “Changmin, I’m so scared! Who are these people? How did they get into the house?”

I was beyond glad that he was there. It totally slipped my mind that Changmin had departed for Japan just this morning. The maid just stood there with her head lowered, perhaps thinking that Changmin had taken an emergency flight back home.

“Let go of me, b!tch,” his calm voice was hoarse and unforgivable.

My body immediately reacted to his cold tone and stiffened. “C-Changmin?” I looked up and stared into his eyes as I let go of him, sensing the familiar vibe of insecurity and terror from my past starting to flow in my veins. My eyes were still blurry from the tears as more flowed down my cheeks. But I’m very sure that the man in front of me is my husband. I won’t ever mistake him with anyone else on Earth! Unless if there can be two Shim Changmins on the planet.

I silently prayed that I had misheard the man that I’ve given all my heart to.

“Finally, it’s time that you know where my heart truly lies,” the man smirked. He immediately pulled out a gun and instantly shot the innocent maid that had tried to save me right between her eyes. I couldn’t suppress my scream as I watched her body fell to the floor lifelessly.

“What in the hell are you doing?” I shouted at him. “What has she done wrong? How could you kill an innocent soul?!!”

SLAP

My face was forced to tilt to one side as I froze, looking at the darkened walls. I could feel the heat was quickly making its way towards my left cheek and I slowly cupped it with my left hand. I was too scared to look at him in the eye, afraid of his fury. He had never abuse my body like this ever since the day he confessed his hidden affections to me.

I was confused…

This couldn’t be happening. Changmin has changed to become an honourable man. I have witnessed it with my own eyes. I’ve seen how much love he had for me and how much he was willing to make things right. And I gave up my life to return as much love and trust as I can back to him. He had never failed me since, which only made my love for him grow even more and now it has turned into a genuine feeling.

But what’s this now? How could he act like all those times had never happened? How could he let himself turn back to how he was before, to before he even met me…?

“These ‘intruders’ are my new recruit, my special team. Their first trial mission is to get rid of you because unfortunately, I’m getting tired of playing this marriage game. But seemed like none of them will succeed this mission now that I’ve caught you,” he said nonchalantly. “So since you’re a no-one to me now, don’t expect me to listen to your useless lectures ever again. You can go to hell.”

My heart was brutally stabbed and ripped apart at the thought that Changmin had been treating our marriage as a game. And those harsh words... No. I must’ve heard him wrong again. What is wrong with me?!

Slowly I pulled my hand away from my burning cheek and looked up at him. “W-What do you mean? What are you trying to say?” I asked quietly, dreading his answer, hoping that he had been joking.

“How stupid could you be? I thought your father was stupid enough. It looks like you inherited too much of your father’s stupid genes,” he laughed mockingly. “This has long been an experiment, a new game I created for my own pleasure, peasant. You have to admit that I have great acting skills, right? What? Did you expect I could change that easily? Did you expect I’d let this clan fall down for a stupid reason: that I’ve settled down with one woman? I won’t let that happen. Tradition remains a tradition. I’m calling back all my whores. So you can get lost now.”

No words… Definitely I can’t find any more words to say. Changmin lied to me. He’s such a great manipulator for making me fall into his trap like this. How could I be so stupid as to give him a chance? How could I let myself rely upon him for protection? Min Hee, you’re so stupid! How could have not seen it coming? His false affection, his false worries, his false smiles...

The great Shim Changmin is a great liar after all...

I felt like I should just die right there. He’s not worth my pain and sadness. Min Hee, it’s time for you to forget about him… for good.

“What are you still doing here? Are you waiting for a farewell gift, as a token of your failed marriage?” he chuckled. “Fine then. Feel this! And take it to your grave!”

And before I could react due to shock and breakdown, he smacked the back of his gun to the side of my head, hard. And I remembered nothing more.

*END FLASH*

Min Hee took a sharp intake of breath as she regained her consciousness. InKyung was at her side, holding her hands tightly, her face worried.

“Oh my God, Onnie! You scared me! You look so pale and you wouldn’t wake up,” InKyung was starting to cry. “Please don’t ever do that again,” she pleaded softly. She squeezed Min Hee’s hands a repeatedly, not caring that her hands was turning sweaty.

“Uh... Where are we?” she asked as she helped herself to get into a comfortable sitting position. They were both on the floor somehow. Min Hee couldn’t remember where she was at before she passed out. She recalled that she went to the kitchen to fetch some water to wet her throat, and that was when... “Where are we?!” she asked more, voice alerted.

“It’s oppa’s private office. Junsu ordered us to stay here. He said he sensed something and he’s investigating it now,” InKyung explained quietly as if afraid that someone might hear them all the way from the basement. “Unnie, I have a bad feeling about this.”

Min Hee massaged the back of her head which was pounding hard. The more she tries to concentrate, the more it felt like her brain is going to burst. She hissed.

“Where is oppa when we need him?”

At the mention of Changmin’s being, Min Hee’s brain started to stir again, and her vision blurred badly. “Ugh...” Her hands soon found its way to squeeze her head, and she squeezed it hard hoping to ease the annoying sore.

“Onnie, are you okay? Does your head hurt?” the younger asked worriedly. “Onnie please don’t push yourself to remember...” she added softly right after. A consoling hand patted her back and brought Min Hee closer for a hug.

Min Hee shook her head. “Not only there, but here too...” she spoke gently as her face pained, her left hand landed on her chest where her heart was supposed to be.

Yes, she remembered the night of the attack at last. How intense her blood had driven all over her body, how terrified she was and mostly, how disappointed she had been when she it was revealed that Changmin had lied to her for the whole two years that she’d known him. How stupid she was to believe the words of a great mafia. She had silently prayed that she was killed that night so that she wouldn’t have to face the painful heartbreak. But it seemed that fate had more in store for her, and instead she was granted her second wish, which is to take Shim Changmin out of her life forever.

How mistaken she was... The love that she had for him was too strong that it came back to her eventually, even without her memories. No matter how much anger, hatred and disappointment was present, it was a useless effort to part from a soulmate. Changmin kept on finding his way towards her and he just wouldn’t stop.

The man she met that night was certainly not Shim Changmin.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

A loud beeping sound floated across the room, blended among the noises of pain and courage. Changmin immediately turned his head towards the direction of the sound before quickly ducking his upper body to avoid a side punch and a flying kick.

He huffed. This is certainly going to take forever. Choikang has planned everything carefully. Even when all his men had stormed in for back up, there still wasn’t enough fists to fight and they seemed to be losing the for the first time. What else has Shim Choikang discovered about his family and strategies?

“Aahhh... Master Choikang has finally arrived at your exotic Mansion, Milord,” Micky announce in utter satisfaction. “It will be sooner that he’ll capture your precious bride and kill her. You’re definitely going down and Master Choikang can finally retrieve his rightful throne once again!”

Changmin's eyes bulged instantly.

Not again...