"I'm not your wife anymore."
"I know that."
"And it's not your concern if I leave-"
"It is. Because even when you walked out on me you didn't walk out on our daughter. You don't get to do that."
"I would never. And if you think otherwise I don't know who I was married to."
___________________________________
Jisoo lets the door slam closed, the heavy metal banging out a cacophony of sound that Jisoo finds fucking satisfying. She's angry.
She's angry in a way she hasn't been in so long, because it's only Jennie who can get it out of her. How could she accuse her of leaving Charlie? Only Jennie. Always fucking Jennie.
She takes a deep breath with her hand on her apartment door's handle. She doesn't want to make too much noise in case it wakes Charlie, doesn't want to look upset in case her daughter is already awake. But she definitely doesn't want to still be in the hallway when Jennie comes down.
She steps inside.
"Mommy, where were you?"
Jisoo stops in her tracks as her daughter stands in the middle of the living room, blanket in hand and a fist rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Jisoo begs whatever God is listening that her daughter didn't hear the fight she's still reeling from.
"I was ...I was just talking to someone, baby," she says, and picks Charlie up with a grunt, settling her on her hip.
"With who?" Charlie inquires. "Soju?"
"No, not her. And it's Soojoo, baby."
"Oh. Her name is weird."
Jisoo tries -and fails- not to chuckle. Even now, her daughter can always get a smile out of her.
"I guess it is. But we don't say-"
"We don't say weird, we say special," Charlie recites. "Because being different is good."
"That's my girl," Jisoo says, dropping a kiss to her forehead. She's glad her neighbor is Charlie's first guess at who she was talking to. And she's even more thankful when Charlie seems to get distracted enough not to realize she didn't get an actual answer.
They'd been doing so well. The last thing she needs is for Charlie to find them fighting.
The last thing she wants is for Charlie to know about her new job (if she's taking it...she is taking it, isn't she?) in those circumstances.
She rubs Charlie's back.
"Why did you wake up?"
"I don't know..." Charlie says, and rests her head back down on Jisoo's shoulder.
"That's all right," Jisoo says, breathing out with relief. "But let's go to bed now, okay?"
Charlie nods against her shoulder.
"Can I sleep with you?"
"Of course, monkey."
She lays Charlie between the pillows, tickles her feet while she sleepily giggles and kicks at her. The twin bed is just big enough to hold the both of them cuddled up, and Jisoo hugs her close.
"Night mommy," Charlie says quietly, burrowing further under the covers.
Jisoo sighs, the last of the anger seeping out of her. She can't be angry when she's holding her daughter.
YOU ARE READING
living on a fault line || Jensoo
Romance"It didn't feel real, you know? Logically, I knew it was over, I signed the divorce papers, I moved out. We share custody of Charlie but...it didn't feel real. And now with Kai. What happens if they get married? When Charlie has a mom and a dad and...
