Three days later…

Hospital…

Park Shin Hye bit her lower lip, trying hard to calm her heavy breathing and heartbeats that were increasing by every passing minute. Her eyes were looking at Doctor Han, who was busy reading their blood test results in front of them.

A lot of things have happened since their first consultation with Doctor Han one week ago. Not long after they took their blood test, Se Yeon came back from Taiwan and was suffering with depression. Her condition was bad and Shin Hye knows Min Ho is very worried about her. They were both busy; trying to help her and Shin Hye doesn’t even have the time to worry about herself at all. She has to use the shortest time to accept the fact that Se Yeon is back to her husband’s life and because of Hyun Jun, she have to control her jealousy and selfishness to help Se Yeon.

After the conversation she had with Hyun Jun in the hospital three days ago, Hyun Jun has slowly accepted that his mother is still alive and was sick. He listened to Shin Hye and let Se Yeon to get close to him. Since that day, Shin Hye would bring him to the hospital to see Se Yeon after school, let them familiarize and get to know each other more.

When Min Ho received the call from the doctor yesterday, telling him that their blood test results were out, Shin Hye’s mind has finally brought back to her own problem. She felt distressed and worried about the results. Although she tried very hard to comfort herself that everything will be okay but her intuition is somehow making her felt unease.

After what seems like forever, Doctor Han finally put down the file and looked up from her desk to face both of them. “As you know, the blood test report was out and we are here to discuss about the results.”

“Doctor Han…” Shin Hye bit her lip again. “… how is the… result?” She asked in a shaky voice.

Min Ho could clearly sense her nervousness as he slowly reached out and grasped her hand tightly, giving her a comforting squeeze. Compared to whether they could conceive a baby or not, he is more worried about Shin Hye’s feeling. If anything really goes wrong with either one of them, he doesn’t know how she could handle the situation. He knows how much she love children and how it will kill her if she really couldn’t conceive a baby.

Doctor Han smiled slightly at Shin Hye before looking at Min Ho. “We will start with Mr Lee first.” She said as she glanced down at the file again. “According to the test report, the first and second and analysis shows normal and he doesn’t have any significant infertility problems. The blood test result is normal too.” She looked up and smiled at him. “Everything is fine with Mr Lee. His overall result is healthy and normal.” She added as she slowly turned to Shin Hye.

Shin Hye was relieved knowing nothing is wrong with Min Ho. But when she saw the smile on Doctor Han’s face slowly faded, she suddenly felt her heart dropped to her stomach and her breath hitched in . Looking at the doctor’s reaction, the one who have a problem seems to be her.

“As for Mrs Lee…” Doctor Han let out a deep breath before pursing her lips.

Min Ho noticed the changed in the doctor’s expression and got nervous. He wasn’t comfortable with the way she looked at Shin Hye. “What happened to my wife?”

“Looking at Mrs Lee’s body check-up report, there is no significant problem in her body and overall she is consider healthy. But…” Doctor Han paused and looked at Shin Hye. “… after we have done the Clomid Challenge test to measure her ovaries and the quality and quantity of the eggs they contains…” She heaved another deep sigh. “We found a problem.”

Min Ho turned to Shin Hye when he heard a loud gasp escaped her lips and felt her freezing hand began to tremble in his grip. He inhaled a sharp intake of breath before looking back at Doctor Han.

“What problem?” He asked in a deep voice.

“The result shows that she has ovulation problem.” She announced and looked at Shin Hye with a sympathy gaze. “This problem occurs when eggs don’t mature in the ovaries or when the ovaries fail to release a mature egg. Ovulation problems are common in women infertility especially to those who have absent or infrequent periods, unusually light or heavy menstrual bleeding.”

Shin Hye held her gaze for a moment before she found the courage to spoke. “Is that mean… I’ll never get to conceive for the rest of my life?” Her voice was soft, almost a whisper but everyone in the room could hear the pain in her voice.

“Of course not.” Doctor Han quickly replied and looked at her. “We are in the 21st century now. Anything is possible as long as we don’t give up.” She paused and gave Shin Hye a warm smile. “There are a variety of fertility treatments that you can pursue to help you to conceive. Just because you have ovulation problems doesn’t mean that it is impossible for you to become pregnant.”

“You mean… there is something we can do that can help us to conceive a baby?” Min Ho cut in and asked expectantly.

Doctor Han smiled and nodded. “Yes. As I told you before… this will be a long process and it takes time. We have to be patient in order to make this work. We just need to get the right treatment for Mrs Lee.”

“Treatment? What kind of treatment?” Shin Hye asked, her eyes b with hope again.

“For the problem you are facing now, there are usually two types of treatment that could help you. First, we can use the fertility drugs. Using fertility drugs is one way to possibly increase the quantity and quality of your eggs. And the second one would be In Vitro Fertilization. IVF is a fertility treatment in which and eggs are combined in a laboratory. The resulting embryo or embryos are transferred to the woman’s uterus, where they grow into a baby.” Doctor Han explained.

“But looking at your case, since you are so young, I would suggest you start with the fertility drug, Clomiphene.” She added.

Min Ho shifted uncomfortably on the chair and looked at the doctor with a concern gaze. “What kind of drug is that? Is it safe for her to take?”

“Clomiphene is a fertility drug that helps women with ovulation problems.” Doctor Han said, looking at Min Ho. “It is a non-steroidal fertility medicine that causes the pituitary gland to release hormones needed to stimulate ovulation, to release eggs from the ovary.” She paused and turned to Shin Hye again. “Clomiphene is usually taken for five days, starting on the fifth day of your menstrual period. But before you start with the treatment, you will need to have a pelvic examination before each treatment cycle. After the treatment started, you will most likely ovulate within five to ten days. And to improve your chance of becoming pregnant, you should have extra ual with your partner while you are ovulating to increase the chances.”

Shin Hye’s face slightly reddened with her last sentence as she averted her gaze.

Min Ho cleared his throat and nodded. “I… I don’t think that would be a problem.” Extra ual activities? He would be more than willing to do so.

“So… that’s the only thing we need to do?” Shin Hye asked.

Doctor Han smiled and looked at Shin Hye. “This might sound simple but taking clomiphene can involve a large time commitment from women. Frequent trips to the hospital are required throughout each cycle in order to monitor the progress of ovulation. Although it can be time consuming, it is the best way of knowing whether or not you are responding to the pills. If ovulation occurs but your do not get pregnant after three treatment cycles, we have to stop the treatment and evaluate your infertility further because in most cases, clomiphene should not be used for more than three treatment cycles.”

Min Ho and Shin Hye nodded but both looked back at Doctor Han when she spoke again.

“However, although there are 40% of women who took clomiphene successful to conceive, but you need to know that this drug will have some side effects too.” She said.

Min Ho’s brows furrowed and found himself leaning forward with a worried expression spread across his face. “What side effects? Is it dangerous?”

“Different people have different response to the medicine. But overall, clomiphene side effects tend not to be serious. Most of the people will experience abdominal pain, tender s, minor swelling of the ovaries, insomnia, nausea and vomiting. You will tend to be tired and less energetic. Some women using this medicine can also develop a condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, especially after the first treatment. Other than the side effects I mentioned just now, OHSS can also make you pain when you breathe, rapid heart rate, and shortness of breathing. Stop the medicine immediately and come to see me right away if you have any OHSS symptoms.

The creases between Min Ho’s eyebrows got deeper as he turned to Shin Hye. “Are you sure you want to try this? If you ask me, I would rather we don’t have any child than letting you to suffer all those side effects. It sounds… dangerous to me.” He said worriedly as his grip around her hand tightened.

Shin Hye shook her head vigorously. “I want to try.” She bit her lip and looked deeply into his eyes. “I know you are worried of the side effects that I have to go through but I don’t mind. As long as it could help me, I can handle anything.”

“But…” Min Ho wanted to protest but she cut off his words.

“Please let me make this decision for myself.” She said in a pleading tone. “Just for once… please let me decide and let me try.”

Min Ho pursed his lips into a thin line and looked at her quietly.

“I know you are worried about me.” Shin Hye paused and smiled at him. “But I’m not alone. You will be with me and face all this together. Right?” She asked expectantly.

Holding her gaze for a long moment, a deep breathy sigh finally escaped his lips. He took her hand and pressed it against his chest. “Of course you are not alone. I’ll stay by your side no matter what happen.”

Shin Hye smiled at him before she turned back to Doctor Han. “Let’s get it started.”

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Lee Mansion… 

After the consultation with the doctor, Min Ho insisted to send Shin Hye home even though she wanted to stay in the hospital to wait for Hyun Jun. He usually stay in the hospital after school to keep Se Yeon accompanied, talk to her, have dinner with her before he went home with Min Ho and Shin Hye. But today was exceptional. Min Ho doesn’t want her to stay in the hospital with her condition like that. She didn’t sleep last night and she looked so tired that it worried him further. He promised her that Hyun Jun will be alright to stay in the hospital alone with Se Yeon and he will pick Hyun Jun up after he finish his work.

It was almost 9pm by the time Min Ho finished his work, picks Hyun Jun from the hospital and reached home. The moment his car stopped in the car porch, Hyun Jun quickly jumped out of the car and ran into the house.

“Lee Hyun Jun, where are you going?” Min Ho asked when he saw his son running towards the stairs in a rush.

“I’m going upstairs to look for eomma. Something is wrong with her. She didn’t wait for me in the hospital today. I think she is angry because I spend too much time with Se Yeon eomma.” Hyun Jun said impatiently, trying to catch his heavy breathing.

Min Ho let out a deep sigh before he slowly walked towards him. Crouching in front of his son, he held his tiny hand and looked at him. “Eomma is not angry with you. She wanted to wait for you but appa insist to send her home. She is not feeling well and appa want her to get some rest at home.”

“Eomma is sick?” Hyun Jun widened his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me? Did appa bring her to see the doctor?”

Min Ho smiled slightly and nodded. “We went to see the doctor this afternoon.”

“Is eomma okay?” Hyun Jun asked worriedly.

Another deep sigh escaped Min Ho’s lips before he nodded. “She… she will be okay. But because of the sickness, eomma is not in a good mood. So in order to make eomma feel better, can Hyun Jun do me a favour?”

Hyun Jun nodded his head fiercely. He will do anything as long as Shin Hye is happy.

Min Ho smiled again. “I know Hyun Jun worried about eomma but she need to rest. Can Hyun Jun be a good boy tonight, go to your room now, take your shower and sleep early? Appa have to take care of eomma and can’t read bedtime story to Hyun Jun tonight. It’s late now and ahjuhma still have a lot of work to do. Can Hyun Jun take care of yourself without making appa and eomma worried about you?”

Hyun Jun pouted his lips slightly as he stared at his father for a short moment. “Hyun Jun can take shower myself, can sleep early without any bedtime story. But can appa promise Hyun Jun that eomma will be alright and I’ll get to see her tomorrow?”

Min Ho nodded as he pulled Hyun Jun closer to him. He reached out and gently caressed his chubby cheek. “Appa promise Hyun Jun that eomma will be fine and appa will take care of her. She is our queen. We will protect her and will not let anything happen to her.”

Hyun Jun smiled and nodded. “Eomma is our queen. We will take care of her and won’t let her sick again.” He then leaned over and kissed Min Ho’s face. “Hyun Jun will go up now, take my shower and sleep early. Tell eomma Hyun Jun love her. Goodnight appa.”

“Goodnight, Hyun Jun.” Min Ho kissed him back before watching his son carefully walking up the stairs.

Min Ho turned the doorknob and gently pushed the door open. As expected, when he stepped into the room, Shin Hye was sitting on the couch beside the huge glass window and looking outside mindlessly. She was deep in her thought and didn’t realize someone came in.

Putting his briefcase at the side very softly, he slowly walked towards the couch and took a seat beside her. Before she could even react by the movement beside her, Min Ho already wrapped his arms around her from behind, bringing her into his embrace.

Shin Hye turned slightly and looked up at him. “You are back. I didn’t know you would come home so early. I haven’t prepare the hot water for you yet.”

“It’s not early now. It’s almost 9pm when we reached home.” Min Ho said, brushing the strands hair away from her forehead.

“9pm?” Shin Hye’s eyes slightly widened as she tried to pull away from him. But when he tightened his arms around her and doesn’t let her go, she stopped moving and looked at him. “What are you doing? I need to prepare the hot water for you.”

Min Ho shook his head. “I’ll just take a shower in the shower stall later.”

Shin Hye stopped moving again and looked at him. “How’s Se Yeon? I didn’t go to see her today. Is she okay?”

“I don’t want to talk about her today.” Min Ho said in a firm tone. He has spent enough time on Se Yeon and neglected his own wife. Tonight… he just want to talk about her, make sure she is okay.

There was a slight pause before she spoke again. “What about Hyun Jun? Has he taken his shower yet? I need to take a look at him.” She said, trying to pull herself up but was stopped by him again.

“He is not a baby. He will know how to take care of himself.” Min Ho said, looking into her eyes. “Can you stop worrying about us and let us take care of you… just for once?”

Shin Hye bit her lip and averted her gaze. “I’m not a baby too. I don’t need anyone to take care of me. I’m okay.” She said in a soft whisper.

Min Ho moved his hand to cup her face, forcing her to look back at him. “You are not okay. You are worried, you are unhappy and you are sad. You are just putting a strong mask on your face so that the people around you will not worry about you. But I’m not just the ‘people around you’. I’m your husband, the man that love you and promise to face everything together with you.” He paused, gently turned her around so that they are facing each other now. “Talk to me. Don’t keep everything inside your heart because I don’t know what you are thinking inside.”

Holding his gaze for a long moment, tears began to well in Shin Hye’s eyes as it slowly dripped down her cheeks. She could no longer hold back herself anymore. “My heart…” She cried, pressing her hand hard against her chest. “… my heart hurt, it felt like it’s tearing apart. You know how much I love children. I always want to have a child with you.” She paused, looking at him with a painful gaze. “If it’s a boy, he will look like you, handsome and smart. He will be Hyun Jun’s little companion, play with him, and study together with him. If it’s a girl, she will look like me, I’ll teach her to be gentle, to be caring, so that she could take care of her brother and be a lovely princess in this home.”

She closed her eyes and more tears rushing out of her eyes. “But all this is not going to happen. I’m very useless. I can’t even keep my promise to Hyun Jun and give a baby brother to him. I’ll never have a chance to have my own baby… to be a mother.”

It was not only her. Looking at how painful she cried in front of him, Min Ho’s heart felt like it’s tearing apart too. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly against his heaving chest. All the words he wanted to say to her got stuck in his throat, unable to find his voice. She was always so strong no matter how much he hurt her in the past. But now, she was so fragile, so weak and totally devastated by the news.

Since he was adopted thirteen years ago, he has never feel so helpless before. In business, he always has a way to succeed and get what he wants. In his life, everything was controlled in his hand and as long as he wants, nothing could ever escape from him. As for love, when he was firm that Se Yeon was the one he wanted, he doesn’t think twice to keep her in his life. Even when things don’t goes as what he planned between them, he let her go, let her find her own happiness without any regret.

But when it comes to Shin Hye, he always felt powerless. She always has a way to make him helpless and uncontrollable. From a relationship that started with a piece of contract, she was able to turn this into a real marriage and walked straight into his heart. She makes him jealous, she makes him angry, she makes him smile, she makes him laugh, she makes him happy and now… she makes him pain… pain and heartbroken for her.

“I understand.” Min Ho finally found his voice back and broke the silence. “I know how much it hurt because seeing you like this, my heart feel the same too.” He slowly pulled back a bit, just enough to look at her. “But who said you wont have a chance to conceive a baby? Nobody said that. Doctor Han said taking the medicine could help. Although it’s not 100% but at least there is a chance. Even if fertility drugs don’t work, we can still go for IVF. Do you know how many women succeed to conceive through IVF in Korea? It’s not something impossible now.” He paused and gently wiped her tears away. “Don’t worry. As long as work harder and don’t give up, miracle will happen.”

He inhaled a deep breath before he cradled her face in his hands, leaned in to kiss her red swollen eyes. “Please don’t cry.” He whispered, looking into her eyes. “My poor heart couldn’t handle seeing you like this.”

Shin Hye let her tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she leaned into his hand, pressing a kiss to his palm. She met his gaze with her teary eyes, sobbing softly. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Min Ho furrowed his brows.

“Sorry for… worrying you and… couldn’t give you a… hmmm…” Before the word ‘child’ could slip out from , Min Ho leaned forward to capture her lips, shutting her up with a deep kiss. She closed her eyes, letting herself melt into his kiss, letting his kiss to soothe her painful heart. The feeling was torturing and only he could stop the pain.

Neither of them knows how much time has passed when Min Ho finally pulled away and broke the kiss. Still holding her face firmly in his hands, he pressed his forehead against hers, both breathing heavily.

“Don’t apologize.” Min Ho said, his voice deep and hoarse. “You didn’t do anything that you need to say sorry to me. The person that I love and the person that I want… is you. Whether you can have baby or not, I don’t care. What I want is you to be healthy and happy. I don’t need you to give birth to my baby to show me how much you love me. I can see it with my eyes and feel it with my heart.” He pulled back slightly and looked deeply into her eyes. “Do I have issue interpreting my feelings to you? Why you don’t seem to understand how much I love you?”

Her tears continued to stream down her face, seeping into his hands.

Heaving a deep sigh, Min Ho wiped the flowing tears with his thumb. “If Hyun Jun saw you like this, he will be heartbroken too. He was so worried when I told him you were sick just now.”

His lips slowly curled up in a small smirk when he saw her eyes grew wide and tears started to stop. Using Hyun Jun to stop her tears always work better than his honest confession. He can’t stop himself for feeling jealous of his son sometimes.

“Don’t tell him that I cry because of this. He won’t understand and it will only make him worried.” Shin Hye said.

Min Ho chuckled softly. “Then what about me? Can’t you see I’m worried to death now?”

“I’m sorry.” Shin Hye bit her lip.

“Silly.” Min Ho pinched her nose softly and pretends to glare at her. “I’m telling you all this not because I want you to feel sorry. I just want you to know and understand how much both of us love you.”

Shin Hye locked her gaze with his, as the pain in her heart slowly faded by every word he said to her.

“You are the queen in this house. If you are not happy, none of us will be happy.” He said as his fingers gently trailed along the curve of her jaw.

Shin Hye couldn’t help and let out a soft chuckle. “Queen? I didn’t know my status is so high in this house.” She smiled and sniffed at the same time.

Min Ho didn’t reply her but just stared at her quietly. After a long while, he finally spoke again with his lips curved in a light smile. “I always take things for granted and never thought making you smile can be so hard. After watching you cry so painfully just now, it felt so precious to see you laugh again.”

“I cry because my heart hurt for not being able to give you the most precious thing in my life.” Shin Hye said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “But I will only cry in front of you. Only you could see this side of me, the real side of me… because you are my husband.”

The smile on Min Ho’s face slowly widened as his hands moved to her nape and her waist at the same time. He gently pushed her backward until she was lying flat on the couch with him hovered on top of her.

“W-What are you doing?” Shin Hye looked at him, shocked by his sudden action.

“Since you remind me that I’m your husband, I think I need to fulfil my responsibility and do my job well. I have stop you from crying and now I have to do something to make you feel better.” He said with a mischievous grin.

Shin Hye raised her brows and looked at him in co