CHAPTER 10: ONE WAY TICKET TO YOU

Things happened unexpectedly, Irene was rushed to the hospital after she lost her consciousness in the middle of the heated argument of the psychologist and her friend. The four of them were waiting outside of the room waiting for her laboratory results. Wendy was able to admit that she felt guilty of having her emotions taken over by anger but she just couldn't understand the fact of what her friend was doing to the businesswoman.

"Yes, Irene unnie was old enough to understand how relationships go but can't you look at the situation happening right now? Seulgi, that doesn't mean you're my friend I would just let this past but you should also consider her," Son pointed to her friend's ex-wife who was talking to the doctor while the psychologist was just sitting silently across her. Seulgi didn't utter a single word after what happened earlier, as usual, she doesn't know how to control her emotion especially that her ex-wife was with her.

Even Jisoo didn't even ask about what was going on between the two of them.

"She's physically and mentally tired." Jisoo sat a few chairs away from the psychologist as she still didn't understand what was going on. If she would just straight up say that she was feeling jealous about the thing between her ex-lover and the businesswoman then it would be pointless for her to appear here and asked for closure. "Wendy, did Irene tell you that she's been experiencing severe migraine?"

The woman looked up to the model and shook her head. "When she's in Seoul, I would just see her occasionally drinking pain relievers. She didn't tell me the reason though, I also don't bother to ask." Wendy might have hated Jisoo for leaving Seulgi but there was no place for her hatred right now especially that the real problem here wasn't her. "I'm going to excuse myself, I have to get her some food."

The two were left sitting alone at the waiting area, the only sound they could hear was the inaudible noises of machines and voices of nurses passing around but none of them didn't bother to talk when suddenly. "Jisoo..."

JISOO'S POV

I don't know whether to feel angry or sad, grateful or crying, all of my emotions were mixed right now. I mean it's been a while since we parted ways and I know that for the last years of our marriage, I've forgotten about her, her whole existence was just a shadow for me and I know, I know I've regretted it.

Seulgi had been my whole life since then, she made me realize that things don't work out as what we have wanted, and that's true, my life doesn't work the way I used to before, the time where it was only me and her. I've already regretted having too much selfishness in my body.

She was once my everything but now, I'm her nothing.

She looked at me, those monolid eyes of hers that once had the most precious light of affection as they looked at me but now, I can barely see anything or it was just nothing. Seulgi held both of my hands, the warmth that I used to have, those hands that are willing to touch me whenever they can, it was empty.

"I know..." I whispered. "I know I wasn't able to do my best when we were together, I know that I've neglected you for years that I have you, Seulgi, I really am sorry." I felt my heart twitch in pain, I shouldn't feel the hurt, right? In the very first place, the only thing she had done for me was to love me and fulfil the vows she promised in front of the altar that I'd never forget.

"You also need to be happy." I said, swallowing the pride saying that I should snatched her away from that woman. I'm not mad but I just realized the fear that I had before after having her would never come but here I am now, standing in front of her,

Willing to let go.

"Through the years, the only thing you've done in your life was to make me happy." I cupped both of her cheeks. "Tell, did she?" I whispered as I stopped my tears from falling. I have no right to cry in front of her, all I did to her was to break her and I shouldn't feel this way. "Irene made you feel it right?"

"Of course, no matter how far you are, I would always hold you close to me, as long as my arms are attached to my body, I will always love you."

And I guess her arms were not my haven anymore, my heart was broken into pieces as I leaned my forehead to hers. "Tell me, I wouldn't be mad, love..." My voice was starting to shake as I saw everything in her eyes that it wasn't me anymore, it was clearly written in there, it's my fault.

I felt her both of her arms wrapped around me and that was the time I realized that I've already lost the most precious gem I've had in life. A tear had escaped from my eyes when I heard her whisper.

"She did and I didn't notice her coming..."

I smiled and looked up at her, there's nothing more I can do but to be happy for her, and I know that was the only thing I can do to make her at peace.

"Be happy, and make her happy, please."

--

"Wendy, please..." A feminine voice coming from the bedroom made the woman peek at the comfort room. "I'm really tired right now, and it's cold, I have to sleep." Irene asked as she draped the duvet back to her face but her friend opened the door of the balcony, welcoming the cold winter of early December. Time had passed and Irene had finally decided to cut off some ties with the psychologist, she didn't want to hurt someone, either herself.

She doesn't want to give herself a false alarm.

"No matter how you say no." Her friend took the duvet off of her and held both of her wrist. "We need to, as much as you hate it we need to go and come back here before the night comes." Of course, Irene needed to listen to her friend or she would be nagged by her friend the whole day. The woman took her hands off from the woman's grip and walked towards her closet to prepare herself.

"I'll be seeing you downstairs, take your time, Emilia have already called us since earlier so you should follow soon after." The businesswoman nodded her head and proceeded to do her business in changing her clothes.

A month after that thing happened between the two of them and she had never got the chance to check the younger, it's not that she's afraid of what happened to the psychologist it's just she was just feeling strange after the argument happened between her friend and Seulgi. Though Jisoo had occasionally checked her through Wendy, she had never got the chance to ask about her.

The businesswoman was busy cleaning her face when her phone suddenly rang from her pocket. A phone call, from an unknown number. "Irene Bae, speaking?" She asked as she took a towel to wipe the excess water from her face.

"I miss you..." The woman dropped the towel from her hand as she looked at her reflection from the mirror. "Please don't ignore me..." Irene couldn't collect all the mixed emotions she had herself to herself as she remembered the owner of the voice.

"Seulgi..."

"Señorita?" Before she could even say something, the call hung up, making her lost back to her thoughts once again. The woman couldn't believe that after a month of haven't being able to see or talk to her, the psychologist still managed to get a chance to call her.

"If there's a way, there's a way."

"There's a delivery for you." Two of the butlers went inside of the room and put a black velvety rectangular box on the woman's bed. Irene didn't expect any delivery to anyone right now, nonetheless...

"There was also a letter for you, the delivery man had told me not to open it so we just brought it upstairs. Your friend was also waiting for you in the dining room so be wise with your time, the breakfast is also ready." Emilia said before they left the businesswoman in her room.

I shower you with gifts and I wouldn't expect anything, the only thing I wanted was you and your love for me, but of course that wouldn't happen because you only see me as nothing but a sinner.

Irene took the letter and sat at the chair across her bed, it was a black envelope with a wax closure. The cover itself showed supremacy from whoever the person had sent it to her. The businesswoman opened it revealing a well-written letter inside.

"Wear the dress in the box and meet me tonight. I know you will be able to know the place."

Irene shook her head and proceeded to take her long coat. "There were a lot more interesting things that will happen tonight," She whispered to herself as she draped it over her body. "and you were just the least priority I have." The businesswoman looked at the ring she had on her finger.

"You are too late."

--

Walking around the streets of Madrid doesn't feel the same way as how it felt before, the shame of how the accident ended before had made her to be a publicly shy type of a person whom she knew to herself that she had never been like that but luckily, Irene was glad enough to have a friend like the person strolling with her right now to comfort her. "Are you okay?" Wendy asked as she put the businesswoman's hand on her long coat's pocket. The cold atmosphere had made the woman's nose to become red but the woman nodded her head just to make her friend understand that she was okay. Irene knew that whenever she said no, an overreacting woman would arrive, for sure.

"We're here." Wendy said as they both entered the boutique just to make the woman behind the cashier stall to stand up and assist them. The cashier greeted them a good morning and brought the two of them to the back portion of the shop, where the customized dresses and gowns are shown and taken by their owners.

"Valentina, it's nice to see you again." Irene said abruptly as she saw a woman in her mid-thirties fixing a black revenge gown dressed into the mannequin, it was a plain black with gold essence at the wide opening of the back, Irene had personally picked the gown for herself without asking any suggestions from her friend since she had already knew that Wendy wouldn't let her to wear such thing.

Well, indeed, her friend acts more likely to be her mother than the true one.

"Unnie, what is that?" The woman asked as she looked around the gown, the businesswoman just shook her head and watched her friend inspect it, no matter how much the younger would comment about it, Son wouldn't be able to change her mind that is what she really wanted in the very first place.

"Don't you like it?" She asked, crossing her legs from the chair she was sitting on. Valentina approached Wendy and put her arms around her shoulder.

"She would look gorgeous with that little human, aren't you going to let her look prettier than usual?" Wendy just rolled her eyes as she heard the words 'little human', the three of them laughed and talked about the event happening tonight. "So masquerade, it is?" Valentina asked as she looked at the businesswoman before motioning her workers to put the dress inside the box. "Are you sure about that, Irene?" The businesswoman became silent for a while as she looked at the engagement ring she had on her finger.

After the problem happened in Madrid had reached to her father's ear, without any further discussion about her status as a single woman, Irene had accepted his offer in marrying a Spanish-Korean man named Mateo Rodriquez III, though she needed to put up for a show once again, the businesswoman herself couldn't take the rumours about her having a relationship with a divorced woman, she didn't like the idea of it and she would never be. This setup would be much better for now that Irene knew that after the news would globally public for tonight the psychologist for sure would also stop from bothering her.

That was the least thing she can do, she can't go deeper with her emotions with the psychologist.

The woman stood up from her seat and nodded her head. "There's nothing I can do but to agree with it."

Valentina saw the sadness written on the businesswoman's eyes making her shake her head and excused the woman out of the place for a while. The two walked a safe distance away from Wendy just to make sure that the woman wasn't able to hear what they were talking about. "There's nothing much I can do for you, Irene." The woman hugged her tight making the businesswoman feel that it was the thing she needed the most right now. "Mateo is a nice guy but if you don't want the relationship that you are about to enter then don't do it, just let go,"

She tapped both of her shoulders and looked at her straight to her soul. "Because I knew it wasn't him anyways."

--

IRENE'S POV

I just realized that time never moves the same as it was before, it's like I opened my eyes and it was morning then a few seconds after it's already dawn. A knock on my door had made me go out of my trance, I saw my sister peeking at the side and I motioned her to come in. Building such a decision to get married was tough, a really tough one but that was the only escape route I have for now to avoid such violence I chose to have when that woman was sitting on the same boat ride I have.

"Unnie." Suzy sat on my side as we both looked at our reflection in the mirror, I smiled at her. Suzy had decided to come over after Wendy opened about the situation happened in here, gladly, our parents haven't suspected about her sudden departure from the company to come in here, she was also the one who suggested to just wait for them to know about it since that would be also the outcome of it, why bother to say something if they would still know about it, right? Suzy puts her head on my shoulder, we never show each other how affectionate we are but whenever there was a time like this, we all knew that our comfort for each other was the only thing we needed.

"What's up?" I asked as I put my hands on the top of hers.

"Nothing..." She took something from the inside of her coat and handed it to me. Seeing it so familiar, I remembered what it was. "Emilia wasn't able to give this to you personally so she called me saying that she will be waiting for me here to give you this, she said the maids saw this when they were recycling the bags." It was the ticket she gave me before, I even forgot about the movie she was talking about that time and I never got the chance to see it... with her.

Suzy turned around to look at me from head to foot. "You look so gorgeous." She said, making me smile.

"I know... thank you." I put the ticket on the drawer underneath the vanity mirror and stood up. "There were a lot of things you needed to do, why are you staying here? You should start preparing for tonight, you still have a few hours." I said as I took the box from my bed and put it to the closet. I would never get the chance to wear it anyways, and I don't want to give her any false hope, there would be no reason for me to see her, we're just mere strangers.

"Unnie." Suzy called me and I know she wanted to say something and I didn't want to hear anything from someone right now, especially about this. Things are making me hard right now, especially thinking about her.

I may just be confused about my own emotions right now but addressing her as someone I wanted was the least thing I wanted to feel, because I know to myself, this was just a game of hide and seek and this time it wasn't between a group of people but it was about me and her. "Suzy, please..."

"If you're going to let her go just like that then it was just a waste." She sighed. "You're not like that, the older sister I have was ready to things she needed to face in her life especially to her freedo-"

"Suz-"

"Don't be such a coward, are you just going to hide for all of your life? I know you're not... I know you can't, just please, stop pretending."

I sighed and turned around to face her. "Don't you understand? Don't you understand, I can't, have you seen what happened after she arrived? I didn't see her coming Suzy, and now, you're pushing me to be with her, she ruined my reputation and I don't want our family to be broken down into pieces to such a simple problem like her."

"You will regret it." She said before living me alone inside my own bedroom. Would I? It was just a pure accident, I never saw her and I wasn't willing to reciprocate such a thing that would just cause a huge damage for the both of us.

For my own sanity.

I can't have her.

--

Jazz music was playing around the ballroom's hall, some dashing gentlemen walking around with some beautiful, astonishing and down to earth goddesses standing on their sides. "Buenas noches, bienvenido a la mansión de Romero." A group of men were seen welcoming some of the guests, maids were flocked around to serve tonight's dinner, everything was moving fine, the Hispanic mansion who still brought the name of the previous owners became the star of the night, international medias and some big business tycoons cannot contain their emotions to see the most beautiful news of the night.

It was all shine and capture but behind the light was a woman waiting in the dark, she watched every movement of the people from the outside, waiting for the time that she was able to see the person she was eager to look for. Tonight, she will be able to know if everything was worth it to fight for. It wouldn't be a problem anyways, she'd been through a lot of problems and fighting for someone was just a small matter for her.

But winning her heart would be the most possible thing she had right now.

The event had officially started with a masquerade dance, a group of people went to the middle of the dance floor as the music started. It was all fun in melodies when the master of the ceremony had announced the arrival of the main characters of the night. With her delicate hand sitting at the top of her partner's arm, they walked to the middle of the dance floor and started to do their dance with the others.

Every movement inside the mansion was all evident from where she was. Seulgi still holds on for the hope that the woman would do something to meet her tonight. The pavilion, the place where it all started, even though Irene wasn't wearing the dress she had sent, the dream of seeing her tonight was still there and she wouldn't let it lose completely just because the event had started, it's all about the waiting game.

The night started to dig deeper to the skies of Alcala de Henares, yet the psychologist still sat at the dark pavilion, still waiting for the woman's shadow to arrive. Seulgi took the box of cigar she had from the pocket of her long coat, putting one in between her lips, the heat of the lighter she had was enough for her to feel that she had been sitting in the middle of cold for a while now. The trail of smoke and her mind lost in the middle of her thoughts was the only thing she had right now when suddenly she heard something that made her stop.

"There were a lot of things that had happened for the past months, a lot of things that had caused my name to be included in such a numerous rumour in and out of my home country." With her cigarette stuck in between her fingers, Seulgi ran towards the front of the mansion after hearing the familiar voice of the woman, her heart started to hammer with ache as she halted in the front just enough for the person talking in the middle of the crowd to meet her eyes.

"Ire-"

The woman stopped from talking and handed the mic to an unknown man holding her hand, Irene averted her eyes from the psychologist making Seulgi to realize the meaning of the event was all about.

"Irene and I are happy to announce that we are already engaged."

--

IRENE'S POV

"Irene and I are happy to announce that we are already engaged."

Smiling, that was the only thing I could do after he dropped those words. I averted my gaze towards her, I didn't expect her to see me here tonight, the event ended up with our families talking about the plan they have for our wedding, of course the only thing I can do was to agree with them, I still can't erase those hurt eyes from earlier but at least I didn't give her any false hope, right?

"Irene." A baritone voice called me from the back, I turned my head to see Mateo holding a two glass of champagne while walking towards me. Our parents had decided to leave us here for tonight to talk to some things even though there was really nothing we needed to talk about, he handed me the champagne and leaned his back to the railings of the balcony, the snow had started to fall, this was my first snow by myself with the person I don't even know. "You should at least knock on my door before entering right?"

He chuckled and lit a cigar in between his lips, the woman remained silent as she looked up to the sky watching her first winter in the hacienda. "You smoke?" He asked as he handed it to her, Irene didn't talk but still took the cigarette and started to smoke. "What's the problem?"

"A lot." She answered shortly as she put the glass on the table. "There were a lot."

The man nodded his head and went a little closer to Irene. "Can I hold your hand?" The businesswoman turned around to look at him, her eyes obviously throw a off to him but the man still smiled slightly towards her and opened his palm.

"Why?"

"Just gave me your hand." He asked silently, waiting for the woman to put her hand to his. Irene put out the lighted cigar and put it at the top of the table before she gave her hand to the businessman, Mateo smiled and took the ring off of her finger. "There is no point for putting this ring in your finger if I wasn't the person you were expecting." He said as he put the ring on his pocket making the woman to be surprised by his own action.

"I know." He said and took his coat off and draped it over to the woman's bare shoulder. "It's getting cold, you should follow her." The man patted her shoulders making Irene get stuck by thinking of what was happening in front of her right now.

"Look for her."

--

In the middle of the night, with the snow and moonlight, a woman was seen walking with the heaviness of her feelings sitting at the top of her shoulders. Seulgi had promised to herself, she didn't need to cry since at the very first place, she had known to herself that friendship was the only thing that the businesswoman could offer for her. Kicking some stones to the place where she didn't even know, the psychologist noticed that she was already standing in front of a bench. Seulgi sat and started to play with her fingers.

She couldn't easily define what was the real reason why she failed to be herself, was it because she was born as a mistake or she was just like that. Her head's empty, just her ears listening to the movements around her, three in the morning, the time where Irene advised her to let go of the person who didn't love her in the very first place, those were just the words that had been the reason for her to continue on living. "She w-"

"Can I still use this ticket to be with you?" Seulgi looked at the ticket waving in front of her face. "I'm sorry I'm late..." The psychologist looked up to the person standing in front of her, a smile was slowly drawn to their faces.

"You're here..." Seulgi whispered, making the woman standing in front of her grab both of her collar to make her stand up. Irene closed the gap between the two of them, there is no safe distance to the person who gave the real meaning of safety, without any words to say the businesswoman smashed her lips to the younger, this time the initiated kiss wouldn't be broken with a slap. The older wrapped her arms around the younger's neck as they fell to their own haven. "Don't leave me..." Seulgi whispered as she rested her forehead on the older woman, making Irene to smile.

"I am here."