Jung Shin Hye sat silently at the dinner table, staring down at her mushroom soup. She always did hate this kind, but she wasn’t one to complain to the cook. Feeling the warm vapor of the soup lightly brush her face, she quietly dipped her spoon into the murky liquid, lips slightly curling up in disgust as she forced down the small morsel of food. Yuck, disgusting, thought Shin Hye, but she managed a tightly lipped smile before hesitantly dipping her spoon back into her bowl. Looking around the immaculately dressed room, she noticed that everyone else seemed to be enjoying the fowl soup; cousins from her husband’s side and a few aunt and uncles sat at the table eating. Lady Jung Jin-young, her betrothed’s mother, enjoyed it the most; she had called it one of her absolute favorites. Shin Hye lifted her head just barely and stared across the table towards her betrothed. Charming he was, with bronzed skin from the sun, eyes darker than the lake at night, hair dark as ebony, and a strong jaw that made him all the more attractive. He smiled to the pretty young lady sitting next to him, and in that second Shin Hye lifted her eyes, she saw him place his large hands over the blond girl’s. Quickly lowering her eyes, she felt another blow to her already wounded heart, but her outer self-remained calm. Only the slight tightening of her spoon gave any indication of her feelings. She knew that Yong Hwa, her intended lover, didn’t care that she was sitting right there; in all that time they had been at the dinner table, he hadn’t bothered to spare her a glance, nor had she once entered his mind. Shin Hye had been pledged to marry him since the very day of her birth. Yong Hwa was only four years old when she was born, and on her eighteenth birthday, she followed through with the promise; they were married that afternoon. She desperately hoped that she would fall in love with whomever she married, and they would love her back, but it wasn’t at all that way. The moment he had taken one good look at her, there was nothing but disappointment written all over his face. On the wedding day, he had refused to say, I do, but only agreed for the sake of his family’s business, wanting the large amount of land they were promised if he were to wed. After the marriage, both families held a great feast, but to Shin Hyet, if felt as if they were celebrating more for the money than their marriage. She sat next to her mother and three younger sisters. The whole time the feast went on, Yong Hwa was nowhere to be seen. She remembered crying the night of departure, reluctant to live with her newlywed husband in his grand home. Having been never away from her parents, it had scared her to go and live with a complete stranger. She had begged her father to reconsider that night, but he wouldn’t hear of it; all he said to her was that in time, Yong Hwa would learn to love her. That was exactly a year and three months ago. On their wedding night, Yong Hwa had spent it with Kim Seo Hyun, the pretty blond who sat next to him. Since day one of their marriage, all he ever did was break her heart, and she felt that no matter what she did, he would never notice her the way he noticed Seo Hyun. She knew everything about him; the way he always looked to the side when he told a lie, or when something was bothering him, he always chose to remain silent. He didn’t have a problem speaking his mind of course, but when it came to his mother he always cowered. His father, Mr. Jung In-sung, was the only one who looked upon favor at Shin Hye, and he was only the company she ever enjoyed stepping into their home. His visits were rare, but none the less, she always felt her spirits lift when he came around. He was a very busy man and an owner of a plantation. Every time he visited, she had to make up an excuse for Yong Hwa, saying that he had errands to run, or that he was out with the workers on the fields. When he asked about their marriage, she always felt turn sour, but she always did her best to smile, and said that everything was fine. I expect to see at least one grandchild before I die, he would say, smiling warmly at her. Yong Hwa had never laid a hand upon Shin Hye. She always felt as