Y/N stood at the edge of the yard, a soft smile tugging at her lips as she watched her son and daughter laughing with the neighborhood kids. Their carefree voices filled the air, a melody she cherished despite the shadows in her heart. She made sure they played freely, but never too far, never too long—home by seven, always. That was the rule she clung to, ensuring they had the childhood she never truly got to keep. Even with the faint ache in her legs from the scars that never fully faded, she stood strong for them, determined to shield them from the darker parts of the world… and from their father’s obsession.

Warm arms suddenly wrapped around her waist from behind, making her stiffen. She knew that embrace too well—the way his presence melted into hers like a shadow that would never let go. Gakupo’s breath brushed her ear as he whispered, low and possessive, “You’re still as beautiful as the day I first took you as mine.” His words sent a chill down her spine, though she didn’t flinch. She had long since learned how to endure the tenderness that carried chains beneath its sweetness. The children’s laughter carried across the yard, grounding her as her husband’s grip tightened slightly, a silent reminder that he still owned her, body and soul.

Y/N placed her hands gently over his, as if accepting the embrace, though her gaze remained fixed on the children. “They’re happy,” she murmured softly, more to herself than to him. “That’s all that matters.” Gakupo chuckled darkly, his lips brushing her shoulder as he whispered something only she could hear—praise for the perfect wife and mother she’d become, and a reminder that he would never let her go. Y/N closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing the heaviness in her chest. For their sake, she would endure anything, even if her scars burned with every word he spoke.