[TW]: implication of rape

A lot has changed over the years, especially between Eunae and Jay.

They were more mature now and have been building their own ways to reach their dreams. Jay had been taking over their company, the same way Eunae did for theirs.

Who would have thought that after a few years, they would be where they were now—handling big companies that provided means of living for hundreds if not thousands of people?

More so, using the same surname not only on legal documents, but rather daily of merely being addressed?

Eunae had always thought that the union between them as lawful husband and wife would make them even closer, maybe even more than what they had as best friends.

But she was wrong.

Because the moment they exchanged their “I do” she had unexpectedly lost her best friend, completely.

“Congratulations, Mrs. Jung!”

Her train of thoughts was instantly cut short as a business partner approached her. In a second, she stretched her mouth into the smile she had grown to wear.

“Thank you, Mr. Park. It’s a pleasure to have you here,” Eunae greeted, reaching out her hand for a quick handshake. She had been doing this for a couple of times tonight for this accomplishment celebration.

“The board of directors is proud of what you’ve accomplished. I’d like to extend our sincere good wishes to have more collaborations with you in the future,” he said, craning his neck. “May I know where’s Mr. Jung?”

“It would be our pleasure to work with you, Mr. Park. There he is,” Eunae said, pointing at the man who was a few feet away and had his back at her. “Shall we go?”

The walk towards Jay seemed to be one of the longest and most painful walks she had ever did.

It almost felt like crossing the path to hell, leaving her terribly broken and bruised. Every step seemed to burn her skin and scrape her flesh that her eyes nearly brimmed with tears.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jung.”

Jay abruptly spun on his heel and extended his hand, “Mr. Park, the pleasure is mine to have you here.”

“Your business is soaring greater heights, congratulations! The younger generations are really changing the course of the game, huh?” he chuckled, swiftly glancing at the woman beside Jay before looking back at Eunae. “I hassled Mrs. Jung to bring me with you, my apologies that I might have took your time with…?”

Jay shook his head, “No, you didn’t. I’d like you to meet Daeun,” he introduced, as the woman unclasped her arms around him and extended her hand before giving a radiating beautiful smile.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Park. I’m Jang Daeun, Mr. Jung’s assistant.”

Almost instantly, Eunae felt a burning sensation surging her throat.

It was too painful to watch that she could barely bring herself to make a sound, more so to utter a single word. The gut-wrenching view before her had her insides twist in the most horrendous way it could ever do that, she nearly broke down right there and then.

She was used to this seeing this; she should have been numb by now—she should have known better.

Knowing fully well on what situation she was in, her breath suddenly got stuck in her throat, grazing her insides excruciatingly. And just then, reality seemed to kick her back in the curb and forced her to wallow on her own dark void where her frightful narrative laid—closeted from everyone else to know.

As always, Jay was true to his words.

When he said he was not like her father, he truly was not.

Jay was way worse.

Because right after their wedding ceremony, he began seeing his ex-girlfriend behind her back. He began seeing Daeun, his assistant—his mistress.

“Mrs. Jung, are you okay?”

Eunae was pulled back to reality when Mr. Park lightly tapped her shoulder. Her thoughts had probably consumed her once again that she had lost track of her surroundings.

“I’m fine, I’ve probably had a few drinks,” she chuckled, plastering a smile at the man who looked more worried for her than her own husband.

“Mr. Jung, why don’t we get some drinks by the side and meet the Kangs? They’ve been waiting for you for a while now,” Daeun softly suggested with the familiar tone that rang in Eunae’s ears.

She knew what Daeun meant; she already learned her schemes. This was always her means of taking away Jay—of making him flaunt her to his colleagues and business partners like how he usually did.

Jay placed his hand above Daeun’s arms which dangled around his, “If you could excuse us, Mr. Park.”

Suddenly, the pain pressed in waves and crept into her heart as she watched them strode away.

Her throat quickly drying uncomfortably and her mouth curving unconsciously into a harrowing smile, while they looked as ecstatic as ever. Gritting her teeth, Eunae swallowed hardly and pushed back the bleat that wanted to break through the surface.

This had been constantly happening for two years right before her own eyes.

Eunae could not help but wonder why it was still mortifying to be on her shoes.

She should not be hurting anymore; should not be feeling this. She should have been used to this—she should have been numbed by now with all the atrocities they committed against her.

At times, it would not fail to surprise her how she could still feel the stabbing sorrow hitting her deeply in the gut just like how it did the first time it happened.

Eunae felt her eyes stung as she watched them laugh, while he held a champagne glass. She wanted to swat those arms away from him forever, but she knew she could not.

Not when Jay valued Daeun more over her. As beaten and pitiful it sounded, it was the truth she had to live by.

Any moment from then, she knew her tears would dampen her cheeks, and she could not let it happen. She was still in the middle of a party with so many prospect business partners around. She could not tarnish their image; she knew she could not risk jeopardizing their companies even if that meant having to tuck all the hurt all at once.

Eunae knew she could not act rashly—not when people did not know that their marriage was all a façade for business, and that her husband has been committing infidelity since day one.

Not really having any strength to stay in such place any longer, Eunae immediately walked away from the party with her head held high. She continued to exchange smiles and glances to people she passed by, not really minding how she had been crumbling from deep within.

Eventually, she reached their garden where she chose to slumped back and gazed at the stars. The little twinkling lights painted the lonely pitch-black horizon just as how her tears streamed down her face and decorated her cheeks.

As soon as she was finally alone, Eunae cried as if her heart would break.

Eunae keened for her dreadful fate and miserable life. She mourned for the wishful thinking of living the life she had always dreamt of—having a normal family of her own that she sworn to protect with her whole life.

As the agonizing truths and the torturous reality consumed her whole, her poignant sobs ultimately wracked her body and woefully scraped her throat. The coldness of the night licking her skin like a comrade she never had.

Eunae had never wept in front of Jay ever since she found out about his affair.

She could not bring herself to confide with him like how the younger Eunae always did. She couldn’t even breakdown in front of him when she couldn’t even see any trace of the best friend she used to have in him; he wasn’t the best friend she knew neither the Jay she had always loved—she just didn’t know him anymore.

He was seemingly a stranger whom she had to live with under one roof.

Right at that moment, Eunae could not help but reminisce how everything between them turned bleak.

He was still in a relationship with Daeun when their business began falling apart.

It started off with a slight decrease in revenue, in laying off a couple of workers, until it came to a point where they had to declare bankruptcy and would had to sell the whole company his parents had worked hard for in years. They tried everything they could to save it, but nothing worked, leaving them with one last-ditch attempt to do so.

His family needed a business entity that could help them rise once again. A partner that was big enough to cement the deteriorating foundation of their company.

But with the continuous dwindling of their assets and increasing debts, no one wanted to take the risk and sign his family’s business proposals. Ticking one option after the other, they got less and less hopes to salvage the bread and butter of their family.

As a best friend, Eunae tried all her best to help them—help the people whom she deemed as part of her family. The same people whom she held dear that she swallowed every bit of dignity she had as a CEO.

She went out of her way and talked to each business partner she had and proposed a business joint venture with the Jungs. When no one seemed to yield her proposition, she humbly went down on her knees to beg her associates, even to the point of flexing her muscles to gain more prospect partners that could entirely sweep away her own company in a snap of a finger.

Eunae would not mind risking everything she had if that meant helping the people who gave her family another shot in life. But then, her efforts went straight down drain when no one wanted to associate with a deteriorating business that was already losing its footing.

The day finally came when all they had left was a last-ditch attempt to save whatever was left of the company. Although Jay refused at first and firmly held his ground, she found him succumbing to the last option they had. She knew he did not want to simply idly watch as his parents’ hard work burn into ashes.

And that was why they found themselves in front of the altar, exchanging vows in front of the crowd they loved.

Truthfully, Eunae was ecstatic.

It was a dream come true to have and to hold the person whom she had always seen spending her whole life with. It was everything she had been wishing—the dream she had always hoped for to turn into a reality, and it finally did.

But then on top of all the felicity, there were also doubts; huge ridges of uncertainty and fright that swept her off her feet. She knew Jay was in love—with someone who was not her. And the fear of having to experience everything she dreaded for rattled her bones.

She did not know the whole extent of what she signed up for; she did not know what lay ahead of the life she chose. But with Jay’s promise of doing everything he could to make their marriage work, Eunae instantly threw away all her worries without second thoughts.

Because Jay was always true to his words, he always was.

And as a best friend who knew him her entire life, Eunae had always believed in him. She had always trusted him and without thinking twice, she gave him everything she got not knowing that loving him would consumer her whole.

Just who would have thought that life she had been wishfully chasing would be the same life she had always been running away from?