That illness was like divine punishment obtained from the pain of miscarriage.

Patients with vasovagal syncope may experience temporary fainting when feeling stress or fear, so they should be careful of such situations. A Rin had been fighting that terrifying illness for three years. It was something that could not be controlled by her own will.

“Don’t think about him.”

“…Ji Yun.”

“The more you think, the harder it will be for you. Just ignore it.”

“……”

“A Rin. I don’t think you will, but just in case, don’t waver.”

Ji Yun looked at A Rin with worried eyes.

After a short silence, A Rin opened her mouth first.

“I… should I file a lawsuit.”

“…A lawsuit?”

“Yes. The lawyer said an uncontested divorce won’t work and suggested filing for divorce.”

“Ah….”

“Actually, I didn’t want to go as far as a divorce lawsuit… I guess I was too complacent.”

Ji Yun pulled the blanket up to cover A Rin’s chest.

“For now, let’s take this opportunity to get a checkup and rest before going.”

“……”

“As you said, if this ambiguous situation continues, filing a lawsuit might be better.”

“Yeah.”

“Before that, mom said she’d help elder brother with the store, so don’t worry about the store and rest well. Okay?”

Ji Yun spoke with a stern expression like a mother.

“Thank you.”

A Rin was overwhelmed with gratitude.

“I’m so glad to have you, Ji Yun.”

She meant it sincerely.

If Ji Yun wasn’t there, she surely would have lived a terrible life.

“I know, I’m glad to have you too, A Rin.”

As if understanding A Rin’s feelings, Ji Yun smiled.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Argh!”

Lady Jung glared at the disconnected phone and screamed.

Jung Hyo Eon, mother of Ban Jae Hyuk.

She was born as the eldest daughter of Seo Do Group, the parent company of VAN Group, which is ranked first in Korea’s business world.

It was Lady Jung’s grandfather who founded Seo Do Co., Ltd., a food company.

Ban Ho Jun, who married her when she only had four daughters, became the son-in-law and took over the group. As he succeeded, the company name was changed from ‘Seo Do Group’ to the current ‘VAN Group’.

Chairman Ban Ho Jun was a man who was colder than anyone else in business and never bowed his head to anyone, but there was an exception, Lady Jung Hyo Eon.

Chairman Ban couldn’t do anything to Lady Jung who enabled him to be in this position. So, he turned a blind eye and actively covered up for her no matter what evil or dirty things she did.

The husband who dominated Korea’s business world was a docile lamb in front of her, and their son was also obedient to her words.

There was nothing for Lady Jung to fear.

But at some point, things started to subtly go wrong.

With both her husband and son.

“This is all because of Choi A Rin.”

In the end, unable to contain her anger, she threw the phone that had been unilaterally cut off.

Ever since Choi A Rin fully entered her son’s life, everything had gone awry.

“You finally ignore my warning.”

[You and our Jae Hyuk are already over. So just wait for the divorce date. Don’t do anything unnecessary.]

She had gone and warned her directly, but A Rin must have somehow seduced her naive son.

She clenched her fists so tightly that her red nails dug into her palms.

Lady Jung was so full of anger that she couldn’t feel the pain. The anger was not directed at Jae Hyuk, but solely at A Rin.

From the beginning, she shouldn’t have let them get married.

[Have this girl marry your son. Then your son can have an heir.]

Even if it was the words of Priest Cheon whom she still trusted and followed, she shouldn’t have let them get married when it came to marriage.

No, she should have pretended to marry them, had a grandchild, and then discarded her.

In the end, she couldn’t even see her grandchild, and her relationship with Jae Hyuk was also broken.

Lady Jung recalled what Jae Hyuk had said when she told him to get married.

[I’ll get married as you wish, Mother. But I have conditions. Don’t restrain me or A Rin. Don’t unilaterally force pregnancy. If there’s no three-year condition, I’ll marry her.]

At first, when Lady Jung heard her son’s words, she was suspicious.

‘No way, does Jae Hyuk have feelings for that girl?’

Although the two started to become distant after Jae Hyuk became a middle school student, they had a very good relationship until then, no matter how much she tried to stop it.

She was also scared for a moment, wondering if her son had feelings for A Rin. However, it was all in vain.

During the three years of marriage, Jae Hyuk showed little interest in A Rin, and Lady Jung sighed with relief.

She was convinced. The threat disguised as a request he made at that time was not for A Rin, but for Jae Hyuk himself.

But now, her son’s actions could only be explained by having A Rin in his heart.

Unable to contain her anger, Lady Jung shouted.

“What did this foxy bitch do to brainwash him so much that he can’t even recognize his own mother?”

The phone that fell on the marble floor shattered into pieces.

Lady Jung thought of the broken phone as A Rin and was stepping on it when-

Along with the sound of the office door opening, a man’s unctuous voice was heard.

“What happened to make you so angry?”

There was one thing that the generous Chairman Ban Ho Jun, who was lenient with everything Lady Jung did, could not forgive. Adultery.

[Even if our marriage is not one where we love each other like crazy, marriage is trust. I cannot forgive you meeting another man while married to me. So don’t do it, and if you have given your heart to someone else without even knowing it, never let me find out.]

The man who entered the office casually embraced Lady Jung’s waist.

“Who made our madam so angry again?”

The man with lecherous eyes was wearing a vile smile.

“Han Tae Su.”

The adultery partner was Chairman Ban Ho Jun’s high school junior. Whenever Lady Jung caused trouble, Chairman Ban assigned Han Tae Su to clean up after her.

And the two became sexually involved.

“Go to Jeju Island right now and educate that unruly colt.”

“…Ah.”

At Tae Su’s lukewarm response, Lady Jung yelled.

“What. You can’t do it?”

“Haha.”

“Don’t laugh. I’m about to lose my patience with you too. Right now, I feel like throwing something at your face as well.”

“Ah, please hold back on that.”

Tae Su stepped back with his hands raised as if surrendering. However, his expression was not just calm, but languid.

“I understand.”

“Make it so Choi A Rin can’t stand in front of our Jae Hyuk. Use any means necessary.”

“But if your son finds out, he won’t stay still.”

“That’s why you handle it without getting caught.”

“Yes, yes. That’s my job. Leave it to me. You trust me, right?”

Tae Su placed his hand on Lady Jung’s trembling shoulder and gently gripped it. At the lascivious gesture, Lady Jung’s anger-filled face instantly softened.

“Ha. You better not just be all talk.”

“Isn’t that why you like me?”

Lady Jung swatted Tae Su’s hand away. Despite her words, she didn’t look displeased at all.

“Before that, I have something to say.”

Han Tae Su’s eyes changed in an instant. Lady Jung responded to the lewd gaze scanning her body by wrapping her arms around his neck.

“If Jae Hyuk catches us again, it’s over for both you and me.”

“Yes, yes. Whose orders do you think I’m following?”

A pair of red lips with a dot drew an arc. A coquettish voice flowed out from between the parted lips.

[This is the timeline separator]

Three days later.

It was decided that A Rin would be discharged.

Ji Yun took time off and stayed by her side for three days straight. Although A Rin quickly regained stability with Ji Yun there, she couldn’t shake the thought that she was being a burden.

“Ji Yun, I’m really fine now. So you can comfortably go back to Seoul.”

“I’ll stay until the day you’re discharged.”

“You said you’re busy these days. Even if it’s time off, people will talk. Besides, we’re seeing each other next week anyway.”

Ji Yun spoke with a serious expression.

“Will you be able to go? If you tell Yoo Jung unnie, she’ll understand.”

“No. It’s not some other occasion, it’s Yoo Jung unnie’s wedding, so I have to go. Unnie has always helped me.”

Ji Yun, who had been lost in thought for a moment, opened her mouth with difficulty.

“If you go, you might run into the Vice President.”

She knew well what Ji Yun was worried about. However, not attending Yoo Jung’s wedding to avoid Jae Hyuk was something she could not do.

“It’s okay.”

A Rin turned her head and looked out the window. Gazing at the white clouds, she continued.

“I just need to attend the wedding and come back. It’s not some stranger, it’s Yoo Jung unnie’s wedding.”

Yoo Jung was Jae Hyuk’s personal assistant secretary assigned to A Rin, but she was very different from a typical assistant secretary.

It was not Jae Hyuk or A Rin who gave her orders, but Lady Jung, and Yoo Jung’s duties were simple.

Bringing the herbal medicine made by Lady Jung and making sure A Rin took it every day without fail, and reporting her every move to Lady Jung.

Based on her job description alone, it seemed as if Yoo Jung had become Lady Jung’s person, but that wasn’t actually the case.

Yoo Jung was the person who created a small breathing room for A Rin in her difficult married life.

It was when A Rin was suffering because the medicine that was supposed to help conceive didn’t agree with her body.

[It’s a different medicine. The packaging is the same but subtly different. Look, there’s a small leaf shape drawn here. The elder madam won’t notice, so I’ll give you this from now on. So don’t worry and take it.]

The person who bought medicine with similar packaging and switched it was none other than Yoo Jung. And as she predicted, Lady Jung didn’t notice at all.

“You know I like sweets. But the elder madam forbade all snacks, saying sugar could cause diabetes and negatively affect the fetus. I already loved sweets, so it was even harder not being able to eat them. But Yoo Jung unnie…”

[Madam, hurry and eat this.]

Each time, Yoo Jung would take out a half-crumbled macaron from her bosom and hand it over.

[Th-this is…] [That’s right. It’s from Blanc. Quickly eat it before the elder madam comes.]

“You know? Blanc. Even though it’s far from the main house, unnie always bought macarons from Blanc.”

Recalling that memory, A Rin continued.

“You have no idea how delicious that crumbled shell was. Unnie almost got fired because of me. Even in that situation, unnie took care of me.”

When she parted ways with Jae Hyuk, she thought it was also the end with Yoo Jung, but it wasn’t.

“After breaking up with him, there was no need for unnie to come see me. But unnie came to find me in Jeju Island. Always buying macarons from Blanc.”

Was that why?

Yoo Jung was someone who evoked feelings beyond just a personal assistant. No, Yoo Jung was purely one of the most precious people to her.

“But if I don’t attend unnie’s wedding because of him, it seems too selfish of me.”

“…Unnie will understand too.”

In the end, Ji Yun surrendered. She also knew well what Yoo Jung meant to A Rin, so she could no longer dissuade her.

“Sigh. Alright, then instead-”

Tightly grasping A Rin’s hand, Ji Yun continued.

“Wherever you go, make sure to stay with me. Okay?”

“Yeah.”

A Rin gently caressed the hand Ji Yun was holding.

“Ji Yun, I’m okay.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Nothing will happen. So don’t worry. Once this is over, I can return to my daily life.”

A Rin’s eyes looking at Ji Yun contained hesitation and an inexplicable vague fear.