Til Death Do Us Part

26

I sit in my car, staring at the alleyway from this morning and taking slow even breaths. Steadying my nerves and thinking through my purpose here. My plan. My head is swimming, yet I am wholly composed compared to earlier. Dressed in a killer black fitted pantsuit, spike heels, styled hair hanging perfectly around my shoulders, and I have my war face on. Everything tucked back in behind my mask and ready to rumble. Bringing out the real Vice President Park and what she’s famed for.

It’s like earlier didn’t happen at all, and all my cuts and scrapes are concealed by what I’m wearing, not even on a pain scale anymore; their effect on me is minimal.

My mind is a jumble of thoughts, but my mother-in-law’s words are ringing the loudest and clearest inside my head. I feel like I’m hanging on to them by a thread in a bid to hold it all together.

‘Fix this by any means.’

She knows it’s what I’m good at. That I can be ruthless when called upon. That I won’t stop at anything.

I pick up the document file from the passenger seat and appraise myself in my rearview mirror once more. Flawless makeup, a s***h of red on my lips as my battle paint. Sleek hair and a demon look on my face would instill fear in most people. I’m not here to be anything but intimidating, and my entire existence depends on it.

I get out of the car and walk confidently to the door I crumbled in front of hours ago, grimacing that I let myself so shamelessly break in front of this w***e. Knowing Jyeon didn’t come back here gives me new inner strength, and I know I wouldn’t be able to do this if I found him here.

He and his mother were locked in combat in her study when I ventured down and left, and his cars were both in the garage. Yoonah was drowning his sorrows in a bottle of Jack Daniels at the kitchen counter, mourning the loss of his parental figures and following his father’s footsteps of turning to booze when life hurts him. We always were like mom and dad to that kid, and he’s taking this harder than I thought he would. That’s why I’m here to save my family from this intruder, at least that’s what I tell myself.

I knock on her door in a manner befitting the more demure me and wait while she scurries to open it in haste, not knowing what awaits her. Her urgency makes me wonder if she thinks Jyeon has come back, and I smirk at how satisfying it is that I’m not him. The door is yanked open, and the expectant bright expression and questioning look falls by the wayside as her face crumbles. Seeing me for a second time today has the same effect, and she gasps openly before drawing back away from me in fear. In shock once more and not sure how to react.

“May I come in?” I raise one brow, tone relaxed and poised. Gesturing with a nod behind her.

“Why? I have nothing to say to you.” She’s instantly bristly and defensive. She moves to shut the door, but I catch it with my hand and shove it back hard, knocking her back with the unexpected force.

“Really? Bold enough to try and rip apart a marriage but yet too cowardly to face the wife?” I mock her with disdain and smirk before elegantly flicking my hair away from my face.

“Whatever you want to say, then do it here.” She tries to stand up to me, squaring her smaller height and straightening her shoulders, but I ignore and push past. She’s knocked sideways because she doesn’t seem to be able to predict my actions and isn’t prepared for my weight or strength against her puny stance.

“I don’t think you want your neighbors hearing what I have to say.” I walk in, down a narrow corridor into a small but neat and modern apartment. Boldly making my way in without direction and acting like I own the place. Disappointed with how basic and claustrophobic it is, I scowl at the open doorway of the bedroom and the sight of the rumpled bed as my first point of view upon entering. It brings up the bile in my stomach, and I turn away and fix my gaze on her as she follows me into the lounge.

“Spit it out…. What, do you want me to apologize? Say sorry? For what? I have no loyalty to you. I’m not married. It’s you that can’t keep your husband, not me. I’ve done nothing wrong. If he didn’t want to be led away, he wouldn’t have come. So, say whatever it is and get out.” Her bravado irks me, her rambling because I’m making her anxious and uptight. Her voice waivers and her hands are visibly shaking, and I feel disappointed that this is the opponent Jyeon picked out for me. A feeble wench like this. She’s no match for who I am.

I hold out the file in front of me and smoothly and calmly slide out the pile of photographs from the other paperwork and throw them onto a nearby low coffee table so they splay across it. Like cards being scattered on a playing board. All manners of intimate cutesy couple crap from their little adventures and watch as her eyes widen in horror. The PI was only too happy to deliver them to me before I left for here.

“Do you know what exposure of this affair will do to his career, his family, his reputation? Not to mention the legal ramifications of screwing the representative of a deal that’s still in motion.” I gesture with a chin nod at the pictures and shake my head. “These alone will ruin him if they conveniently end up in the wrong hands.”

She crumbles to her knees, bowled over by them laid out in all their glory, and slowly starts to pick them up one by one. Tears mist her eyes, and I stand over her and observe it coldly. Feeling nothing for her.

“Where did you get these?” It’s a breathy question.

“Do you think I’m the type of woman who would let betrayal slip so easily? That there wouldn’t be retribution for your actions?” I walk around the table, pulling out the paperwork I spent an hour preparing while in my room and pulling myself together. I throw it down on top of the images and sit down gracefully, crossing my legs as I do so.