The older woman turned to look at JieMi, gripping his hand tightly as she spoke. "Son, this is the girl I told you about!" JieMi looked uncomfortable, his lips curving downwards at her words. "The girl who gave me those earrings and the bottled water. I completely approve of her, she's perfect. Everything I could ever dream of." Da-Hee nodded, a grin on her face as her eyes went teary with her emotions. "What should I do? Gosh, this is great news. Fantastic news!"
Amber couldn't take it anymore.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" She asked JieMi, her voice soft in the room, laced with venom and warning. JieMi clenched his teeth, biting his bottom lip. "Just tell her what you told me. Go on." She murmured, her eyes narrowing into slits.
JieMi remained quiet, chewing on his lips as hurt danced over his face for a very brief second before vanishing quickly. His lips twitched as he shifted his weight from his left foot to his right one, seemingly unsure on what to do. Amber snorted, rolling her eyes. Fan-fucking-tastic. She hated it when he was like this, when he remained quiet and stuck deep within his own thoughts.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry," Amber started to say, finding comfort in Ezra's arms. His warm fingers pressed against her skin drew out the buzz of electricity between their souls which gave her the strength she needed to speak. "I will have to ask you and your son to leave." JieMi flinched at her words, knotting his fingers into his pants.
Why was he so affected by everything she said?
"What are you saying?" The older woman looked confused, her brows furrowed as she tried to read the mood in the room. "I told you to call me Da-Hee right? Mother is fine too dear. We will be family after all." Ouch. The polite smile on Amber's lips was tinged with her pain. That was never going to happen. Not in a million years.
"I'm afraid that will never happen. Your son has made it clear to me that he doesn't want anything to do with me," Amber told her sharply.
"W-what do you mean?" Da-Hee stammered out, looking absolutely baffled by her words.
"The reason why I almost died is because he refused to acknowledge my existence."
Amber's voice was oddly calm as she spoke and she felt detached from the situation. It was as if her body were floating in the air and she were watching the scene from above. As if she were a bystander watching a scene unfold. She was so tired of being the only one hurt. So tired of being the only one in the relationship that cared. It was about time she got over Wang JieMi.
"That can't be true," Da-Hee let out a nervous chuckle, her brows furrowing as she glanced at her son. "JieMi, you've always wanted a soulmate! You were so disappointed on your birthday," JieMi remained silent, his muscles growing increasingly tensed as she spoke. "As a child you told me how much you longed for—"
"He changed his mind," Amber said coldly, cutting off Da-Hee's words.
She did not want to hear about the things he had done that implied his previous obsession with her. She did not want to be given the hope that he would change his mind. JieMi had made it very clear from the start that he hated her guts, probably wanted her dead to get rid of the soul bond and he would only give his heart to his girlfriend.
The odd times when he had helped her out were just anomalies of his behaviour.
"From the very beginning, he had no intention to be with me."
"That's—" JieMi spoke out, his voice shaky he faltered, unable to finish his sentence.
Amber let out a soft sigh, a wry smile on her lips. What was he doing? She glanced at him, trying to read his expressions. Where was the insensitive bastard that had ripped out her heart? Where was the asshole that had told her to 'fuck off'? His reaction puzzled her, he was acting as if he wasn't sure of what he wanted. It was as if she stood a chance.
She shook her head, slamming those insidious bubbles of hope that threatened to appear. She no longer wanted a chance with him, even if he begged her for it he could shove those thoughts up his ass. He had hurt her enough and this would be the last straw.
"That's...true?"
Amber finished his sentence for him, shaking her head. She was tired of having to deal with JieMi. This was getting old. Too old. She hated having to face the same sort of disappointment and sorrow over and over again. It was exhausting and she felt stuck with JieMi going all hot and cold, nice and mean. She wanted it to just end so that she could move on.
"Amber, I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding—" Da-Hee raised her hands trying to dispel the tension between them.
"It is not a misunderstanding," Amber snapped out, glaring harshly at JieMi. "You don't understand. I don't want to go into details for you, ma'am. But we have a body exchange and a body flicker soul bond."
She bit out harshly, bunching her frock in her fist as the anger that she had swallowed down spilled forth from her lips. "He has a girlfriend, a girlfriend that he likes to do things with. What do you think I have seen?" She chuckled, the sound airy and empty as her mind threw her image after image of his infidelity like a fucking slideshow. It sounded sad. A little too sad. "He knows that I've caught him doing it more than once. Has he stopped? No," she glared at him. "Not at all."
JieMi winced at her words, drawing in a sharp breath from between clenched teeth and his mother caught his reaction. Da-Hee blanched, her face paling as she understood the implications of her words. Her head whipping from Amber to JieMi as she began to understand the truth of their relationship.
"You're talking about Ha-Eun?" Da-Hee gasped, turning to JieMi. "Son, you can't be serious about her. This is your soulmate we are talking about. Son!" She gripped onto JieMi's arms shaking him frantically. His expression was odd. It was a confusing mix of pain and frustration, grief and irritation. Amber didn't know what to make out of it.
Everything about Wang JieMi confused her.
It was at that point when Sieon seemed to have had enough. He stood up abruptly, moving to the two of them as he gestured to the door. "Mrs Wang," he said simply. "Our soulmate is hurt. Please leave, we don't want to agitate her until our bonds are stable again." Sieon simmered into a dark expression, shooting a deep glare at JieMi. "He has done enough damage to our soul bonds."
"But, JieMi! Say something!" Da-Hee beseeched, her lips trembling as she held him, shaking his hand. "What are you doing? Why are you doing this? JieMi! You can't be serious with Ha-Eun. You can't! She's not your soulmate!"
He stiffened and Amber watched as darkness drifted over his eyes, resolve filling his frame. His face went taut, unyielding in his frustration, as he hid his emotions behind the cold mask that she was more accustomed to seeing. But JieMi did not deserve to be angry. Heat burned in her chest, the flames within her roaring forth demanding her to slap the bastard.
"But I don't know Amber..." JieMi began to say, a soft expression on his face as he tried to beseech his mother to listen to him.
"That doesn't mean anything!" Da-Hee spoke sharply, tightening her grip on his arm. "If you gave her the time you would get to know her better. You just need to give Amber a chance! Break up with your girlfriend quickly and leave."
Her words seemed to snap a chord within JieMi. "I can't just leave my girlfriend of a year! What kind of person do you think I am? Ha-Eun deserves more than that, she's suffered so much because of me, I—"
Shit. Amber inhaled and exhaled. Was this his real reason for staying with her? He just felt bad that Ha-Eun was one of the Lonely and he was not? Her breath hitched in her throat. She swallowed the bitter lump in her throat. It made Amber seem like the bad guy, it made her seem as if she were the third party stepping in to their relationship. The girlfriend of the husband cheating on his wife.
And it sucked.
"So you're staying with Ha-Eun because you promised her too much?" Amber couldn't help but ask. "You're with her because you feel sorry for her?"
"No!" JieMi bit back, turning his head to her. "It's more than that! It's my—" He froze, his eyes widening then he faltered, stammering out another reply. "I love her," he said softly. Then he nodded to himself. "I love her."
His mother was angry, her eyes flashing with her fury as she barked out the words. "This is very foolish of you! Apologise to Amber right this instant! You are risking your entire life here, young man!" His face twisted, and a flicker of agony danced forth once again.
"Son, you have to apologise!" Da-Hee snapped, pulling him forward in her attempt to get him to see reason. "You were not meant for Ha-Eun, eventually you will grow sick of her. You will grow tired of her. Your souls were not meant to be! You have to apologise before it's too late!"
Too late? Amber huffed. It was already too fucking late for JieMi. She would never accept an apology from him. And he seemed to know that. JieMi's lips twisted, and he struggled to speak, his emotions battling within his frame. Then he opened his mouth, turning to look at her with those stormy eyes and poison poured forth from his lips adding to the hatred she already had for him.
"I'm sorry but I love Ha-Eun. I don't love you."