The Unwanted Husband (English Ver.) Seulrene

Chapter 36

Seulgi's POV

I quickly distanced myself from her, but she tightened her grip around my neck. I still didn't kiss her back.

"Irene," I whispered between her kisses.

She irritably moved away from me. "Kiss me back! And why are you still calling me Irene? It's annoying."

I seized this opportunity to step away from her. I needed answers, not kisses. "Why didn't you sign the annulment papers? If I remember correctly, you wanted to separate from me, right? That's your chance."

Didn't she want to leave me from the beginning because she didn't love me? She wanted to be free, so I let her.

Bogum was the one she loved from the start. I know, I know, it's also my fault that I got hurt during the years we were together.

As a person, I was also blinded by love. When her father said I should marry his daughter to keep her away from Bogum because of what he did to Irene, I didn't hesitate and just said yes.

At that time, I was desperate to have her; desperate for her to finally notice my love for her. Which was my mistake, I shouldn't have agreed to an arranged marriage. I should have done it the traditional way.

I thought that if we were married, it would be easier to make her fall in love with me or to win her heart. But I was wrong. Why did I think that after she spoke to Dad to cancel the wedding, she would treat me well?

But I didn't agree to the marriage just because I was desperate to have her. I agreed because I knew I could protect her from Bogum or anyone else if they ever did something like what Bogum did.

I also knew that if Irene was married to me, Bogum would stay away from her because he knew Dad favored me. Both Dad and I knew that Bogum was involved in a syndicate, so we were both cautious about Irene.

"Why? That's your chance; that's your chance to get back at Bogum. So why didn't you sign it?" I asked her again.

She just looked into my eyes. Her eyes showed longing for someone, but they were also filled with love. "Simply because..."

I waited for her to continue, but she just kept looking at me, teary-eyed.

"Simply because, what?" I asked. I couldn't wait any longer; I needed an answer.

"I-I love you." She paused and hugged me tightly, resting her head on my chest.

"I love you so much. I love you, Kang Seulgi. That's the answer."

I shook my head. "No, I-I don't believe you."

"It's true! I love you, I love you so much. That's why I can't sign the annulment papers. I don't want to lose you; I can't."

I tried to remove her arms from around me, but she just held on tighter. "I-I still don't believe you. H-How? You love Bogum, right? You've loved him since we were teens. I know because I see it in your eyes." I paused.

"From the start, I knew he was the one you loved. Your day couldn't be complete without seeing him, right? You were the one who made the first move to get his attention, which is also why the three of us became best friends."

"And I made a mistake too. I shouldn't have agreed so easily to your dad's offer for us to get married. Because from the beginning, I knew you loved him. You shouldn't have been trapped with me."

"Hon, stop. Are you saying you regret marrying me? Please, don't, believe me. I love you! You know me, if I—"

"How? You were together for a long time, and besides, even when we were married, I knew you couldn't love me because you were waiting for him."

Tears started falling from her eyes. I hesitated a bit because this was only the second time I had ever seen her cry. Somehow, my heart ached when I saw her cry. It felt like my heart was breaking.

"Listen to me, please. Don't jump to conclusions, hon. How can we fix this if you won't listen to my side? I told you before, didn't I? Believe what I'm saying."

She cupped my face with her hands. "I love you. I love you so much, how many times do I have to tell you that? I can say it a thousand times, just tell me. What do I need to do to prove to you that I love you?" She said all this while crying. She was crying and slowly caressing my cheeks.

A part of me wanted to believe her, but my disbelief still prevailed. You can blame me if you want, but for all the years we were married, every night I saw her crying because she was waiting for Bogum to come back.

She might not know it, but I saw her crying every night, wishing to the stars for Bogum's return. I heard her clearly, so how can I believe her?

I chose to ignore it before; I would always tell myself that she would eventually love me or that it would pass. Maybe I should have just let her go when she wanted to, and we wouldn't have ended up here.

"I'm sorry, but I still don't believe you. I'm sorry for agreeing to the marriage and trapping you with me. Forgive me, I was desperate, I—I should probably leave." I reluctantly but gently removed her grip and started to walk away.

I can't continue with this. I've long since forgotten our past, and I regret the mistakes I made with Irene. That's why I support her relationship with Bogum because she couldn't do that before. She had no freedom to choose because of me.

I removed her right to marry the man she loved.

Look at her; she's crying. I promised Dad that I would protect her daughter and not make her cry. Even though we're no longer together, I still kept my promise. A promise is a promise.

I'm sorry, Hyun. Sorry for everything.

I've moved on; I don't want to drown in that kind of love anymore. It's hard. Besides, Jennie and Nini are there for me. They are my happiness, and I forget my problems when I'm with them.

I should probably see them. I need to think; maybe Irene is making a mistake. I started walking towards the door, without looking back at her.

I was almost at the door when I felt her hug me from behind. "Hon, don't leave, please. Listen to me; I'm telling the truth! I loved Bogum, yes, I was also blinded by love and maybe my own standards. He was my ideal man, he had all the qualities I looked for in a man."

"He was sweet, kind, and made me feel loved. I thought he—"

"Exactly! You love him, not me. Where is Bogum? Maybe you're just missing him, and that's why you're saying you love me."

Maybe she can't see Bogum anymore, so she's saying this to me instead. I was about to leave when I remembered something.

"Don't worry, I'll find him for you and Iseul. The poor child hasn't seen his father yet. Once I find him, I'll make sure to confront him for not taking responsibility for your child."

"And I'll send another set of annulment papers; I'll set you free. Maybe the reason you didn't sign the first time was that you felt a connection between us because we hadn't had this conversation."

"Hon, hon, no!" She said, sobbing and desperately holding on.

"Take care; I'm leaving." I loosened her grip and made my way to the door.

I was about to close the door when I heard her speak, still sobbing.

"I'll do anything for you to believe that I love you! Just like I told you, I love you, so I'll never sign those annulment papers. I won't give up; just wait for me, hon."