*Twenty Four Years Later*

Ji Eunhae heard the shuffling of footsteps from the other side of the bed. Her husband, Choi Insik, had just woken up. He sat on the bed, not even bothering to look at her. Eunhae felt a pang of pain in her heart as she stared at her beloved. ​ ​

At thirty three years old, he was the CEO of the country’s most prestigious technological firm. He had been named as one of the richest men in town coming second to the legendary Hwang Minho. With sharp green eyes and chiseled looks, Insik was known to be the prized object for all females in the country. Famous celebrities, business women and heiresses wanted to bed him but there was room for only one woman in his heart.

And it was not for Eunhae.

“Don’t worry honey,” he was saying on the phone. “There’s only one month left. She couldn’t bear a child even after four years of marriage and at this point, I think she’s infertile. This woman is useless to the Choi family and not worth giving birth to our heir.”

Insik knew that his wife was listening but he did not care. She was not bad to look at. With long brown hair and matching eyes, Eunhae was considered a beauty. Her large, innocent eyes were enough to pull in many suitors. Her background was also good because she was the eldest daughter of the Ji family.

But it was her betrayal which closed all chances of their happy marriage. On the night of their engagement, Eunhae’s younger sister Youngmi, showed him pictures of Eunhae hugging and kissing another man. Upon seeing those pictures, all his love for Eunhae had evaporated and there was nothing but hatred for her in his eyes. He wanted to rip off her pretty face and feed it to the dogs but his grandfather’s condition had kept him from throwing her out of his life.

In his will, the elder Choi had written that in order to get the entire family business, Insik would have to marry Eunhae. But if they could not conceive a baby within four years of marriage, Insik was free to divorce her and marry whomever he wanted.

To spite his wife and punish her for the betrayal, he carried out an open affair with Youngmi.

“I’ll be right down at the hotel,” he said in a sweet tone. Eunhae could only watch in sorrow as her husband left her side and went off to meet her sister. Youngmi was younger and certainly more desirable than her. She could not fathom why Insik had betrayed her when they were once in love. What was her fault?

He got off the bed and dressed up. Without looking at her, he left the bedroom, leaving her all alone. Eunhae lay there, staring at the ceiling.

She hid her face in her palms and sobbed. “I’ve loved you for so long…” she lamented. “And yet…”

Her grandfather-in-law had liked her and thought that once married, Insik and Eunhae would be very happy. He was her only support in the Choi family which treated her like a servant. Insik punished her in bed every night to the point that she could barely walk in the morning.

But he died a few months ago and she was left without any support. Even her parents were ashamed of her. No matter how many times she claimed that she was innocent of all charges, no one believed her. She did not even know how those photos came to existence given that she never met the man in the picture.

Yet, from all angles, the girl looked like her. No one would believe her and she was resigned to her fate. In her desperation, she even hid the one good news from both the families.

She was pregnant.

“Someone help me,” she sobbed. “Please…”

Suddenly, her phone rang up and she picked it up. It was her sister, Youngmi.

“Elder sis!” Youngmi cried over the phone. “Help me!”

Eunhae was alarmed. Even if Youngmi had an affair with her husband, they were still sisters and Eunhae was worried for her.

“What happened?” Eunhae demanded. “Are you alright?”

“No sis!” Youngmi claimed. “Please, save me! There are goons after me!”

“I’m coming, Youngmi!” Eunhae exclaimed. Quickly getting dressed, she dashed outside towards her car. Stepping on the pedal, she raced to the address Youngmi had texted her. It was an empty construction site. Youngmi was standing on the first floor of the building.

Eunhae rushed upstairs to reach her sister.

“Youngmi!” she cried. “Are you alright-”

She faltered in her steps. Youngmi stood in front of her with a sadistic smile on her lips.

“Stupid sister!” Youngmi laughed. “Are you really that naive? Or just pretending to be a moron?”

“Youngmi…” Eunhae was confused. Why was her sweet sister acting like that?

They looked quite familiar except for the hair and the nose. While Eunhae had dull long hair, Youngmi had short black hair which made her look like a stylish diva.

“You fool,” Youngmi muttered. “You still don’t get it do you? It was me! I was the one who framed you in front of Insik! I wanted him but he was in love with you! So I doctored those pictures and made it seem like you were cheating and brought shame to our family! Our parents hate you and disowned you. Poor Insik was stuck in this loveless marriage all because of you and that old man! If it weren’t for me who mixed poison into his food, he would have continued to support you!”

“You poisoned him?” Eunhae gasped. “How could you do this? When did you become so cruel?”

But Youngmi was filled with jealousy and rage. She only let out a loud laugh and declared, “Insik is mine and mine alone! I won’t let you stay with him. And now, you’ll pay for coming between us.”

She took out a knife from her bag. Eunhae stepped back, clutching her stomach to protect herself from her deranged sister. But Youngmi only smirked and to Eunhae’s shock, stabbed herself.

Before Eunhae could scream for help, Youngmi ran towards her and both of them toppled over. The knife fell into Eunhae’s hands and there was blood all over her shirt.

Right at that moment, Insik burst into the scene with his men. Upon seeing Youngmi covered in blood and the knife in Eunhae’s hands, he came to a conclusion.

“You…” he growled at his so-called wife. “You stabbed her! Your own sister! How could you? And she is pregnant with my child!”

“I didn’t!” Eunhae protested. “I swear on the child in my womb! I didn’t-”

“You’re pregnant?” he spat. “No! You’re not worthy to give birth to my child! Take both of them to the hospital. And as for her…”

He pointed at Eunhae with rage and hatred. “Make sure that illegitimate spawn of satan in her doesn’t come to life! Kill it!”

The guards nodded and before she knew it, Eunhae was being dragged away by the burly men.

“No!” she screamed. “You have to believe me, Insik! It wasn’t me! She stabbed her-”

But her cries were in vain. Insik had picked up Youngmi in his arms and took her to the hospital. After a few hours, the doctors declared that she was out of danger and ready to go home.

“Thank god,” Insik sighed in relief. “And our child?”

“He’s safe,” the doctor smiled. Unbeknownst to Insik, the doctor was paid by Youngmi to falsify her reports to make it seem she was pregnant. In reality, the wound was minor and only a few stitches were done. It was all going according to her plans.

“And as for your wife,” the doctor began. “She’s very weak. Aborting the fetus might kill her. Do you want to proceed with this?”

Insik thought for a while. The wretched woman must have been impregnated by someone else because he always used protection.

“Let her become stronger first,” he finally said. “We’ll take her home for now. I’ll lock her up in the bedroom. And tomorrow, I’ll be engaged to Youngmi. This wretch has harmed us enough!”

The doctor nodded and left. On his way, he passed by Youngmi’s room. The doctor gave her a small nod and walked away, his mission complete. They were so relieved that they had won, that they failed to notice a small dark figure who was watching them from afar.

“How pathetic,” the figure murmured.

…..

Eunhae had been forcefully brought back to the mansion and locked up in the store room. She sat on the cold floor, dry eyed in grief and pain. They had barely fed her despite her condition and her mother-in-law even slapped her a few times to humiliate her. Insik did not visit her even once but she had heard that he was getting engaged to Youngmi that very day.

I’m his wife, damn it! She wailed inwardly. How can he do this…

Outside, the party celebrations were going on in full swing. Insik was dressed in the finest suit while Youngmi wore a backless designer dress which complimented her hourglass figure. She was beaming in joy, standing next to the man of her dreams. The guests were awed at how beautiful the couple looked.

“She’s much better than the old one,” a guest remarked.

“What a gold digger she was!”

“I’m glad he got rid of her!”

Insik, however, was feeling unsettled. He had taken a rash decision spurred by Eunhae’s actions but his heart was not into the engagement. For some reason, he kept on gazing towards the store room but his pride kept him from freeing her. Rotten woman like her deserves to be punished.

Outside the mansion, the guards were on alert. They checked all the invitation cards of the guests and only let people in after a thorough scan. One of the guards was checking an invitation card when a black figure was casually walking through the gate. The person wore a dark jacket with a hoodie, hiding the face.

“Stop right there!” the guard yelled at the figure. “Who are you and where’s your invitation?”

The figure did not reply but soon, a group of people arrived at the gate. To the surprise of the guards, the people who arrived were not guests. They were cops.

The mysterious figure took off the hoodie.

Long brown hair fell loose and a pair of brown eyes gave them a steely stare. The woman seemed to be in her early thirties with large eyes and an innocent, angelic look. But her hard glare was making the guards defensive. Some of them put their hands on the tasers, as if ready to take her down.

The woman held up a badge which immediately made the guards back off.

“Detective Hwang Jina from homicide,” she declared. “Come in the way of a legal procedure and I’ll throw your asses in jail, ya idiots!”