I know I've made some of you cry from the last two chapters...but can you handle any more angst? Do you still have tears to shed, guys? Just hang on...

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Convincing a cab driver to take her all the way to Incheon had been next to impossible, and it was going to cost her a fortune to boot. The ride seemed interminable and traffic was heavy even at the late hour.

By the time she reached Jiyong’s gate, it was past midnight. He might not even be there for all she knew, but she suspected he was.

He’d retreated to Incheon with increasing frequency lately.

They waited at the gate while the driver spoke through the intercom. It wasn’t Jiyong who answered. She was pretty certain it was Jong-hoon. A moment later, the gate swung open and the cab pulled up the driveway. He parked in front and she paid him and got out after telling him not to wait.

Jong-hoon opened the front door and came out to greet her, worry on his face.

“Is Jiyong home?” she asked quietly.

“He is. He retired an hour ago,” Jong-hoon replied as he ushered her inside.

“I need to see him. I'll wait in his office.”

She didn’t give Jong-hoon a chance to argue.

She simply turned and walked across the living room to the office. She didn’t bother turning on the lights. There was something soothing about the darkness.

She stopped by the window, staring out into the night, at the bright, star-filled sky.

Fairy dust. A million wishes. She only needed one. Just one.

The door opened behind her. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and then turned to see Jiyong standing there in the dark.

“Bom?”

There was concern and bewilderment in his voice. He took another step forward and then reached down to turn on a lamp that rested on the table by one of the armchairs.

She flinched at the sudden burst of light and turned away, not wanting him to see what she was sure was obvious on her face.

But how could she hide it? How could she hide how devastated she was?

“What’s wrong, Bom? What are you doing all the way out here at this time of night?”

She swallowed, squared her shoulders and then took a deep breath. She turned to face him fully, uncaring of what he’d see.

“Are we done, Jiyong?” she asked bluntly.

He blinked in surprise. He opened his mouth and then snapped it shut again and frowned. “I’m not sure what to say here.”

She took a step forward. “Let me make this easy for you, Jiyong. I love you.”

He went pale and flinched. His reaction spoke volumes.

It told her everything she needed to know but some demon inside her persisted.

She’d gone this far and she’d see it to the bitter end even if it humiliated her in the process.

“I need to know where I stand,” she said in an even voice. “One minute you seem to want me and we act like—we are—lovers. The next you can’t get away from me fast enough and you’re cold, like I’m some random stranger.”

Jiyong’s lips tightened. “I was honest with you from the onset.”

She nodded. “Yes, you were. No doubt about that. But you’re sending mixed signals. Your actions contradict your words. I need to know if I have a chance here, Jiyong.”

He started to turn away and it infuriated her.

“Don’t turn your back on me,” she bit out. “At least give me that. Face me and tell me why you can’t give me commitment, why you can’t love me. I understand you lost people you loved. I get it. But it’s time to move on. You have a child, a son, who needs you. I need you,” she finished in an aching voice.

Jiyong whirled back around, his eyes flashing furiously.

“Move on? You get it? How the hell do you get it, Bom? You think that by spouting some c