A/N: Thank you all for already 3K reads, it means a lot to me. Wishing you all a nice day or night! :-))
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"How are you feeling?", Sunghoon inquires of me as we leave the hospital together after my discharge. I still hold the painkillers that the ward gave me over the weekend tightly in my hands.
I am glad not to have to lie in the hospital any longer. But on the other hand, I am also afraid. My father has not dared to go to the hospital, because that would cause too much commotion, which of course he is trying to prevent at all costs. But what will happen if he finds out that we are staying with Sunghoon?
"I'm still in a little pain," I answer truthfully to Sunghoon's question. "And apart from that?" he probes further. Confused, I look at the young man, whose brown hair is perfectly styled. He is once again wearing a black suit, which leads me to conclude that he has been in the company before. His golden eyes pierce me questioningly.
"You seem worried... What are you afraid of?" We reach the dark Bentley parked just outside the main entrance with two other men in it. In the driver's seat is the man who drove Sunghoon and me to the art gallery a few weeks ago. I recognize the young man in the passenger seat as Jay.
Sunghoon opens the trunk and stows the small bag inside that Teresa brought me to the hospital a few days ago. "I'm not scared," I lie, averting my eyes from Sunghoon. He closes the trunk door, but instead of getting into the car, he stops at the trunk and reaches for my face, lifting it carefully so that I look back into his eyes, which are looking at me intently.
"I won't let him hurt you again," Sunghoon says seriously. "I promise you. You have my word." "What's your word worth?", I ask, pulling away from his grip. "What if he finds us?"
"I have taken all precautions. Even if he shows up, my security won't let him get further than the gate," Sunghoon assures me. "Why are you doing this for me?", I ask Sunghoon quietly.
I don't want to sound ungrateful, because I am immensely grateful to Sunghoon for what he is doing for both me and my mother and Teresa. He probably just feels guilty because the misunderstanding between him and my father led to this situation.
Sunghoon's expression changes abruptly. His features tighten and he begins to clench his jaw. If I had guessed that this question would throw him off like this, I wouldn't have asked it. He lets go of my face, taking a step back to restore the distance between us.
"We should get in now," he says quickly, turning away from me. For the entire ride, which lasts nearly half an hour, Sunghoon and I don't speak a word to each other. But it is not an awkward silence. In fact, I'm quite happy that we don't have a forced conversation with each other.
Still, Sunghoon's presence intimidates me. He seems so unpredictable; one second, he seems interested and concerned, while the next he suddenly seems cool and indifferent.
Arriving in front of his house, I get out of the car in slight pain, where I am immediately struck by the oppressive midday heat. How can it suddenly get so hot within half an hour? Sunghoon seems to notice how much the hot temperatures are taking me, which is why he hurries to get my bag out of the trunk before we go into the pleasantly cool house.
"Dolores," my mother's voice sounds behind me. I immediately turn to my mother, who can look at me properly for the first time in a few days. Immediately we fall into each other's arms. "How are you, my angel?"
I feel a lump form in my throat at her question. I swallow hard. "Fine," I say in an occupied voice, trying to hold back the tears that form in my eyes and threaten to roll treacherously down my cheeks at any moment.
I would like to grab my mother by the shoulders and shake her. Can't she see for herself that she needs to do something?
"How are you?" I return my question calmly instead. I break away from our embrace and look into her brown eyes rimmed with dark shadows. "I'm just glad to have you back," she replies, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
"Mamá...", I say in a serious voice, reaching for her hands. "Please don't go back to him." My voice sounds pleading. "What else am I supposed to do? Your father would never just accept me leaving him," she says.
Teresa, standing just a few feet away behind my mother, lowers her eyes. "We have to leave him, mamá," I try to reason with her. Although everything in her resists leaving the man who abused her for years, I sense that deep inside she knows it's the right decision for both of us. She just lacks the courage to make it happen.
"Dolores is right," Sunghoon suddenly interferes, standing right next to me. "You should leave that man and make a new life for yourself." "I can't do that..." my mother replies, visibly embarrassed, shaking her head.
"If you can't do it for yourself," Sunghoon begins before I feel his warm hand on my shoulder. "Do it for your daughter." Tears run down my mother's cheek. Immediately Teresa is on hand to pull her into a comforting hug.
"Mr. Park is right. You should leave your husband. Both for your sake and for the sake of Lola's well-being. If it weren't for Mr. Park, she might be dead." I hear my mother gasp in fright. The fact that I may still be standing here only because Sunghoon pulled my father away from me before things could get any worse shocks her, and at the same time it seems to appeal to her mind.
"Please give me more time to think all this over," my mother pleads with us. I can understand that the decision is difficult for her. On the one hand, there is this incomprehensible anger and hatred that you feel towards this person, but on the other hand, there is also the attachment.
I know that there were days when my father loved her unconditionally. And maybe somewhere behind that monster there is still a man who loves his wife. But the longer she stays with him, the worse it gets for both of us.
"Of course," Sunghoon shows himself understanding. "But promise me not to take too much time. The longer you think about it, the more reasons you'll be looking for to let it go."
Gradually, I feel that standing for a long time is getting too tiring for me, which doesn't seem to escape Sunghoon's notice. "I'll show you where you can sleep, and if you like, you can lie down," he suggests, and I nod in agreement.
Sunghoon grabs my bag again and throws it over his shoulder before we slowly walk up the stairs, where he shows me the guest room, which is right next to his bedroom.
I immediately settle down on the comfortable four-poster bed and breathe a sigh of relief. I then swallow a painkiller that was given to me by the ward and from which I always get tired pretty quickly.
"I wanted to thank you again," I say as Sunghoon is about to leave the room. "For letting us stay with you. That's more than I can ask of you..." "It's the least I can do for you," Sunghoon replies seriously. Shortly after, he leaves the guest room, leaving me alone.
A/N: I'll maybe post again later.