Amber could practically feel the tension buzzing over her skin, taste it saturating the air in thick heady fumes. Her soulmates were bristling, anger filling their veins. They were gravitating towards her, shifting to stand closer to her body as if their proximity would protect her.
It was their way of protecting her from the intruders in their safe, happy haven.
Ezra's hand tightened on her middle. His thumb was rubbing slow gentle circles on her belly and Hikaru laced his fingers together with hers. She shivered as Ezra brushed her hair aside, leaning in to whisper into her ears. His lips grazing over her earlobes as he spoke in that raspy, dangerously sexy voice that did naught things to her insides.
"Do you want me to ask them to leave? You don't have to do this."
"I'm fine," she murmured back, turning her gaze back to Da-Hee.
She was fine. She didn't feel an ounce of fear or even anxiety. She was instead, oddly excited, eager even to see what would become of JieMi. Because knowing her own Asian mother, there was no way JieMi would get out of this unscathed.
This was more than getting a B on an easy test. This was more than wasting good nutritious food. This was even worse than failure. This was as good as JieMi declaring to the world that he wanted to become a murderer and would proceed to destroy his entire life. This was JieMi renouncing his happiness and jumping right into the horrible statistics of people who rejected their soulmates. The lower life expectancy, greater levels of depression, shitty immune system and all that other crap that came with the refusal to cooperate with Fate.
This was big.
And Amber wanted her retribution.
She watched as the older female's eyes flew across the inhabitants in the room. Her gaze danced over her soulmates, sweeping to the furthest corners of the room before darting back to her. It was almost as if she were searching for another patient in the room. Almost as if she couldn't believe her eyes that it was Amber seated on Ezra's laps.
She was searching for another girl, another soulmate, another patient. A patient that was not Amber.
Da-Hee's eyes finally returned back to Amber, drifting to the tight grip Ezra had on her waist, and then to the band that tied her wrist to Hikaru's. Her eyes moved to the flowers in her hair and to the ones on MinJae's hair. Amber could almost see the cogs turning in her head and locking in place.
The surprise, shock and realisation that danced over the older lady's face was predictable and Amber felt an odd sense of glee pumping through her veins. It filled her with a queer sense of satisfaction that made her heart pound steadily in her chest, quickening in its speed.
What was JieMi going to do? Her eyes flickered to her youngest soulmate but he seemed determined to not meet her gaze. His eyes remained trained on the floor, as he bit his lips, his expression pinched with his worry. She bit back the smirk. He definitely knew that he was fucked. She wanted to laugh and she stifled a snort with a hand to her lips.
"A-Amber?" Da-Hee gasped, her eyes darting over Amber's features. "Dear why are you here?" She said, clearly not quite grasping the current situation. "You left so quickly after the concert, I was worried for you and your soulmate—"
Her eyes went round as understanding finally filled her.
"Your soulmate...You—"
Da-Hee's eyes danced to JieMi, registering the guilty expression on his face and the way he seemed to refuse to look up at her. He flinched, inching back just a little as he nibbled on his lips.
His reactions weren't that obvious. JieMi was after all, a professional idol and hiding one's emotions was an essential skill in the business. But Da-Hee was his mother and there was no way she wouldn't catch the whirlpool of feelings that swirled in his frame.
"You're my son's soulmate?"
Da-Hee's words settled heavily in the air, resting over the occupants in the room like a reminder of everything that had happened. It made Amber's heart tremble at the thought as she glanced at JieMi.
He refused to meet his mother's eyes, although he did seem evidently affected by her words. He swallowed, licking his drying lips looking uneasy and a little pale. He was actually afraid of his mother. Amber exhaled, letting out a soft breathy laugh. She was not going to help him at all. No way. She gave Da-Hee a pleasant smile.
"Yes," Amber replied almost robotically, her voice monotonous and solemn. JieMi flinched at her words, not enough to be that noticeable but Amber did spot the jerk of his shoulders and the sharp inhale of breath.
The older woman was gawking at her, the questions spilling from her lips. "So the concert? Your body exchange? That was—"
"Your son."
JieMi's jaws clenched, the muscles at the sides of his face jutted out as he finally shot Amber a dangerous look, his eyes meeting her own. They were sharp with his questions, steely with his displeasure. His gaze told her to shut up and keep quiet, it told her to stay away from him.
As if she would do that for him. She stared back at him, wrinkling her nose just a little. She was daring him to rebut her, daring him to call her out for her lies. Then his brows knotted together and his sharp gaze faltered, the icy wall waned and faded. His pupils were quivering as they melted into pools of something else. Something that confused her.
Something that made her chest hurt.
"This is fantastic! I can't believe it!"
Da-Hee gasped and Amber dropped her gaze from his face, watching as the sweet smile radiated across Da-Hee's features. The older woman was genuinely happy for the two of them, her smile was bright as she clapped her hands together excitedly. She looked delirious with her glee, over the moon at the prospect of having Amber as her daughter-in-law.
Amber exhaled softly. She still didn't get it, did she?