THE BITCH CEO (Im Nayeon)

44

NO ONE'S

The villa was silent, save for the faint rustle of leaves in the midnight breeze. Nayeon sat on the veranda of her bedroom, wrapped in a soft shawl, gazing at the moonlit Sicilian landscape. The air was cool, but her thoughts burned with a restless energy that kept her awake.

Her hands trembled slightly as she held a steaming cup of tea, seeking warmth and comfort that her thoughts couldn't provide. The past nine months played like a film in her mind, every memory vivid and unrelenting.

Her life had turned upside down the moment she decided to leave everything behind.

Moving to Sicily felt like stepping into an abyss, no family, no friends, no one to lean on. The loneliness had been suffocating, especially during those first weeks when her emotions felt like a storm she couldn't outrun.

Every night, she cried herself to sleep, trying to silence the echoes of the past. Memories of Hans, their love, and its bitter unraveling haunted her, refusing to let go.

She had tried so hard to move on, to bury her pain beneath layers of resilience, but the wounds ran too deep.

Then came Haven. Her daughter had become her lifeline, pulling her back from the edge when she felt like giving up.

Nayeon's lips curved into a soft smile as she thought about her baby girl, sleeping soundly in the bedroom.

Haven's arrival had been her salvation.

The first time she held her tiny, fragile body, something inside Nayeon shifted. The pain, the grief, and the anger hadn't disappeared, but they no longer consumed her. Haven gave her a reason to wake up every day, a purpose that anchored her in a world that once felt empty.

Despite the turmoil she faced, Nayeon had found joy again, small moments of happiness in Haven arrival, her little hands gripping Nayeon's fingers, and her peaceful expressions as she slept. Haven was her world now, and Nayeon clung to her with all the strength she had left.

But the thought of returning home after nine months weighed heavily on her. How would her family react? They had been searching for her, desperate for updates, but she had given them nothing, not a word, not a trace. She had cut herself off completely, knowing that facing them would be too much at the time.

And now she would have to introduce them to Haven.

Would they understand why she had disappeared? Would they forgive her? Or would they look at her with disappointment, with judgment?

The fear twisted in her chest, tightening her grip on the tea cup.

She knew her family well, they loved her deeply, but they also had expectations. Haven would change everything.

Nayeon wasn't the same person who had left all those months ago. She was a mother now, and her priorities had shifted.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the sky. The stars shimmered faintly, their light steady and calm, as if reminding her to take things one step at a time. She didn't have all the answers yet, but she would face whatever came her way.

Because despite the weight of her fears and the lingering shadows of her past, Nayeon knew one thing with absolute certainty, her daughter was worth it all.

Nayeon's gaze shifted from the stars to the horizon, where the darkened outlines of the Sicilian landscape blended with the night sky.

A faint, bittersweet smile formed on her lips as her thoughts turned to Haven.

Her daughter, her lifeline, her everything.

'She really does look just like her.' Nayeon thought.

The image of Hans flashing in her mind.