The light was shining brightly on her face and she felt sweat drip down her back. Usually interviews were a lot less formal and tedious. “So, how is your relationship with Jung Daehyun?” For a moment Jinli’s smile nearly dropped before she caught herself. Ever since her father’s business decision, the two of them were naturally thrown into the limelight as well.

            Her mind still could not get over the bright red love bite on Hyosung’s neck, and then Daehyun’s insistence that he had done nothing. Jinli straightened and smiled brightly before anything wrong could be detected. “We’re doing great. We don’t tend to mix business with home life.”

            “So would you say that there are babies in the future?”

            “Children are a blessing, and if we’re lucky enough, yes.” That answer seemed to satisfy the reporter and she moved on to other topics when her phone bleeped.

            Jinli watched her read the contents of whatever notification and then the reporter looked up at her, eyes shining. “We actually just received reports that your father is suing TS? Were you aware of that? When it comes to your father or your husband, who would you choose?”

            The reaction was immediate. All the blood drained from Jinli’s face. She knew about the dissolution of the joint venture, but this was too much. “I don’t think I would have to choose,” she responded firmly. “What happens in business will have no effect on my relationship with my father nor my husband.”

            The reporter wanted to push a little more but must have decided that too much would turn her article into a tabloid gossip piece than one focused on Jinli as the famed interior designer. The questions, thankfully, became easier and Jinli was able to take a breather.

            Afterwards, she grabbed her phone and scrolled through the articles. There was nothing from TS except for a line from Yongguk. “It is natural to be expecting a lawsuit, especially when one side is dissatisfied with the result of the partnership.  We have our legal team prepared and we hope to end the contract on an amicable note.” It meant nothing. They were just hollow words meant to satiate the media.

            She went home and wanted nothing more than to see Daehyun, to see if he would be furious, if he would be cold. But he wasn’t home. She contemplated calling him but decided to wait. After that awkward night, the two of them had barely seen each other at home. She desperately wanted to believe him, and she had said she did. But she couldn’t help but think of Hyosung every time she looked at him.

            Daehyun came in around two in the morning. His eyes were blood shot and his hair was a mess. For a moment, paranoia rose in her until his next words pushed it down. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you would be up waiting.”

            In a move uncharacteristic of her, Jinli moved to stand next to him. “Were you working on the lawsuit?”

            His eyes drooped in dismay. “Are you blaming yourself?” Daehyun held her elbows and pressed his forehead against hers. “Don’t. It’s typical. It’s not even your dad being spiteful. It’s what has to be done to make sure that the contract is dissolved without any infringement on legalities.”

            “He didn’t need to back out,” she mumbled. Her eyes were filling with tears. Tears of relief that he hadn’t turned cold to her and tears of worry at how stressed he visibly looked.

            “If he didn’t do it, I would have told him to do it. This is my mess to fix and he doesn’t need to drag his company down with me.”

            Daehyun his lips and tilted his head to the left, capturing her lips with his as he sighed his apology into her open mouth. “Let’s go to sleep, shall we?”

***

The package was delivered to her desk promptly at noon. Taewoon placed the padded envelope and lingered. Jinli looked up. It was normal to receive packages, especially samples delivered from supply distributors.

            “Who is it this time?”

            She looked at the name and only saw an address she did not recognize. She pulled off the tab and out dropped another wrapped package. It was slim, feeling much like a pen. The cardboard box that it came with was quickly torn open and she was met with something she never expected.

            The first thing that caught her eye was the two dark lines against the digitized screen. Her hands shook and she quickly placed the stick down, well aware that Taewoon was watching her carefully.

            “What the hell?” He had picked up on what it was immediately, and like her, it was clear that he knew exactly who it was from. When he saw what she had seen, his eyes darkened. “Jinli, please. You don’t deserve this.”

            “He told me nothing happened,” she whispered. Her mind raced with possibilities. Maybe he didn’t lie. Maybe it had been whatever Hyosung had given him. But biology didn’t explain that. Common sense didn’t explain it. He had to have been somewhat conscious, somewhat aware. Her hands shook. She had thought she trusted him. But the unease and how quickly it had shattered showed the gaping issues with their marriage.

            Taewoon stared at her before grabbing her into him in an impulse hug. “Please, can you not make excuses for him? It’s so clear that he hasn’t changed.”

            Wrapped in his warm embrace and faced with the numbing possibility that he had cheated on her again, Jinli finally started crying. The hidden pain she had been balancing for the past month finally tipped the scales and she shook as she felt her heart break. This pain was different from before. Before, she had always been on guard with him, but now she was vulnerable.

            Her hot tears soaked his shirt and he soothed her, gently her back as he tightened his arms around her to muffle her moans of pain. He pressed his lips against the top of her head and Jinli couldn’t find the strength to pull away. She felt tired, extremely so. Even with all of Daehyun’s reassurances, she was positive that once he knew about this, he would make the choice to choose Hyosung.

            “Leave him,” Taewoon mumbled. “He doesn’t deserve you.”  His palm was rubbing circles on her back and she hiccupped, fighting to regain composure. She nodded as she finally came to terms with the reality that was settling in hard like a rock in the pit of her stomach.

            “Give me some time. I can’t leave him now, not when his company is in shambles. And my father’s pulling out. It would all just mean that everything’s toppling. I can’t do that to him.”

            Taewoon gripped her shoulders and forced her to look at him. There was something bright lighting up his eyes and he whispered fiercely, “Let him go. Who gives a about his company? He’s been nothing but terrible to you. Your leaving him would only be his just desserts. It’s time you start thinking about yourself and not him. He sure as hell has never thought about you.”

            Jinli shuddered. Every word cut her into her core. Just a week ago he had asked her to trust him. But it was clear that trusting him would only make her the fool. “A week,” she whispered. “Give me a week and I’ll move out. I still have to finalize the divorce papers.”

            Taewoon finally let go. His hands floated down her arm and he was once again soft. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

            She shook her head. “The next few months would be difficult. I have a lot of clients who wanted me for the connection with him. This means I would need to get their projects into the final stages so I can ensure that they’re locked in. Help me?”

            It was as if she was gearing up for battle. Taewoon was her general and she had to start the plans now or be risked being back in. But she promised herself that for the next seven days, she would treat Daehyun as best as she could. It was the last thing she would do for him anyway.

***

            If he noticed her extra attention, he didn’t remark. Instead, he would come home and lay his head on her stomach and fall asleep immediately, as if he only had her to trust. Each time, the pit inside her would cave but harden into something sour once she closed her eyes and thought of the pregnancy test.

            It was day four and he wasn’t home yet. Jinli checked her phone and saw that it was already past midnight. This was unusual. If he had something at home, Daehyun usually would tell her first. She was torn. She shouldn’t care so much but the worry gnawed at her.

            His phone rang once, twice, and then there was a cackle of static as the whips of wind came across the receiver. “Daehyun?”

            There was no response and she was about to hang up and try again when he heard her voice.

            “Please. Don’t do this.” He was pleading. “, Hyosung. I told you I would help you. I told you that it was going to be okay. Can you please just come down?”

            All the circulation throughout her body froze. Her hands trembled as she brought a palm over to keep from screaming. She could hear someone in the background, and then Daehyun’s desperate voice again.

            “Noona, please. I told you, I will divorce her once this mess is over, and it would be just the two of us again. Please come down. I love you.”

            And that was when she broke down. She let out a loud sob, not caring that he could hear.

***

            The wind blew into Daehyun’s eyes as he stared at the figure in front of him. Hyosung was sitting precariously on the edge of the bridge. He knew that her uncle had been putting pressure on her and also knew the only way to get her to listen.

            His phone lit up and without looking, he ended the call. The first thing he had to do was get her to come down. “Noona, please. I told you, I will divorce her once this mess is over, and it would be just the two of us again. Please come down.” He waited and when he saw her turn to look at him, he decided that a lie would be worth it. “I love you.”

            There was suddenly a loud beep and he stared at his phone to see that he had been on call. “Do you really?”

            Hyosung hadn’t completely gotten off the ledge but she was looking at him at least. Her large eyes were rimmed with red and he shoved his phone into his pocket.

            “Yes,” he swallowed. “Like I always did.”

            Daehyun took a step closer and held out his arms. “Noona, please. Let me take you home.”

            Her right arm lifted and he let out a sigh of relief. As he helped her swing her legs over the rail, he couldn’t help but think of how betrayed she would be once she realized that he had already recorded their previous conversation, with her confessing everything. He would do his best to mitigate her role, but it couldn’t guarantee no jail time. It was with a slightly guilty heart that he held Hyosung to him and carried her to his car.

            When he placed her into bed, she gripped onto his arm. “Please don’t leave me.” Tears still swam in her large eyes. Daehyun swallowed, thinking of Jinli. He hadn’t told her he would be home late, and now it was past three. It was a miracle she hadn’t-

            Suddenly remembering the phone call, he jerked back and grabbed his phone. When he saw the caller ID, he let out a curse. Daehyun looked at Hyosung’s pitiful gaze. “I can’t. I still have more things to do. Please stay here, and be good. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She didn’t try to keep him and he jammed the accelerator.

            The house was empty. Their room was completely bare of her belongings and he dropped to his knees. “Jinli!”

            Her phone was off and he slammed his fist against the floor, not caring that the strength ripped through his knuckles and he could hear bones crack. For the next three hours, he tried countless calls, left voicemails until her inbox was full, and sent one hundred and eleven texts.

            It was Eunah who found him on the floor in the morning. She roused him and when he felt the excruciating pain in his right hand, she insisted he went to the hospital. Somehow, Yongguk and Himchan found him and he could do nothing but cry and tell them how he had messed up again.

            The two older men held him. “We will find her, Daehyun-ah. I promise.”

            But they didn’t need to. Jinli showed up at the house in the afternoon looking like she had been to hell and back. He saw her eyes flit to his wrapped bandages and determinedly stare ahead as she handed him a manila envelope.

            “I can explain.”

            “Please don’t. I already know everything. If you really care about me, just sign the papers and let me go.”

            “It wasn’t what you think.”

            “I heard you. I just figured I’d divorce you before you can do it to me.”

            “I don’t want to divorce you,” he whispered.

            “Daehyun, please. Let’s just end this torment. You have to be with Hyosung anyway, and besides, your company is a mess. I can’t have you messing with my career as well.” The last sentence was for him, to guilt him because she knows that’s the only way to shut him up.

            And she was sad to find that she was right. “You’re right. I apologize,” he said quietly. “I was being selfish. I will sign them.”

            Jinli couldn’t look at him as the pen scratched across the paper. “Good luck,” she whispered stiffly as she placed the paper into the envelope and walked to the door.

            “You too,” she heard him say and she walked out of his life.

Hello everyone!
Yes I am still here. Yes, this story will be continued.

The moment has finally came! I can't wait to expand and continue finally writing towards the finale.

I also started law school ahhh and it's been a lot of work and reading but I'm making myself find time.

How is everyone? I hope people will continue to support me and B.A.P ❤