A/N: A long chapter updated! Enjoy reading ^^

~TAEYEON~

I woke up with a start, my heart hammering wildly in my chest. I sat up and glanced around at the menacing shadows in the unfamiliar room.

Where was I? This wasn’t my bedroom! This wasn’t my bed!

The sound of a baby crying broke the silence and the memory of the previous day came rushing back.

Hayi!

I glanced at the digital clock on my bedside table. I read twelve-thirty. Shoving the covers aside, I stood up and quickly crossed the door.

I’d taken only one step into the dimly lit hallway when I collided with a solid, warm, half- man.

“Oh!” I staggered backward.

“I’m sorry! Are you alright?” Jiyong clasped my upper arms to steady me.

“Yes…Thank you.” I answered, though I felt oddly breathless. As my eyes adjusted to the shadowed darkness, I found myself staring at the smooth clean lines of Jiyong’s muscled chest.

My pulse skittered to a halt as I lifted my gaze to meet his, and in that heart-stopping second I felt a strong but unmistakable tug of attraction.

Suddenly the sound of Hayi’s cries grew louder and more urgent. We reacted simultaneously and like two clumsy clowns performing a slapstick routine, we bumped into each other a second time.

This time my hands trapped against Jiyong’s chest. Beneath my splayed fingers, I could feel the warmth of his skin, its smooth texture and at the prolonged contact a quicksilver jolt of response spiraled through me.

“Honestly, are we trying to practice for a gag show?” Jiyong said, humor lacing his voice. “Hayi will never get fed if we keep this up.”

“Sorry.” I mumbled. Jerking free of his hold.

“Why don’t you go downstairs and warm her bottle while I change her?”

“Okay.” I said, happy to comply, eager to put some distance between us.

Downstairs, I set the baby’s bottle in the bowl with warm water, all the while recalling those moments on the landing.

It had been a long time since I’d felt the strength and comfort of a man’s arms around me. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed it until now.

Annoyed at the route my thoughts had taken, I silently berated myself. I couldn’t be attracted to Jiyong. The very idea was unthinkable.

Deliberately, I switched my thoughts to our confrontation in the kitchen earlier and to what Jiyong’s startling comment about Taerin agreeing to give him custody of Hayi.

It couldn’t be true!

Could it?

Taerin had told me Jiyong had been the one threatening to fight her for custody. One of them had to be lying.

But which one?

I had lain awake for some tome pondering the question. On reflection, I had to acknowledge that I’d never expected to open my front door and find Taerin on the doorstep with a newborn baby in tow.

Marriage and children hadn’t been at the top of Taerin’s list of priorities but the fact remained, Taerin was married and she was now a mother of a beautiful, healthy baby and I couldn’t bring myself to believe my twin would willingly agree to give up her child.

Whatever problems Taerin and Jiyong faced in their marriage, it was obvious Hayi was the one who had the most to lose.

I decided my best course of action was to simply wait until I heard from Taerin and in the meantime avoid any further confrontations or close physical contact with Jiyong.

After testing the bottle, I headed upstairs.

Jiyong, with an increasingly fretful Hayi in his arms, was pacing the room. A look of relied came into his eyes when I appeared.

“You have the perfect timing.” Jiyong said, reaching for the baby bottle I’d brought.

When my fingers brushed his, it almost took all of me to ignore the faint tremor of awareness that rippled up my arm.

“She slept longer than I thought she would.” I commented as Jiyong walked to the rocking chair and sat down.

I lingered near the door, captivated, as I watched Jiyong settle Hayi into a comfortable position against his chest. In a matter of seconds those familiar sounds could be heard as the baby eagerly drank from the bottle.

“You know what? You don’t have to stay and supervise.” Jiyong told me in a low voice. “I assure you I’m highly capable of feeding and burping my daughter. Ain’t no need for a chaperone.”

Our gazes met. “I wasn’t…”

“Or are you hanging around for another reason?” he asked, his gaze drifting over my scanty nightdress.

My breath caught in my throat, surprised at the blatant ual undertone in his voice. Dear god! Help me! He thought I was Taerin, my identical twin, the mother of his child!

I glanced down at the cotton nightshirt that reached midway to my thighs and realized I had only myself to blame for the speculative gleam I could see in his eyes.

“I wasn’t….you can’t….” I stumbled to a halt, heat suffusing my face.

amusement tugged at the corner of his mouth and silently I berated myself for reacting. Without another word, I withdrew but not before I saw a glint of triumph flicker briefly in his eyes.

Five hours later I reached out to shut off the buzzing sound coming from the clock. This time I remembered exactly where I was, and I lay listening for a sound that would tell me if either Jiyong or Hayi was awake. The house was shrouded in silence.

After a quick shower, I dressed in my faded jeans and baggy sweater I’d worn the day before. Tying my hair back in a loose ponytail, I tiptoed across the hall to the nursery.

Smiling, I gazed down at Hayi’s sleeping figure. She hadn’t awakened again but I felt sure she’d be awake any minute now. As I watched her, u felt my throat tighten with unshed tears and that familiar ache tug at my heart.

Hayi was so beautiful. So perfect. So healthy.

I wondered for a moment if Taerin truly realized how fortunate she was to have given birth to a healthy baby.

Hayi stretched and started to whimper. Before she began crying in earnest, I reached into the crib and lifted her into my arms. I cuddled her against my shoulder and if soft, whispered tones, I shushed her.

After changing and feeding Hayi, I popped her back into her crib and headed to the kitchen. Pulling out three eggs, a loaf of bread and a package of coffee, I started breakfast. It wasn’t long before the aroma of coffee brewing filled the kitchen.

“Have you fed Hayi already?” the sound of Jiyong’s voice startled me and I spun around to face him.

My breath snagged in my throat at the sight of him, his hair wet from shower, his jaw freshly shaved, his lean body draped in a gray three-piece business suit, white shirt and striped tie. He looked like a model on the cover of a L’Officiel Hommes magazines and it was all I could do to find my voice.

“Yes.” I replied, resolutely reminding myself that Jiyong was my sister’s husband. And that men with good looks, easy charm and icredible appeal were not to be trusted.

“Is that coffee I smell? What are you doing?” Jiyong asked as he dropped his briefcase on the kitchen table.

“Making breakfast. Would you like a poached egg?”

Jiyong blinked, his surprise obvious. “You’re offering to make breakfast for me?”

I instantly realized I’d made a mistake. I knew Taerin’s cooking skills were limited and from Jiyong’s reaction it wasn’t hard to deduce that Taerin hadn’t been in the habit of cooking breakfast for her husband.

“I thought I’d try.” I replied cautiously.

“Thanks. I’ll pick up something on my way to the office.”

“Okay.” I said, turning back to the stove, aware of the sideways glance Jiyong threw my way. Heart pounding, I focused my attention on breaking the egg and dropping it gently into the simmering water.

I’d be glad when he left for work, I thought absently, finding his presence much too disturbing.  

“So, Erica, do enlighten me. How long are you planning to stick around? Will you still be here when we get back?”

I bristled at his tone. “Of course I’ll be here. I wouldn’t leave Hayi.”

“Ah…but here’s the thing. You see, that isn’t the issue here because Hayi’s coming with me.”

Startled, I turned to meet his amused gaze, my breakfast forgotten. “What?” I said.

“Was I speaking a foreign language?” He asked, a hint of impatience in his voice. “I said Hayi is coming with me to the office.” Jiyong repeated, his brown eyes daring me to argue. “You don’t think after your last little disappearing act, I’d be dumb enough to leave my daughter here with you, do you?”

I inhaled sharply at Jiyong’s words. Surprise ricocheted through me, but I held his gaze, determined not to let him see just how much he’d shaken me.

“You can’t mean that.” I pushed the words past lips that were dry.

“Get real, Erica. We both know the very minute I drive away you’ll bundle up Hayi and hit the road again.”

I swallowed, finding myself couldn’t argue, nor could I blame him for thinking the worst of me. But before I could respond, the phone started ringing.

Jiyong spun away and grabbed his phone. “Hello! Yes, Sunny. What’s up?” He listened for a moment and I watched as his expression swiftly underwent change.

“You’re right. I did forget about the meeting.” Annoyance edged his voice. “No, don’t cancel it. It took me months to get the two parties to agree to meet with me in the first place.” He glanced down his wristwatch. “I can still be there in time if I leave right now. Thanks for the reminder, Sun. I’ll see you in the office later.”

Jiyong heaved a sigh and crossed the table. “How long will it take to get Hayi ready?” he asked as he opened his briefcase.

I glanced over at him in surprise. “You aren’t taking Hayi with you to your meeting?”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” he answered, his tone impatient as he began to rearrange some files.

“Yes, you do. Leave Hayi here with me. It isn’t fair to wake her up and drag her off at a moment’s notice.” I argued.

Jiyong dropped the folders back into his briefcase.

“You must be joking!” his tone was scathing. “You vanish without a trace days before the baby’s due and you expect me to trust you not to run off with her again. I don’t think so!”

I managed to keep my expression neutral, determined not to react to his outburst while my mind raced at his revelation.

“I’m thinking of Hayi.” I said, ignoring the look of disbelief that flashed in his eyes. “It isn’t fair to disrupt her schedule. She’s just a baby. How do you expect to care of her and conduct a meeting at the same time? I doubt your clients want to listen to her cry.” I added for emphasis.

Jiyong hesitated and my heart bloomed at the way he considered Hayi. Jintae on the other hand...God only knew how shattered I was when he left me and Hanbin just like that.