That illness was like a divine punishment gained from the pain of miscarriage.

Patients with vasovagal syncope need to be cautious in situations that can trigger stress or fear, as these can lead to temporary fainting. Arin had been fighting this frightening illness for three years. It was something beyond her control.

“Don’t think about him.”

“……Ji-yoon.”

“The more you think about it, the harder it gets for you. Just ignore it.”

“…….”

“Arin, I don’t think you will, but just in case, don’t waver.”

Ji-yoon looked at Arin with worried eyes.

After a brief silence, Arin spoke first.

“I… should I file a lawsuit?”

“……A lawsuit?”

“Yes. The lawyer said that a consensual divorce seems unlikely and suggested filing for divorce.”

“Ah…….”

“I didn’t want to go as far as a lawsuit…… maybe I was too complacent.”

Ji-yoon pulled the blanket up to Arin’s chest and covered her.

“First, take this chance to get a check-up and rest. We’ll go after that.”

“……”

“If this ambiguous situation continues, maybe filing a lawsuit would be better.”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t worry about the shop since Mom and Brother are handling it. Just rest well, okay?”

Ji-yoon spoke sternly, like a mother.

“Thank you.”

Arin felt overwhelmed with gratitude.

“I’m really glad you’re here, Ji-yoon.”

It was heartfelt.

If Ji-yoon hadn’t been there, she surely would have lived a dreadful life.

“I know, I’m glad you’re here too, Arin.”

Ji-yoon seemed to understand Arin’s feelings and smiled.

“Aaargh!”

Mrs. Jung vented her fury at the disconnected phone.

Jung Hyo-eon, the mother of Ban Jae-hyeok.

She was born as the eldest daughter of the family that founded Seodo Group, the origin of South Korea’s top conglomerate VAN Group.

It was her grandfather who founded Seodo Corporation, originally a food company.

Ban Ho-jun, who married her as a son-in-law, succeeded the group. It was under his leadership that ‘Seodo Group’ was renamed to the current ‘VAN Group’.

Ban Ho-jun was a man who was unyielding and cold in business, not bowing to anyone, except his wife, Jung Hyo-eon.

He couldn’t resist Mrs. Jung, so he actively covered up whatever wickedness or malice she showed.

In South Korea’s business world, her husband might be powerful, but in front of her, he was a gentle lamb, and her son was also obedient to her words.

Mrs. Jung feared nothing.

But, things started to deviate subtly.

With her husband and even with her son.

“It’s all because of Choi Arin.”

Eventually, unable to contain her anger, she threw the phone that had been unilaterally disconnected.

Everything went awry since Choi Arin stepped into her son’s life.

“You’re defying my warning.”

[We’re over. Just wait for the divorce day. Don’t do anything unnecessary.]

Despite her direct warning, she was certain that Arin had tricked her naïve son.

Her tightly clenched fist made her red nails dig into her palm.

Mrs. Jung didn’t feel the pain, overwhelmed with rage directed not at Jae-hyeok, but entirely at Arin.

She should never have let them marry.

[You should marry this girl. Your son can have a successor.]

Even if it was the words of the trusted fortune teller she still believed in, she should never have allowed the marriage.

Or, she should have pretended to marry them, got a grandchild, and then discarded her.

In the end, she neither saw a grandchild nor did her relationship with Jae-hyeok remain intact.

Mrs. Jung remembered what Jae-hyeok said when she told him to marry.
[“I’ll marry as you wish, Mother. But I have a condition. Don’t constrain me or Arin. Don’t force pregnancy upon us. If you agree to no three-year term, then I’ll marry.”]

Mrs. Jung initially doubted her son’s words.

‘Could it be, does Jae-hyeok have feelings for that girl?’

Although Jae-hyeok and Arin’s relationship had cooled off since he became a middle schooler, they were very close before that, despite her objections.

She briefly feared her son might actually have feelings for Arin. But it turned out to be an unfounded concern.

After three years of marriage, realizing Jae-hyeok lacked significant interest in Arin, Mrs. Jung sighed in relief.

She was convinced. His earlier demand, which seemed like a threat, was not for Arin’s sake but for his own.

But now, Jae-hyeok’s actions seemed inexplicable unless he had developed feelings for Arin.

Unable to contain her anger, Mrs. Jung screamed,

“How did this cunning girl bewitch you so that you can’t even recognize your own mother?”

The phone shattered on the marble floor.

As Mrs. Jung was stepping on the broken phone, imagining it as Arin, a man’s smooth voice interrupted her.

“What happened that has upset you so much?”

Mrs. Jung, who got everything she wanted from Ban Ho-jun, knew only one unforgivable sin: infidelity.

[“Even if our marriage wasn’t born of mad love, it’s based on trust. I can never forgive infidelity during our marriage. So don’t do it, and if you ever find yourself attracted to someone else, make sure I never find out.”]