Beauty Next Door (vsoo)

[20]

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Lost in one direction, the pregnant woman huffed and cried, feeling utterly betrayed. She looked so broken, so shattered, as if the weight of the truth was too much for her to bear.

She had known it all along, but she hadn’t been ready to face it. She had suspected, but never once did she think the truth would become so real, so crushing.

Closing the door behind her, she finally reached her safe zone—her own room in the vast villa her parents owned. She plopped down onto her bed, clutching the file of papers containing the grim details of her father’s death.

He hadn’t died from poisoning. He had been murdered. And it wasn’t by her mother, as she had once thought, but by her soon-to-be husband.

Her fiancé, who had been enjoying a business dinner party at her father’s company just the night before.

How low had he gone? How could she have ever believed she loved someone so heartless? How had she not seen the truth? She had fallen for his words, but never once considered his actions.

He hadn’t wanted her—he had only wanted her family, her father’s company, and the power that came with it.

Steps...

Hearing the footsteps, her body froze. Her heart raced, and all thoughts of the truth fled from her mind. She was terrified, her instinct driving her to find safety. She knew that if she said a word about what she knew, she would be dead. If he found out she knew his secret, she would die too.

But she couldn’t let that happen. Not now. She had a baby to protect.

Steps... steps...

The sound grew nearer to her door. In a panic, she shoved the file behind the pillows on her bed and hurried out of her room. She rushed downstairs, hoping to avoid him, but as she reached the staircase, he was there, coming up.

"Sooyaa... I’m sorry, my love... but I couldn’t save your mom..." His voice was soft, as if pretending to be remorseful. His words sent a chill through her, and she froze in place, confused and betrayed.

Her heart sank. "What do you mean? What happened to eomma?" she asked, her voice trembling, tears already streaming down her cheeks. The way he looked at her, his eyes full of hidden knowledge, sent a shiver down her spine. She knew something wasn’t right.

"She poisoned herself in the lockup," he said, framing the words with a cold, uncaring tone. "She committed suicide."

His words hung in the air like poison, but she could see it in his eyes—the lie. The mask. She knew the truth now.

She couldn’t hold it in any longer. The rage built up inside her like a storm. She could feel the heat rise in her chest, the overwhelming fury. She wasn’t going to let him get away with this.

"You did it... you killed her!" Jisoo screamed, pointing her finger at him, her chest heaving with anger.

He wasn’t surprised by her outburst, but he was shocked by her boldness. The wicked smirk that spread across his face made her skin crawl.

He stepped closer, grabbing her by the shoulder, pulling her roughly toward him.

"Now you know the truth," he said with a twisted grin. "But what are you going to do about it, my dear fiancée?"

****

"So, tell me what's going on?" Mia, the vice president of KJ, asked with a teasing smirk. She watched Jisoo, her superior and friend, frown for the umpteenth time at the constant teasing. Mia had this knack for getting under Jisoo’s skin, especially now when her calm demeanor was just starting to return after handling the endless rumors.