Mr and Mrs Sim ⋆ s.jake

Chapter 32

Rose's POV

"Once again, my client has no involvement in any organ trafficking that may have occurred at the hospital where he has been working for years," I stated firmly to the policeman, crossing my arms. My eyes stayed fixed on Jongseong, seated in the interrogation room on the other side of the glass, half-asleep, his features etched with a palpable sadness.

"I understand that your job is to clear his name, but we found invoices and large sums of cash well hidden in his home," the cop retorted in an assertive tone, as if to shut down the conversation and make me accept that Jay's case was a lost cause.

I turned to him, analyzing every detail—the tension in his jaw, the sharp angle of his gaze, the way his uniform accentuated his lean frame. He raised an eyebrow, slipping his hands into his pockets, a subtle display of confidence meant to unsettle me. This one reeked of corruption; he wasn't going to fool me.

"Only things that are easy to falsify. Any more tangible proof, officer? If so, please call your superior officer." I tapped the floor with the tip of my heel, impatiently punctuating my demand.

He sighed, gesturing toward Jay with a brief shake of his head before adding, "Why don't you go and join him in the meantime? He certainly has a confession to make." The lawyer wasn't about to back down, but Jongseong was at his lowest point, and the friend would never forgive herself if she didn't act. I nodded.

"Fine. And while you bring your supervisor, the Sixth Amendment stipulates that you must turn off the cameras and recording system during my consultation with Mr. Park."

"Oh, right. And the Second one lets anyone carry a gun. Just another example of the Constitution's genius."

He sighed, his contempt evident, and motioned for his female colleague to comply with my request. The way he carried himself and spoke to me brought back memories of someone I'd much rather forget. I took a deep breath, pushing the fog from my mind, and followed the woman's instructions. She led me into the interrogation room, manually shutting off the surveillance system as a gesture of goodwill. Moments later, I stood face-to-face with Jay.

"Jongseong?" I called softly.

He didn't respond, sitting motionless like a statue, his eyes glazed and distant.

"Jongseong... it's me, Rose."

His lack of reaction shattered me. He was broken beyond repair. I sat down opposite him and slowly extended my hand toward his. They were still shaking, even more so as my warmth began to envelop them.

"Don't touch me."

I pulled back, my arms falling to my sides. "Jay, you're not going to prison, I swear."

"Rose, you don't understand. Prison is the least bad thing that could happen to me now." He swallowed hard, the almost audible sound of despair hitting his Adam's apple as he paused, carefully weighing his words. "My career is over. And if my career is over, then so is my life. I worked my ass off for years—so many years—to the point of losing my sanity, just to make my dream a reality. Being a surgeon wasn't just a job to me; it was everything. I nearly alienated my father for this. I missed you. And now, it's all over. My entire life's work, ruined... because of morphine."

"It's not just the morphine. It's Jaeyun isn't it?" I pressed, trying to delay the moment when his monologue would make sense and break yet another vein in my heart.

"If I said yes, what would you do?"

I shuddered. It was one of the hardest questions I'd ever been asked. On one side was my husband, my marriage, and the burning desire; on the other, a friend, someone for whom I had deep respect, and the injustice that fell on him. And even though my mother often told me I was a lover of love, justice would always take precedence over everything else.