I saw panic flash across Jiyong's face as he saw what the toddler was holding. In the blink of an eye, he snatched it from Caleb's clutch. Perhaps too aggressively. Slightly dumbfounded by Ji's reaction, I just stood there, as Caleb burst into tears. The curly haired boy began howling in shock, despite GD's attempts to calm him down. 

With a slight look of desperation on his face, Ji glanced at me. Slapping myself back to the present, I reached forward and took my sister's child from him, my brain, clouded. It was only when my sister appeared, that I managed a few words. 

At the sight of her red-faced son, she stared at the man standing opposite me.

"..What did you do to him?!" 

"Sis, it's nothing, Caleb's fine" I intercepted. 

She peered at the both of us, narrowing her eyes.

"...Is everything okay between you guys?" 

Before this turned into a full on interrogation, I ushered her out of the room.

"The service starts in five, Ambs" 

"Got it"

Hands shaking, I turned around and faced him, my expression asking for an explanation.

"I...uh.." he murmured.

It suddenly felt cold. 

"Amber, I have something to tell you"

All hope flew out of the window. He was going to tell me something. I was pretty sure the words 'Will you marry me?" formed a question, not a statement.

"Go on..."

I stared at him. Properly. I took in his chisled jawline and tired eyes. His muscles, barely concealed beneath his uniform. His face. I'd kissed every inch of it. Finally, my eyes met his again. This time, I couldn't help noticing his rigid glare. At that moment, I knew that the last thing on his mind was a proposal. 

"Amber. Don't look at me like that. It's over. Everything. Me. You. Us. It's all a thing of the past now" 

He could have blasted a bullet through my heart and it would have been less painful than the words he'd just said. 

"Sorry, what?"

"Mian-he"

When he started using formal korean with me, I began to lose it.

As he tried to walk past, I pushed him back. 

"Get off me. Please, just-"

He looked at me like I was dirt.

"Shut the up and let me talk!"

He stood back. Suprised at the fact that I'd swore. My voice shuddered, not because I was scared, but because I was angry.

"You've done this before. I'm not prepared to go through it again-"

"I'm not being controlled this time. I made this decision a long time ago. I'm over you"

His words stung, to say the least.

"I don't understand, I-"

"You finished it, Amber! You ended it! You just left me, waiting for you at the airport. The girl I'd given up so much for had just walked out of my life-"

My breath shook and my pulse soared.

"...Ji. You know me. Do you think I'd leave without a perfectly good reason to?"

"I don't care! I thought...We were stronger than that..."

The tension in the room began to fade, as I saw his facade break down. Tears began to form in his eyes, and he fiddled with his hands.

Amidst the sobs that jutted my breathing, I managed to murmur a few words.

"Y-You know...boarding that flight, took every inch of the strength I had left in me..."

He looked up.

"A-and, I found that video...the one of you and Caleb. I spent three hours of that flight watching it, again and again, and again, hoping-wishing that you'd love me enough to forgive me. Or wait....Obviously I was wrong" 

At that, whatever emotion that had been building up, overcame him. He roughly grabbed me by the waist and crashed his lips on mine. I felt him breath heavily against me, as he slipped his tongue into my mouth. The adrenaline that soared through my veins was too powerful for me to even question what the hell was going on. 

I'd kissed him so many times before, but never like this. I felt desperation in his touch. 

I lingered to his scent as he slowly began to run his lips over my jawline. My fingers clenched his jacket.

God, he was driving me crazy. 

Five syllables dispersed from his lips between breaths, as he moved to my neck. His breathing was uneven.

"I'm...get-getting engaged"

By this stage, my dress was hitched up, and my bra strap had slipped off my shoulder.

I shoved him against the wall.

Then slapped him in the face.

Ji stumbled backwards, his face red.  Then he grabbed my hand.

This was all moving too fast for me. Mind, numb, I adjusted myself and tried to break free from his grip. I couldn't believe any of this was happening. Someone needed to wake me up from this nightmare.

"My mother didn't like the idea of me being with you anymore than Yang Suk did, so...as soon as I enlisted, she arranged my marriage"

I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to hear anything.

"...The girl was a childhood friend-"

"Just stop talking."

"Amber, please listen!!!" His voice kept faltering. "Amber, I have no feelings for her, whatsoever"

"But, Jiyong-SHE'S GOING TO BE YOUR WIFE"

"I-"

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

"Ambs, look at me...Look at me" I turned my face away, angry tears gushing down my flushed cheeks. He'd just had his hands all over me. Now he was telling me he had to propose to another woman.

"TELL YOUR MOTHER, NO"

"I tried, God, I tried...but Hanee's family-"

"Hanee? That's her name...?"

"It doesn't matter what her name is...I only care for you"

Words such as those suddenly became dead to me. 

***

Hanee. Hanee. Hanee. A pretty name for a pretty girl, right? I bet she was gorgeous. Fair skin, dark hair, skinny legs, slim figure. Images haunted my imagination throughtout the whole duration of the service. Jiyong stood at the other side of the hall. I didn't want him anywhere near me. 

I knew he loved me. But reality is a b*tch.

When people began leaving the venue, I just sat outside, eyes vacant, watching them go by. My sister walked over to me, an overly optimistic expression on her face.

"Thank the Lord that all went well" she sighed.

"Uh-huh"

Then her eyes grew large, as she looked closely at me. I saw a judging expression swipe across her face.

"Errr...sis.....is that a..?!"

She pointed to my collarbone.

I had to crane my neck to see what she was pointing at. When I realised what it was, my face grew hot.

A hickey. He's left a love bite on my skin.

It had been there the whole time. 

"I---Uhhh---" I glued my gaze to the floor and tried to conceal it from her view with my hand.

"Dayum"

Most people would thrilled with their lover's mark claiming territory over their body. I felt sick.