Psychopath Billionaire | BBANGSAZ

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FOUR YEARS LATER

H A N N I

"Mommy, can we stay here longer?" Daehan pleaded.

I kissed his little hand. "It's getting late, Dae. Mom will be home at some point."

"Please, Mommy," Daehan pouted. He was clearly upset. He hugged his favorite teddy bear closer. "I don't want to leave."

"Sweetheart, we can come back next week, I promise."

Daehan stood up, almost destroying the sandcastle he had made. (He liked to call it a sandcastle, and I didn't correct him.) He took my hand and said goodbye to his friend Manse, waving.

Manse was a cute boy who lived on the same street. He and Daehan had become very good friends in a short time, and I enjoyed the company of Manse's mother occasionally.

I brushed the mud off Daehan's pants.

He liked to come to the park often, and sometimes I even took him to amusement parks and aquariums. Minji never had time for us, so I took it upon myself to enjoy watching Daehan grow up, alone.

I helped Daehan into the car as I took the wheel. I turned on the music, Daehan looked out the window, and I could tell he was sad to go home.

He always hated going home.

"What's wrong, honey?" I asked.

"I don't like going home," he said.

I kissed his cheek. "How about we take a detour and get your favorite ice cream?"

His face lit up immediately. "Yes! I want Cotton Candy flavor."

I drove to Daehan's favorite ice cream shop where we had our own mother-son conversations. He mostly liked to talk about his school friends and some imaginary friends too.

I listened with interest and pure adoration.

"Hmm, and then what happened?" I wiped the ice cream dripping from his chin.

Daehan laughed. "And then I told him he was being silly."

Daehan's brown eyes sparkled. The same brown eyes he inherited from his mother. His dark hair, still tousled, looked perfect. No DNA tests were needed to prove whose son he was, and I could see that despite Daehan looking so much like Minji, my son had kindness in his eyes. The kind of kindness his mother didn't possess.

A few years ago, when Minji had pushed me down the stairs during my eighth month, I suddenly blacked out and woke up in a hospital bed, having had a premature delivery.

Daehan was a premature baby at that time, but I literally cried when I saw how beautiful and precious he was. Daehan had been strong enough to survive that fall. And even though I hated Minji from here to the moon and back, I was grateful to her for giving me Daehan.

After a few minutes, we drove home. Daehan already had nuggets and fries for dinner, which was a change from his usual home-cooked meal.

He went straight to his room when he collided with Minji.

The smile on Daehan's face vanished quickly like turning off a lightbulb.

Minji, now in her thirties, still stunningly beautiful and seemed tougher than she used to be. She passed her son a reassuring smile. "How's my baby today?"

"I'm okay, Mom," Daehan said.

"Where have you and Mommy been, Daehan?" Minji asked.

Daehan's little body shivered. He looked at me and then at his mother. "We... we..."

Minji grabbed his face and forced him to make eye contact. "Don't look at your mother. Answer me!"

Daehan trembled; he was on the verge of tears.

I shook my head. "Minji, that's enough!"

Minji raised her palm, immobilizing me and silencing me along with it. "You don't tell me how to talk to my son."

"You're being ridiculous," I said. "He's a child, he likes to play with other kids his age."

Minji struck hard on my right cheek.

I closed my eyes and waited for the pain to subside.

It was humiliating how she continued to abuse me, even in front of Daehan.

Daehan started sobbing loudly. "Mommy, please..." He hugged his toy closer. "Please don't hit Mommy."

"Listen to me, Dae, your mommy never follows simple instructions. You were not supposed to visit that park and associate with commoners. You're my son; you only associate with people with our standards," Minji continued. "As for your mommy, it's quite understandable that she wants to go there, considering she was born into the same filth."

"MINJI!" I shouted. I grabbed Daehan and pulled him to my side. "Stop this. You're upsetting him."

Minji pulled Daehan from my hand and lifted him into her arms. "Keep your filthy hands off him. If I ever catch you taking him to those parks again, I swear I'll cut you so deep you won't recognize yourself."

I was surprised at how she said all these things in Daehan's presence.

Fine.

She wants our son to become just like her.

Cold. Psychopathic. Cruel. Manipulative. Murderous.

No!

Don't even think about it, I tried to tell myself.