It took almost an hour before I was able to control myself. With the woman's help, I fixed my hair so that the bump and the wound near my temple wouldn't be noticeable. With a kind smile, she led me back to the front room where Yunho was waiting.
"Hey," he greeted me with a smile which I replied to with a forced one. Looking at his face was like looking at him for the first time.
"What's wrong?" he asked as his smile vanished.
"Nothing," I answered as I moved to go out of the shop carrying the packages with me.
"Love!"
I heard Yunho call and I quickened my steps towards his waiting car. But of course, I couldn't move fast enough.
"Jae!" Yunho's fingers wrapped around my wrist firmly and he pulled me against his body and then held me tight.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
His chest close to my ear, I could feel his heart as it beat erratically against his chest. "Boo, what's wrong?" he asked again and my eyes filled with tears.
What was wrong?
Everything.
What we had for the past three weeks since I woke up from the hospital was a lie. But what hurt the most was my fear. Even knowing all that I did, I still wanted to marry him so badly.
I loved him so much. I wanted to be his wife so much that I was cursing myself for remembering everything. Why couldn't I just continue to forget?
"Love?"
When I did not answer, Yunho pushed me against the car, took the packages from my hand and placed them on the ground and made me face him.
"What's wrong?" he asked once more as he tilted my face so we could see eye to eye.
"Are you mad at me? I'm sorry for not picking you up at the house and taking you to the boutique. I really had an emergency earlier," he said, thinking that I was being like this because of that.
"But I promise it won't happen again. From now on you always come first. Please don't be angry with me anymore."
His eyes were full of sincerity that it took a lot for me not to scream then and there. I felt so frustrated I wanted to tear my hair out. If this was a joke, I wanted it to end. I didn't know what to do until…
"I love you…"
With those three words, my eyes widened as I inhaled sharply.
"You love me?" I asked and he frowned.
"I do. Haven't I told you many times already?" he reminded me and my lips opened as I remembered them.
He had indeed been telling me that since I saw him at the hospital. There were times too when I woke up in the middle of the night with him holding me close. He was brushing my hair with his hand as he whispered how much he loved me not knowing that I was awake.
If Yunho was playing a joke on me, he wouldn't be doing that. In fact he wouldn't be doing a lot of things he was doing for me now.
Even if this relationship started with a lie, the feeling – our feelings were real.
Who cared about the lies? Ian could just continue to disappear for all I care.
The man I truly loved was here right in front of me. Heaven had listened to my wish after all. Lie or not, I now belonged to Yunho, and I wanted it to remain this way forever.
Realizing this, my face cleared as I smiled up at him. "You did."
Seeing that I was no longer sulking, Yunho, my fiancé, smiled back at me.
"I'll be happy to remind you in case you forget," he said as he leaned over and pecked me on the lips. "I love you Love. I love you Jaeyoung. I love you Mrs. Lee," he told me happily that I couldn't help but return his stupid grin.
He then picked up the packages from the ground and put them in the car.
"Let's go home," he said as he guided me towards the passenger seat, and I never felt so happy in my life.
"Yeah, let's go home," I replied as I took his hand.
~
Present...
"Love," my husband called me and I slowly opened my eyes.
"Hey," Yunho greeted me warmly as he stepped nearer my bed.
In his arms was a blue pram which was wrapped around a tiny baby, and the corners of my mouth tilted into a weak smile.
"Hi there mommy," he added as he shifted our child in his arms so I could see his tiny face.
I reached out a hand and Yunho immediately sat next to my bed and handed me our sleeping angel. My body was painful from the operation and I couldn't lift anything yet so my husband placed our second bundle of joy against my shoulder instead.
"Jaeyoung, he's perfect like you and Binnie," he continued with his voice cracking up, and when I stared up at him, I could see tears in my husband's eyes as he lovingly looked at us.
"Thank you for marrying and loving me," Yunho whispered. "Thank you for our children…"
Five years ago, I married my husband with all my memories intact. A year after that, I gave birth to our first child, Moonbin, and today I gave birth to our second baby.
Last night, Yunho had told me the truth too, and in a way I also told him my little secret.
Beyond the hazy past, in spite the ramifications of committed sins, I welcomed the sweet notes of confession and embraced them. I cared not about the lies as I had made some of my own. Looking at the life I had now, there was nothing in this world that would make me regret the path I had chosen.
I was and still am…happy – satisfied of the decisions fate made for me.
"Thank you too...Yunnie…"