“You’ve been distracted lately,” Youngjae remarked. The accusing glare accompanying his words made Jieun stiffen in the car seat. They were on the way home from a date he had talked her into, but she hadn’t been in the mood for it. Listening to his long-winded rambling about his achievements was tiring. He did it to impress her, but he accomplished the opposite. She thought he was too self-centered.

“I’m busy with projects for university,” she answered automatically, keeping her eyes on the road. Thus, she missed his scowl.

“Really? Ever since that bastard showed up, you’ve been acting strange. You should stay away from him. He’s no good for you.”

“But you are?” was what she wanted to retort, but she bit her tongue and kept it to herself. Dahyun wouldn’t appreciate it if she angered her fiancé, even if it was tempting. Jieun already felt guilty, and she didn’t want to make it worse—her mother had no idea she met Hades regularly, and she would be devastated if she found out.

In the past two weeks, Jieun had grown closer to Baekhyun. Once the ice had been broken, it had happened very fast. As he had promised, he visited her every day and made it seem like he met her by coincidence, but she knew he sought her out on purpose. Jieun didn’t mind. Speaking to him felt natural, as if they had known each other for years instead of just weeks. She no longer dreaded seeing him—the terrible rumors about him had turned out to be false. At this point, she was convinced her mother had lied about certain things in order to keep her away from him.

But Jieun couldn’t stay away, especially not after getting to know him. He was always honest and she trusted him. Never would he do anything against her will.

She looked forward to meeting him every day. Bickering with him was surprisingly fun, too. When he , she right back. They had developed an interesting dynamic, one she would miss when they would part ways. She often caught herself thinking about their ongoing bet. Baekhyun still had a week left to win her heart… but what would happen once it was up? Would he disappear from her life if she asked him to? Did she even want to say goodbye?

Jieun was conflicted by her budding feelings for him and her loyalty to her mother. She didn’t know what to do, and Youngjae’s overbearing presence didn’t make it any easier.

After the third week had ended, Dahyun’s suspicions and worries about her daughter kept mounting. She noticed a behavior change, and she knew her daughter made detours after university.

When Jieun returned home on Friday evening, her mother had a surprise in store for her. Dahyun had arranged another date with Youngjae, and Jieun was anything but thrilled about it. She told Dahyun she would rather spend the evening outside in the forest. Subsequently, her mother became angry, berating her until Jieun yielded up to her fate.

That’s how she ended up sitting opposite Youngjae in a restaurant, miserably staring at the menu. She didn’t have an appetite, feeling a little sick. He didn’t notice, not even when he observed her more closely. Something else drew his attention.

“Is your hairpin new? I don’t think I’ve seen it before,” Youngjae muttered, narrowing his eyes at her.

She touched the silver-white flowers adorning it, felt the tiny jewels embedded in their center. “It was a gift,” was all she said, wondering whether it would irk Youngjae to find out who it was from. Probably. Did she care? Not really.

“A gift from whom?” His tone was clipped, revealing the bitter jealousy raging within him.

“Hades,” she answered.

Youngjae’s fist hit the table. She flinched. “Persephone. Don’t you know what he will do to you when you let your guard down? The hairpin is hideous. Throw it away! I will buy you a new one tomorrow.”

“That’s not necessary. I like this one,” she replied, keeping her tone neutral.

“Are you deaf? I want you to remove it!”

The longer their conversation dragged on, the more she wanted to leave. Why bother arguing with this self-absorbed person when she could be somewhere else instead? Anger flaring, she became aware of something crucial.

If she didn’t take action soon, she would end up married to this man.

It was the last she wanted. Not even her loyalty to her mother could make her go through with this. Secretly, she had dreaded the impending wedding from the moment her mother had first mentioned it. She should have never agreed to it. Fortunately, Jieun could still break off the engagement. And she would. Dahyun had no right to control her life.

Youngjae’s bitter glower remained unnoticed by Jieun until he reached over the table and grabbed her hand, regaining her attention. “You can’t wear gifts from other men. Not while you’re engaged to me.”

He didn’t even grant her this tiny little piece of freedom. Why did everything always have to go his way? Why did he never consider her wishes? The last bits of her patience dissolved. She pulled her hand free from his grasp.

“You know what? I don’t want to marry you.”

His countenance slipped. Burning anger and disbelief sparked in his eyes. “Stop joking! This is not funny.”

“Please accept my decision.”

“It’s too late, you can’t back out! If Demeter finds out about—”

“Leave my mother out of this! It’s my choice and not hers,” she replied. “We don’t make a good match, Youngjae.” Her fru