Mina doesn't understand what is happening, she has tried to give her space to Momo, but this is ridiculous. Nayeon is pregnant and Momo asks her to take care of Tzuyu? 

 

What the ! 

 

She is very close to going to the Alpha's house and giving her a piece of her mind, but her pride won't allow it, she is still upset with her. The worst was when she told her daughter, the girl looked so disappointed, but luckily she agreed to be nice to her aunt Nayeon

 

She knows there's something she's missing, but she has no idea what it is, yet that feeling never seems to leave

 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

 

Nayeon told her that Jeongyeon didn't take the situation very well (She understands perfectly), but she told her that it wasn't a big deal and that it would help her gain experience before having her own baby

 

She accepted the help but she knows that she needs to talk to Momo at some point

 

*////////////*

 

The first day without Momo was chaos, and for the first time she realized how skilled the Alpha is

 

Nayeon doesn't have experience at housework to much since she also works so she can't really blame her, but she still cleaned halfway through and then tried to cook

 

Mina thought that being the wife of a chef this would be a piece of cake, but she was wrong again, Nayeon almost lit her stove (and ultimately her house), but she managed to put out the flames in time 

 

Tzuyu told her how loud her aunt screams and how the flames reached near the ceiling

 

She forbade her to cook

 

Mina had never needed to worry about Tzuyu at work and now she realizes how much she trusted Momo to take care of her daughter

 

Maybe it's because Momo is an Alpha?... Maybe, but she couldn't say for sure

 

***************

 

It was about to be a week since the last time she saw Momo and she never realized her daughter's strong dependence on the Alpha

 

Nayeon told her that her daughter stared at Momo's house everyday and when she spoke with her, Tzuyu confessed what she already knew, she saw in Momo a figure of comfort, someone strong to trust, someone who carried her and made her feel safe, someone... like her mom

 

Mina wasn't sure if it's due to race or if it's due to genuine love and affection, she doesn't expect Tzuyu to be able to tell those feelings apart right now either, but she needs to talk to Momo and soon

 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

 

Mina tries it on the weekend, she even took Tzuyu to combat the Alpha's stubbornness

 

She rang the bell two, three, even four times but apparently no one was there. Mina could see how the initial emotion was erased from the eyes of her daughter, Tzuyu looked at her with the eyes of a kicked puppy and she could see that her daughter was holding back tears

 

"Aunt Momo doesn't love me anymore, d-does she?" 

 

Mina took her in her arms and let her cry, whispering words of comfort and assuring her that Momo still loves her

 

In that moment she decided that she needs the Alpha close to them, she needs Momo in Tzuyu's life and she needs her friend back...

 

Momo didn't answer any of her calls and messages

 

****************

 

The weekend passed quickly and a new week began, Nayeon was once again in charge of taking care of her daughter. She was in her office, reviewing some quite interesting calls and offers from museums and other places on her computer when she received an email from the bank

 

Her eyebrows drew together as she saw that it was a deposit, but not just any deposit, a hundred thousand dollars had been credited to her personal account and the word surprise had taken on a new meaning

 

She came out of the initial shock and checked the number over and over again, she quickly looked up the sender and could see that it was a business account...

 

H.M. Studio

 

Mina quickly checked the address on the internet and left her office in a hurry 

 

"Rose, I'll leave you in charge until I get back, tell Jisso to help you!" Rose nodded quickly and Mina went out in search of a taxi

 

**************

 

The Omega entered the building, which looked small but its facade, design and finishes made it look quite good, even expensive she would dare to say

 

A man greeted her with a broad smile 

 

"Good afternoon and welcome, are you looking for a class or are you coming to rent one of our rooms?" 

 

"Umm actually, I'm looking for the manager" Heechul made a rather extravagant pose and pointed to himself 

 

"You're talking to him right now miss" Mina blushed a bit but quickly pulled herself together

 

"Oh sorry, I'm actually looking for someone" 

 

"Okay, what's her name?" 

 

"Hir-" 

 

"Heechul! Room 2 is already free, you can tell the girls that-" Momo stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw the Omega

 

Mina quickly approached the Alpha and cornered her against the wall 

 

"I knew it!, I knew it was you and I don't understand anything Momo, you make Tzuyu cry, then you ignore us and now you give me-" The Alpha covered the Omega's mouth and dragged her by the wrist to the last room of her studio

 

Momo closed the door and faced a Mina who was very confused and lost with the Alpha's behavior

 

"Tell me what the hell is going on..." Momo tries to activate her first mechanism, but the Omega's look makes her feel on fire

 

"I've been pretty busy, I couldn't take care of Tzuyu and I asked Nayeon for help" Mina didn't believe it, there are a lot of things that still don't make sense 

 

"Couldn't you let me know then?" 

 

"Like I told you, I was busy" Mina sighs, she knows that Momo is lying but the Alpha is stubborn 

 

"What a coincidence that it was just after ignoring Tzuyu at school" 

 

Mina still can't forgive her, her little daughter crying inconsolably in front of all the class is one of her worst memories. Momo feels her heart sink and the first mechanism was destroyed

 

Mina approaches and Momo backs away while alarms sound in her head, the Omega looks furious 

 

"I don't understand anything Momo!, I don't know what is happening or why... I need answers" Momo feels her heart in and activates the second mechanism 

 

Ignore reality

 

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Mina stops and Momo knows the situation is going to get worse when she sees a new emotion on her face, disappointment and disbelief 

 

"Now are you playing dumb?" Mina can't believe it, seriously Momo thinks she's so stupid?

 

"I don't want to fight Momo, I've never done it, but I'm tired..." her voice softens and she reaches out to take one of her hands

 

"I need to know what I did wrong Momo, because now you seem to run away from me and my daughter" Momo feels the butterflies burst in her stomach with a simple touch, feels her skin burn, while each and every one of the defenses she built through the years are falling apart as she gazes into those pretty chocolate brown eyes

 

She needs to run away, she needs to run, the dam is on the edge and feels like it's going to break at any moment 

 

"M-Mina, I'm sorry but I-I can't" Momo tries to move and get out of there, but Mina grabs her wrist in an desperate attempt to fix things 

 

"P-Please Momo... I need you back, Tzuyu needs you and me too, I-I don't want to lose your friendship for something I don't even know about" 

 

A new wave shakes her mind and the word 'friendship' repeats in her mind 

 

It's true... I promised to be there for Mina as her 'friend'

 

I promised that no matter the situation I would stay by her side... 

 

So... 

 

Why I'm doing this?... 

 

I promised to be unconditional, but here I am, being capricious and evasive

 

You have always wanted more

 

Her awareness began to take on a voice of its own and thousands of memories pounded into her mind 

 

*Flashback*

 

She remembers when Mina still couldn't accept the facts, remember seeing her so small in front of her late wife's altar while she could only watch from afar, wishing and wanting to do something more

 

Tzuyu didn't show it openly the first few days, but Momo knew it, every time she came to supervise them she knew that the girl was waiting for someone different, her look could not hide the disappointment when she saw her and not her mother

 

Her friends took the time to visit her and be there for Mina, they couldn't fathom how difficult it must have been for her, but they offered the best they could, words of comfort and the constant reminder that she is not alone

 

Momo tried to do the same, she tried to offer her pure and sincere friendship, but her rebellious heart always asked for more, and at the same time her head reminded her of her position, made her remember each decision and what her role should be

 

Maybe that was the way she avoided thinking about Chaeyoung, she avoided thinking about what she was doing and the possible consequences 

 

When Tzuyu started at school, she took care of her and the little girl was forced to interact more with her and thus their closeness grew little by little 

 

Momo suffered at first, but she never showed it, she was very good at hiding many things. She searched in the internet for tutorials of everything, which products were best for doing this and that, she even took cooking classes on Saturdays and used her free time to learn about children, finally her workaholism felt like an advantage 

 

Momo realized very late how quickly she approached the girl and when she wanted to set limits again, it was no longer possible, Tzuyu had opened her heart to her and Momo had no heart to push her away

 

Mina doesn't know it, but she always left extra money in her purse, nothing too big not to raise suspicion, but enough to help her out in any emergency

 

At the same time she tried to maintain a 'professional' relationship with the Omega, but there were days that Mina made it really difficult for her, nothing very intimate, but any gesture, no matter how small, made her heart beat differently and she hated how vulnerable she was at any tired smile, at any accidental touch of their hands, at her grateful look and at any show of affection from the Omega

 

Momo knew the affection was completely friendly, but she couldn't help but yearn for a little more

 

She could see how Mina was accepting the facts little by little, her smile little by little was the same again, and Momo knew that it was due to her daughter, but the hope only continued to grow day by day, and despite the fact that she would deny it out loud, deep down the illusion grew that maybe... at some point, some day... she would have an opportunity to love her as she had always wanted 

 

Over time she realized that the problem was her, not Chaeyoung, not Mina, not Tzuyu, but herself

 

All the doubts and suppressed emotions had become a bad habit and she didn't allow herself to even express her feelings, guilt and self-pity became her routine 

 

*///////////////*

 

There was only one way to get out of the ty state she was in, and here it is, right in front of her

 

Mina looking vulnerable and hurt again, but this time it was because of her

 

She and her doubts...

 

She and her fears...

 

She and the uncertainty...

 

She and her cowardice...

 

She and her inability to say 'I love you'

 

"P-Please Momo... say something, anything, I need to understand..." 

 

Her mind was in conflict and thousands of contradictory thoughts took away her sanity

 

You shouldn't, you don't deserve it...

 

Mina needs you...

 

She is Chaeyoung's wife, don't forget your place...

 

Tzuyu loves you much more than you think...

 

That's not your family, stay away from them...

 

The love you feel is real...

 

Cowardice does not deserve to be rewarded... 

 

Be brave and tell her how you feel...

 

Are you sure you want to lose her forever?... 

 

If you don't... you're going to lose her anyway...

 

You love her and everything you did right or wrong, you did thinking of her and her well-being...

.

.

.

 

Her consciousness faded and the lump in welled out of  

 

"I-I love y-you..."

 

It barely came out in a whisper, so soft that Momo isn't sure if she said it

 

She looked up and could see the confusion written on Mina's face 

 

"W-What?" 

 

Momo felt her grip break and all the words she held back felt on the tip of her tongue and this time... she let them out

 

"I-I said I love you!" Mina backed away, but Momo had had enough 

 

"I-I've been loving you for so long and I can't take it anymore" Momo was still scared, but the pain was unbearable 

 

"I-I love you and I know it's wrong!, but no matter how hard I tried... I couldn't stop myself" Tears welled up in her eyes, but the weight on her chest lessened with each word

 

"Y-You don't know how guilty I felt, y-you don't know how much I hated myself for it, because I knew it was wrong and that's why I tried to get away..." She felt dry and knew she was a disaster, but she had to finish it now 

 

"T-That's why I disappeared for all those years, I took refuge in my work and left you alone because I knew you were happy!" Her voice trembled and her heart bled nonstop 

 

"I tried to get over you, but... when I least expected it, fate brought me back to you..." Mina could only listen, not knowing what to do 

 

"B-But fate didn't come to give me another chance... j-just wanted to make fun of me..." Momo looked up, trying to breathe 

 

"You know, I-I never thought I could be a part of your life again, but fate is a and when Chaeyoung passed away, I-... I-" Momo pursed her lips and tears rolled down her cheeks 

 

"I-I felt hope... I-I thought I had a chance..." 

 

The Alpha looked the Omega in the eye and Mina could only see pain, guilt and shame in her eyes 

 

"N-Now you understand... I'm not a good person, I-I took advantage of the situation in my favor, I-I took advantage of your vulnerable state to enter your home" Momo clenched her jaw and closed her eyes, desperation and bitterness seeping into her words 

 

"B-But you and Tzuyu showed me sincere love... you and Tzuyu showed me how it feels to have a family, b-but it was all an illusion, because you are not my family... you're Chaeyoung's family" She clenched her fists as she tried to control her sobs 

 

"I couldn't fool myself anymore, because actually... I-, I wished all of that was real..." Her lip bled between her teeth as she tried to hold back her tears once more 

 

"N-Now you understand? Y-You deserve better... someone better" 

 

Momo took a deep breath and slowly approached the Omega, placed her hand on her head and tried to smile while ruffling her hair 

 

"Gomenne... Mitang" 

 

Momo turned around and left the room...

.

.

 

The Omega was trying to take in everything that had happened and after some minutes she slowly walked out of the study, ignoring all the curious eyes on her way

 

She needed to get home

 

(That was the third time Momo cried)

.

.

.

.

 

To be continued...