Chapter 28

Nari

When my name popped on his notifications as a calendar reminder, I was curious to see what it was. After trying a few variations of his birthday, I had access to his phone. Searching for my name on his phone brought up a weird app. He had information and my photos from November, and I met him in January. The app had duplicate access to all of my phone applications. My messages, call logs, and all of my personal information were on his phone.

I sat there in disbelief as I tried to piece everything together. He came to my work and ended up being in the same bar I was in when I met Zofia and Moonpie.

Oh my god. I fell for him hook, line and sinker. Did he have a good laugh at my expense? Did he feed me all those loved-up lines to deceive me?

I gasped when I saw pictures of me standing at my bedroom window. I checked the date, and it was taken in December. I began to flick through all the photos. They were taken by spying on me or from my social media accounts. I thought about him insisting we get married quickly. My eyes blurred with tears.

Did I really know Tae at all?

I heard his footsteps and quickly wiped the tears from my cheeks. He paused as he reached me, and his eyes narrowed at his phone in my hand.

He had the nerve to be affronted that I was on his phone.

He put the tray on the table and sat on the lounger opposite me.

"You were spying on me?" I said, but my voice came out as a whisper.

I searched his face but watched his expression harden, and he clenched his jaw before he spoke.

"No matter what I tell you. It doesn't change the fact that you're my wife, Nari. I took my vows seriously, and I meant the inscriptions on our wedding rings," he said.

I felt a shock bolt through me, and my back straightened as I stared back at the stranger before me.

"In fact, I think we should extend our stay for a few days for you to adjust," he said with a positively hostile smile.

"Absolutely not," I said as I shot up from my seat, but I angrily threw the phone at him and flinched when it hit his face.

He rubbed his cheek before he stood up and moved towards me. I began to back away, but the lounger was behind me, and I panicked and began to fall back. Tae's arms wrapped around my waist.

"Careful, you don't want to jolt our baby," he said before he rubbed my belly.

I pushed at his chest, but he didn't budge.

"I'm not pregnant," I said in anger because he was too strong for me to overpower him.

As my mind focused on his words, I knew he was lying because I'd been taking my pills religiously. Then I thought about how much spying, planning and deceiving he did.

"What did you do?" I shouted at him in anger and panic. "What did you do, you fucking psycho?"

"Is that any way to speak to the father of your child, Aein?" he said with a smirk.

"Don't call me that," I screamed at him. "I'm on the pill. There is no way I can be pregnant."

"But are you?" he asked with a demonic look in his dark eyes. "I was willing to do anything to keep you tied to me. Anything, Nari."

"I want to go home," I said tearfully because I couldn't think around his bullshit.

"You're not going anywhere until you come to your senses," he murmured.

"Oh my God. You really are mental," I snapped at him. "This whole thing has been a farce from beginning to end."

"So you don't love me?" he asked, gripping my wrists.

Flashes of our evenings together came at me and when we met for lunch. He was always there, lurking in the background.

How could I separate what was real and what was fake?

"I don't know who you are, Tae," I said as a tear rolled down my cheek.

My heart felt shattered, and the fight in me died until I remembered my potential pregnancy.

"What did you do to my pills?" I shouted and tried to pull my arms out of his hold.

"I swapped them for a placebo. They were vitamins," he said.

More tears ran down my face, but I remembered my little sister when she was born. She was the cutest baby I'd ever seen in my life. Her hair had been jet black, spiky and thick, and she was tiny. I remember thinking if I had a baby, I'd want it to be as pretty as Aera. I glanced at Tae's spiky hair, which only made me cry harder.

"Y-You know how important my education w-was to me," I stuttered.

"And I will support you through it all," he said as he tried to hug me, but I fought him uselessly as he crushed me against his bare chest. "I've always looked over you. It was a need to know you were safe. When my Dad came into your work, I hired a bodyguard to follow you."

"You what? A bodyguard?" I asked as my brain felt it was about to explode.

"I took care of Dr Zieburg, and I will do the same with anyone who tries to harm you, Aein. He had a whole list of people he had exploited before he tried to do the same with you. Now that you know. I want to be honest with you," he said as he held me.

I stared at him as I realised he wasn't on the same planet as me, or the same universe, for that matter. His words slowly sank in, and I glanced up at him, hesitant to ask him for more information.

"What did you do to him?" I asked slowly as I mentally braced myself for his answer.

"I simply handed some evidence to the police," he said, and I closed my eyes in relief. "But he touched you, so I had to make him suffer before he was arrested."

My eyes flew open, and I looked at him in horror. His tone was nonchalant, as if he were talking about our weekly food shop. I ground my molars together until my jaw ached.

"I love you with everything I am, Nari. I want it all with you and only you. Do whatever you have to, but with time you will learn to love even the darkest parts of my soul," he said as his hand travelled down my back and rested on my ass.

I shook my head.

"I need some space," I said, dazed at what he just told me. I was surrounded by air but felt like I couldn't breathe.