23

JAKE – POV

The ride home was silent.

Jina sat beside me, staring out the window. Her face was turned away, but I saw the way she wiped at her eyes.

She didn't say a word, and neither did I.

When we pulled into the driveway, she got out quickly.

She didn't wait for me or look back. She went straight to her room and closed the door behind her.

I carried her shopping bags and left them outside her door. I told myself to walk away, but something about the way she looked in the car unsettled me.

I tried the doorknob. It was locked.

I knocked once.

"Han Jina, open the door."

No response.

I waited, then knocked again, louder this time.

Still nothing.

I sighed, took a step back, and kicked the door hard. The lock snapped, and the door creaked open.

She looked up in shock from where she was lying. Her face was puffy, a crumpled tissue in her hand. When she saw me, she didn't speak.

She just turned away and dropped her head onto the bed.

I stepped into the room. I was ready to scold her for locking herself in, but as I got closer, I saw how pale and drained she looked.

I sat beside her on the bed and reached out, brushing her cheek with my thumb.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

She reached for my hand, holding it gently before letting go and shifting her body to sit upright.

Then, without warning, she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"You're all I have now," she said quietly.

Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

She wrapped her arm around mine and pulled me a little closer.

"Please stay. Just for a few minutes."

I didn't know what to say. Her sudden vulnerability caught me off guard. I stayed still and listened.

"Life feels too heavy sometimes."

"Cruel, even."

She sniffled, trying to hold back another wave of tears.

"My parents left me. Namjin's gone. And I know you'll leave too."

She paused, her fingers tightening around my sleeve.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have fallen for Heeseung. I didn't notice what Namjin was feeling. I thought I was in love, but I didn't realize how much I was hurting her."

Tears filled her eyes again.

"I'm so stupid."

I hesitated before asking, "Do you still love him?"

She nodded slowly.

"I try not to. I keep trying to move on, but it still hurts. I thought maybe, after our marriage ends, I'd get another chance. But deep down, I know that chance is gone."

She closed her eyes and wiped her tears again.

"What should I do to forget him?"

Her question lingered in the silence.

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my voice calm.

"So all of this, the tears, the sadness, it's still because of him?"

She didn't answer.

"You told me to stay with you. And now you're crying over your first love?"

I stood from the bed.

"You realize I'm your husband, don't you? This isn't fair."

Her eyes widened.

"If you want comfort, go ask him."

I turned to leave the room, but before I reached the door, I felt her arms wrap around me from behind.

"Don't go," she said, her voice trembling.

"I know you don't love me."

"I know you never wanted this. "

"But right now, I have no one else. Even if you yell at me. Even if you keep ignoring me at the end of the day, I still look for you."

She paused.

"Until the contract ends in two months, I'll keep looking for you."

I turned slowly to face her.

"You had to mention the contract."

"It's the truth," she replied, trying to sound firm.

I stared at her for a moment.

"Han Jina."

"Jake," she interrupted.

"You were the one who made that promise."

I didn't let her finish.

I leaned in and kissed her.

It was quiet. Soft. Her breath caught in her throat.

When I pulled away, she stared at me in shock.

"If you keep talking like that," I said calmly,

"I'll kiss you again."

And this time, she didn't say a word.