8 Years [ENGV]

#30

JISOO

Sitting on the bed, my back against the padded headboard, I sighed for what I believed to be the fifth time in twelve minutes. A storm of emotions churned inside me. Headaches came and went sporadically, and nausea had become frequent. A single sentence had shaken the world I thought was protected, the world I thought was safe from anything that could destroy what we had been slowly building.

The only thing keeping me calm was the baby. Knowing that he or she was growing healthy, safe, and sound inside me, and hearing their heart beating faster as they developed, was a relief amidst the chaos — a soft melody that soothed my heart. The baby was a certainty that, at the end of the storms and tornadoes, our home would still be standing.

I'd only had two appointments in the weeks leading up to the hearing, but they were enough to give me a bit of peace. However, Haein was still tormented by his desperate, thoughtless action. Though it seemed cruel and cold, he had bought Haeji without any guarantee that the guardian would keep her end of the bargain, and now we were in this situation. I was angry, I admit it — upset for not being consulted — he dealt with her on his own, but getting through this together was the priority, so I set my feelings aside and tried to understand his perspective — he did what he thought would work at the time.

I supported him; we needed each other's support to stay on our feet and to keep our home from disappearing into thin air. Meanwhile, Haeji was acting strange. She seemed scared to approach or talk to me, even though I could see in her eyes she was desperate to say something. I wanted to give her time, but every time she came to me with that haunted, confused look, she hesitated and changed the subject.

"I'm nervous," I said. Haein was lying beside me, his hand gently resting on my belly. "I don't think I'll sleep anytime soon." He sighed — a worried sigh — and lifted his head to look at me.

"Love, I know you're nervous and worried about the hearing tomorrow. I am too, but try not to overthink it."

"You don't overthink it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He scrunched his nose — an adorable expression.

"You caught me." I knew he didn't avoid it , he probably thought about it and tortured himself more than I did. Haein lowered his head again, his hand moving in circles on my belly. "Our little one gets nervous with you. How many times did you throw up this week?"

I leaned my head against the headboard. Thinking about everything that was happening brought a wave of unbearable anxiety, my stomach churned, and I vomited — okay, maybe Haein didn't think about it as much as I did.

"Morning sickness is normal in early pregnancy." I said sarcastically, tilting my head and running my fingers through his hair.

"You don't just vomit in the morning, Jisoo. It happens in the afternoon, at night, at dawn..."

"I'm fine, Haein." I said firmly, trying to reassure him — and me. "Tomorrow this will be over." I sighed, already feeling my stomach twist.

"It'll all be okay." He gently stroked my belly again. We looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds before he leaned in and kissed me, exchanging soft kisses just to help me feel calm and at peace — and it worked.

I didn't get a full night's rest. No matter how much I tried, I kept waking up startled and checking the time—the night passed torturously slow. Haein hadn't slept either — I saw him get up and shift around in bed all night—but neither of us dared to talk, we were too nervous and anxious for that.

"Sooya?" he called softly, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Can we run away?" I asked — half-joking, but not really. He chuckled, burying his face in my neck.