Unspoken Desire JenLisa AU

Chapter 22

Chaeyoung's POV

I filed for a proper leave today. Work wasn't the place I needed to be—not with the storm brewing inside me. My boss didn't ask questions. She probably noticed the bags under my eyes or the way I couldn't seem to focus lately. Whatever the reason, I was grateful for the space. I wasn't okay, and I couldn't keep pretending that I was.

Last night replayed in my head like a broken record. I'd tried to make love to Lisa, to close the growing distance between us, but she rejected me. Her excuse was flimsy, something about being too tired, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. The bite marks on her body were proof enough. Marks I didn't leave.

I had followed her to the bathroom, hoping I was wrong. Hoping there'd be some rational explanation. But when I saw them—those bruises, the faint outline of someone else's teeth—I felt like I couldn't breathe. I didn't cry then. I just stood there, stunned, unable to move.

Today, though, I cried. The tears came while I stared at the ceiling in the early morning light, Lisa already gone for work, her phone guarded like a fortress as always. My instincts were screaming at me now, louder than ever, and I couldn't keep ignoring them. Lisa was cheating on me.

I needed answers.

The first place I went was Somi's coffee shop. Somi had been distant for months, giving me strange, vague excuses every time I tried to see her. Now, I had a suspicion why. Her shop had grown since the last time I visited—bigger, busier, more polished. A success story.

When I walked in, Somi was at the counter, talking with one of her employees. She froze when she saw me. Her face shifted, her smile strained, but I could see the guilt in her eyes.

"Chae! It's been a while," she greeted me, her voice too cheerful.

"Yes, it has," I replied, my voice steady, my sunglasses hiding how red my eyes were from crying.

We exchanged pleasantries, but I couldn't keep the act up for long. I pulled out my phone, the photo already on the screen, and held it out to her. "Somi," I said, my voice firm despite the ache in my chest. "I need to know the truth."

Somi's eyes widened as she saw the picture—Lisa, unmistakably, with another woman. Her face wasn't fully visible, but the way Lisa held her, the intimacy in their body language, said it all. It was the same photo Somi had sent me. I didn't delete it yet, I couldn't.

"Chae..." Somi's voice cracked. She grabbed my arm and led me to the back office, closing the door behind us.

"Don't avoid this," I said, my voice trembling as I sat down. "When was this taken? Where? Who is she?"

Somi paced the small office, wringing her hands. She wouldn't meet my eyes. Finally, she stopped, her shoulders slumping. "It's true," she admitted quietly. "The photo is real. I saw Lisa with her... with my own eyes."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. My hands shook as I gripped the edge of the desk. "How long, Somi? How long has this been going on?"

"I don't know, I don't know who that woman was," she whispered, guilt evident down her face now. "Maybe months. Maybe longer. I didn't want to believe it, Chae, but... I'm so sorry. I should've told you."

"Then why didn't you? Why did you lie to me and told me it's nothing?" My voice was louder now, angrier, though I wasn't sure if I was more mad at her or at myself.

Somi wiped her tears, guilt etched on her face. "There was a man. He came to me after I sent you the picture of  Lisa seeing with someone else. He threatened me, Chae. Said he'd ruin me—my coffee shop, my house, my savings. Everything. He offered me money, too—enough to make all my problems go away if I just kept quiet."