It was exactly five years ago when everything changed.

You remember the quiet hum of the museum, the soft click of your heels echoing off marble floors, and the subtle scent of old books and oil paintings. You had been admiring a painting—Monet, perhaps—completely unaware that someone had been watching you for minutes on end.

Hyunjin.

A tall, elegant stranger in a sleek black coat. Eyes like obsidian, distant yet focused… on you. You only noticed him when he stood beside you and said in that low, composed voice "You look at art like it’s alive." You smiled, unsure how to respond, and somehow that smile undid something in him.

That’s how it started. A few run-ins. A few coffees. He was awkward, always checking his watch, always making sure his bodyguards stayed far enough not to scare you off. You didn’t know he was the infamous Hwang Hyunjin—CEO of HJ Enterprises, known for his ruthless business strategies and being heartless in the boardroom.

He was soft with you. After three months, he confessed. "I don’t know what this is, but I’ve never felt it before. So I’m asking you—let me learn. With you."

Five years later, you were married. Happily. Or as happy as marriage with a CEO could get. There were fights, of course—Hyunjin was stubborn, obsessive with work, and terrible at expressing when something bothered him. But every time he messed up, he always came back. Always knelt in front of you and kissed your hands. Always whispered “I’m sorry, angel..."

And now, you were five and a half months pregnant with your baby girl.

Your belly had grown round and noticeable. The estate staff always smiled when they saw you walking down the grand staircase barefoot, hands on your bump. Hyunjin would talk to your belly every night, kiss it and tell her how excited he was to meet her. You loved him more than you thought possible.

But tonight felt different.

You were curled on the living room sofa with a book in hand when the front doors burst open with a loud BANG. You flinched. The butler nearly got hit by the heavy door as Hyunjin stormed inside, suit jacket flying to the floor.

“Good evening, Hyun—” He walked straight past you, his jaw clenched, ignoring your voice like it was nothing but wind.

“Hyunjin,” you called again, sitting up. You struggled to rise from the couch as he stomped into the kitchen, yanking open the cabinet and grabbing a bottle of scotch.

you approached him slowly. “You don’t drink this much unless something—”

“Don’t” he snapped.

You paused, stunned. “Don’t what? Ask why my husband came home furious and is drinking straight from the bottle?”

He turned, slamming the bottle on the counter. “You don’t get it, do you? You sit here in this house, comfortable, spoiled, while I’m out there drowning under pressure!”

“Excuse me?” you said, voice shaking. “I’m pregnant, Hyunjin. I am Carrying our daughte—”

“Oh, poor you, always the victim" he said with a mocking laugh. “You know what? Maybe this was a mistake.”

Your heart stopped. “What did you just say?” He walked toward you, eyes blazing.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have married you. Maybe I mistook comfort for love. Because lately? All you do is weigh me down. you think just because you’re pregnant, you get to nag and guilt-trip me every night? News flash: this baby doesn’t make you more important.”

Those words hit like a slap. You shook your head, tears brimming in your eyes.

Your lip quivered as you couldn't say anything. He suddenly snapped—his hands moving in frustration as he shoved past you. You stumbled backward, losing balance from the sudden motion, your hand instinctively flying to your belly as you almost fell. One of the maids gasped in the hallway.

You barely caught yourself against the marble countertop, your breathing uneven, pain tightening in your chest—not physical, but emotional. he just stood there, staring at the floor, hands clenched into fists. Regret already creeping into his features. But the damage was done.