She went to their bedroom after she had her time washing away a bit of her never ending sadness… surprised to see him soundly asleep on their bed… his face illuminated by a trifle of light coming from the lamp on their bedside table… but then a muffled sigh came from for she remembered he’s here because of his parents.

Afraid to wake him up and may drive him to do abusing and filthy things to her just like he used to whenever he spends the night at the mansion, she silently went to their bathroom to slip on her night gown… she stayed inside for a while… looking at her reflection against the mirror once again… forcing a smile to her tired lips but in the end failed to do so.

She went outside and good thing he’s still asleep… for tonight she could escape his lustful torture… and again she silently and slowly went to his side… slid under the covers and reached for the lamp to turn it off carefully and wishing he won’t wake up with her simple moves… she just want a break even just for tonight…

She sighed in relief as she finally settled herself on her side… she closed her eyes but then she couldn’t sleep… things about her conversation with 'his' mom kept on rewinding inside her mind… she stared at the ceiling thinking of the words her mother-in-law told her a while ago.
 

[Flashback]

“Is he giving you a hard time dear…?”

Maybe she’s too stupid for her not to let out what she really feels… maybe she really loves being abused for she can’t let out the truth… just a word away… tell her what he really does to you… but she can’t… too afraid that it would add more to his problems… add more to his pain… she swallowed the lump on … swallowing the truth to let out another lie.

“No mom… he’s not…”

She saw her smiled and it’s enough to correct that lie… she doesn’t know why… why can’t she tell them so that maybe they could finally give her the freedom that she wanted… but no… for maybe the last strand of hope is still alive inside her…

His eyes that she saw earlier… the way he looked at her… she couldn’t feel the hate she used to feel… but instead just blank... no... maybe unreadable… and perhaps it’s better to see it that way than to feel the loath and disgust in his eyes.

“He’s really a loving child… and so responsible… sometimes I feel bad whenever I see him in so much stress because of our business… he shouldn’t be taking all of these responsibilities alone… if only his brother’s here…”

She heard the sadness in her mother-in-law’s voice… she reached for her hand and tried to comfort her… it’s true… he has a lot of responsibilities… especially being the only heir of a big company… but then when she heard about his brother… curiosity began to sprung up to her… she never heard that he has a brother… never she did see him on their wedding… is he dead or something…? She thought.

“Uhm… mom… I never heard that he has a brother…”

She weakly said… she then saw a hint of surprise in ‘his’ mom’s face… she covered with her free hand… and as if she said something she shouldn’t have… Dara can’t help but to raise an eyebrow when she felt ‘his’ mom’s hesitation to tell her the things she doesn’t know…

Then after a while… her mother-in-law sighed… she put down her hand only to hold both of her hands… she looked at Dara apologetically before she started speaking.

“We’re very sorry if we kept everything to you… you’re family also know about our other son but then we decided to just keep it to ourselves since after all it wouldn’t cause any troubles or changes once you knew about him…”

Why…? What’s wrong… is he really dead…? But why did they need to keep it if it won’t cause anything…? She thought… but what ‘his’ mother told her next made her heart almost stop.

“The truth is… he should have been your husband now… if he didn’t left home three years ago maybe he’s the one who’s with you right now… but then he left… because he couldn’t take being told… his father and him always argue back then until one day he just disappeared… Jiyong had always been looking up to his brother… admiring his strong will… and when his brother left… Jiyong felt really depressed about it… and there he started to change… adding up were those responsibilities that supposed to be for his brother…”

She was left in awe… everything was not suppose to happen after all… thinking that if she married his brother, would her life turn out like this…? Would he be like Jiyong…? But then…. Thinking that his brother doesn’t like responsibilities... maybe there wouldn’t be a change after all… just like her mother-in-law said.

She truly stole a part of Jiyong’s life… another responsibility that he must abide to... another suffering that would slowly ruin his life.

“But I am really happy that our Jiyong got to meet someone like you… if by any chance he hurt or offended you… please just do understand him… maybe he’s just tired of everything that has been happening… I know you are just forced in this marriage… but I really like you dear… and I hope that in no time you could adjust in your new life now… me and my husband and especially Jiyong are all just here when you need us… I’m sure that by having you with Jiyong would help him ease his stress…”

His mother then smiled at her… she reached for Dara’s face and caressed it… tucking her loose hair behind her ears… she felt so loved by his parents… as if she’s really their child… and that love added to her last hope…

“We’re sorry if he is sometimes cold to you or uncomfortable... please just bear with him for a while... I'm sure he's also in the midst of adjusting himself..."

All Dara could do was to give a weak smile… nodding to every of her words and agreeing to stay by her child’s side… attending to his needs as his wife… maybe it’s her turn to carry those responsibilities even if it cause her own happiness… and her own freedom.

[End of flashback]

Still staring at the ceiling… she thought that those tears earlier were just to wash out the selfishness and sadness that she feels… even it’s not enough to wash all the agony she feels in her marriage… at least it lessened the pain.

Thinking that if she’s married to his brother, would she be crying outside earlier…? Would she be wishing that she should never exist…? And would she feel every torment that Kwon Jiyong has been giving to her life…? Maybe she still would…

She shifted her position… now facing his back… she watched how his side heaved up and down as he breathes… he shouldn’t be the one on her side by now… he should be with the one he loves right now… and maybe he should be happy having his freedom by now…

“I’m sorry…”

Her weak voice reverberated to the silence of the night… not really waiting for a reply but just to let out what she really feels… how could she be selfish thinking that she’s the only one hurting… maybe she’s a fool to apologize to someone who made her life miserable… but thinking that he too had that life made her feel sorry for him.

She sighed once again… she somehow wanted to reach for him… tell him that she now understands him… but she can’t… that she would be the last person he would want a pity from…

She shifted one again and now facing the open window… their backs f