A/N: This story has a darker theme of domestic abuse, at least in the beginning, but not explicit. If you are not comfortable with such a topic, please don't read the story. That said, the theme DOES NOT persist throughout the story, as I am a sucker for happy endings. For reference:
*BOLD, CAPITAL LETTERS WITHIN ASTERISKS* = action/noise
'Italics' = thoughts
Without further ado, enjoy!
"WHAT THE F*CK IS THIS SH*T?! AFTER 5 YEARS, YOU CAN'T EVEN COOK A SIMPLE DINNER YET?!" The woman screamed in her wife's face after being disgusted with the food she presented.
*SLAP*
So much so, she struck her across the cheek with such force that the woman dropped the plate in her hands. The woman cupped her cheek in pain, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
"God damn it, Jessica! Clean up the f*cking mess you just made…We're going out after I take a shower, you better be ready when I'm done, b*tch." The woman's commanding voice only earned a nod from Jessica as she kept her eyes on the floor.
She knew what was going to happen tonight. Her wife was going to get drunk. They were going to go to a hotel. She was going to force her into rough, painful intercourse.
And Jessica could do nothing to stop this cycle. The woman was the other parent of her adopted child, often taking the fatherly role if you could call it that, and Jessica simply could not bear to break apart their family, no matter how dysfunctional and destructive.
When her wife was in the shower and the mess cleaned, Jessica called for her child.
"Yoongie, come her honey. It's time for dinner!" She called out at sweetly as she could.
No matter what she went through with her wife, Jessica would make sure her daughter Yoona had the best possible upbringing.
She hid her throbbing cheek behind her apron as she handed her daughter a sandwich. Yoona ate the food eagerly, smiling as she handed the plate back to her mother.
"Umma, I still hungry…" Yoona rubbed her tummy as she demonstrated for her mother with a pout.
"I know, honey, I know. You can eat when you stay with Auntie Tiffany tonight, okay? Umma and appa have to go away for something…important." Jessica explained as vaguely as possible as she patted Yoona's head.
"I like Auntie Tippany!" Yoona grinned when she knew she would stay with the other woman for the night.
"Go get ready and get your things, okay? Umma will take you soon." Jessica tried so hard to hold back her sobs until her daughter was back in her room.
Jessica leaned against the counter, her stomach grumbling deeply as she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.
That's how it always was. Her wife spent most of their money on beer, women and her car. It was a struggle to have enough groceries for the week, much less quality foods at that…despite her wife's decent job at a bank. Jessica would often only eat two meals a day to make sure Yoona had enough to eat.
And even then, it wasn't enough sometimes. Yoona…would go to bed hungry some days. For Jessica as a mother, the profound sense of failure and desperation to know that your own child…your own flesh and blood that you are supposed to care for…is left feeling hungry is one of the worst feelings in the world for a parent. To know that you can't take care of your duty and responsibility as a parent…there is nothing more humiliating and degrading to your own dignity than to know a child may be suffering because of your cowardice and fear.
Jessica had become so controlled, so paralyzed from fear of her wife, that she could do nothing but let this vicious cycle become a habit. And just as Jessica was so beaten down by her marriage, so had Yoona become a witness to it. She had seen her "father" hit Jessica a few times out of anger.
Fortunately, she was too young to realize the gravity of the scenes she saw. She always accepted that it was an accident, that her appa slipped when Jessica was hurt. At least, that was the lie Jessica would always tell Yoona…
Jessica hated herself for that – that she couldn't be stronger for Yoona. To have her want for nothing, to have her smile and be satisfied with her family life.
She HATED herself for that. She didn't want Yoona to grow up resentful of her home and family. She didn't want Yoona to fall in with the wrong crowd and become a negative, hateful person. Jessica would make sure of this if it was the last thing she did.
"Umma, I ready!" Yoona hopped to her mother as she carried her backpack full of her toiletries and overnight clothes.
Jessica quickly wiped her tears and checked herself to see if she had a bruise from her wife's violence. Thankfully, her cheek was only a bit red.
She had to hurry and leave Yoona with Tiffany before her wife finished her shower.
"Let's go, Yoongie!" Jessica pretended to smile and be happy, putting on a face for Yoona so she wouldn't suspect anything. Even for her age, Yoona could tell when her mother was sad.
Jessica took Yoona by the hand as they walked to the other end of the hallway to Tiffany's apartment. The woman rang the doorbell and waited for an answer. As the door opened, a beautiful brunette woman appeared and instantly smiled when she recognized who was at the door.
"Oh, Jessica, Yoong! What brings you here?" Tiffany looked like she was dressed for a night out, wearing killer heels and tight jeans that hugged her in all of the right places. Her low-cut top drew enough attention to her cleavage, but was classy enough to be fashionable rather than slutty.
In short, she was captivating, and Jessica could admire that about her as a woman.
"Hi, Tiffany. Sorry I didn't call ahead, but a family emergency came up and I was wondering if you could watch Yoona overnight?" Jessica asked softly, realizing Tiffany might not be free.
She could see the woman thinking.
"I…I kind of had plans tonight, but…" She could see the guilt in Tiffany's face at the impending rejection, but Jessica was desperate at this point.
"Please, Tiffany. I don't want to impose but I really need someone to watch Yoona. I don't know anyone else here well enough to trust them with my girl, and we have to leave soon. I'll pay you, even!" Jessica didn't make any pretense to hide the urgency she held in her mind. She was practically begging the woman to take Yoona so she wasn't left alone for the night.
Tiffany's eyes widened in shock when she felt Jessica's grip tightening on her shoulders, the latter's eyes watery and tired. Up close, Jessica's eye bags were severe and did her natural beauty an injustice.
It made Tiffany wonder what could be going on to make Jessica so needy.
She sighed before resigning to help out once again.
"Listen, it's okay! It's fine, Jessica. It wasn't anything important anyway." Tiffany held out her hand for Yoona to take. "Besides, I like this little shikshin too much to say no." Tiffany smiled at the little girl as Yoona happily took her hand.
"I like auntie Pany too!" Yoona showed her teeth to her mother as reassurance.
"Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you…" Jessica surprised Tiffany with a hug, as the latter woman only held her hands out straight before lightly patting Jessica on her back.
Jessica let go and bent down to her daughter.
"And you be a good girl for auntie, okay? Umma will be back tomorrow. Now give umma kiss." Jessica showed her face to Yoona, who sloppily planted a kiss on Jessica's hurt cheek.
She winced, which did not go unnoticed by Tiffany. She could see the faint swelling of Jessica's cheek, indicating some kind of injury.
Jessica stood and grabbed Tiffany's hands.
"Thank you so much again! I really have to go. Bye, sweetie!" Jessica waved as she raced back to her apartment down the hall.
As soon as she turned her back to them, tears streamed down her face as the fear set itself in her heart. She had to get away from the two before she collapsed from her lack of strength and will. How her lack of will and determination had gotten so low was no mystery, and Jessica just didn't know any more. She didn't know why she put up with this, if only for Yoona's sake.
Maybe it had become so engrained in her mind that she didn't feel like she deserved to be happy for herself. Maybe she had to put up with this to make sure she couldn't hurt Yoona.
As Tiffany watched Jessica run away, it made her all the more curious what was going on. Nonetheless, she led Yoona into her apartment and went to the kitchen to make a phone call.
"Yoboseyo?"
"Hey Tae, umm…I know this is short notice, but I have to cancel our date tonight…" Tiffany waited for a few seconds for a response.
"What?! Why? This is like the third time in the past month, Fany! What's going on?!" Taeyeon angrily spoke into the phone.
"I'm sorry, Tae, I really am. But my neighbor asked me to watch her daughter again, and I just-"
"Couldn't say no. I get it, Fany. Whatever. Have fun on your babysitting adventure…" Taeyeon's frustration and sarcasm were clearly evident in her tone of voice. Tiffany was taken aback.
"Taeyeon, please. You could come and help if you want? At least we'll be together then…" Tiffany pleaded, though she didn't like how Taeyeon was acting right now.
"No, that's okay. I get that you like helping people. But, I'd rather not since it was supposed to just be the two of us tonight. But yeah, it's fine. I can occupy myself. Goodbye, Tiffany." The finality of Taeyeon's words was unsettling.
"Wait, Taey-"
*CLICK*
'She hung up on me?! The nerve…'
"That stupid-"
Tiffany paused as she felt a hand tug on her top.
"Oh, hey Yoong. Do you need something?" Tiffany turned sweet in a split second.
"Yoongie hungry…" Yoona glanced at her stomach and back up at Tiffany.
"Aww, you're so cute Yoong." She pinched the girl's cheeks. "Alright, let me change while you sit at the table and I'll make you some noodles."
After a few minutes, Tiffany returned in thin sweats and a t-shirt. She opened the refrigerator to grab some leftover noodles from her lunch and reheated them in the microwave.
Hey, Tiffany might have learned a thing or two living on her own for years, but she wasn't exactly a master chef yet, you know?
She knew Yoona loved to eat, but it always seemed normal for a growing girl.
Until now.
As she put the plate down in front of Yoona, she heard a loud grumble coming from the girl's stomach. It wasn't normal for a little girl to be THAT hungry.
Tiffany kept quiet as she watched Yoona scarf down the large plate in a matter of minutes. When she finished, Yoona had sauce all over her face.
Tiffany, despite her worry, couldn't help but laugh as she grabbed a napkin and wiped Yoona's face clean.
"You know where my room is, right?" Yoona nodded. "Go in there and put your backpack on the bed. Brush your teeth and everything and get ready to sleep." Tiffany encouraged her as she patted the girl's head.
"I not sleepy…" Yoona pouted and shook her head.
"Aww, Yoongie, but if you want to grow up strong and pretty like umma and auntie, you need lots of sleep." Tiffany grinned.
'Wait, did I just call Jessica pretty?' Tiffany shook the idea out of her mind.
"I be pretty like umma and auntie?!" Yoona's eyes beamed at the possibility.
"You're already pretty, but if you want to be even prettier, you need sleep." Tiffany showed the girl her eye smile.
"Then you sleep too!" Yoona dragged Tiffany to the bedroom so she could sleep as well.
As Yoona was doing her hygiene routine, Tiffany pulled out an inflatable mattress that she would sleep on so the girl could sleep on her bed.
When Yoona emerged from the bathroom, Tiffany picked her up and tucked her under the covers. It seemed so natural that if someone was just watching the scene, they would think Tiffany was the girl's mother.
Yoona grabbed Tiffany's hand, unsatisfied with the nighttime goodbye.
"Auntie, can you sing me a song?" Yoona's eyes, despite her earlier protests of not being sleepy, were slightly lidded.
"Sure, sweetie. Close your eyes." Once Yoona did, Tiffany began to hum a lullaby as she stroked Yoona's hair.
Tiffany wasn't thinking about marriage or kids, but if she were to have either or both at one point, she would want a daughter than was just like Yoona. Playful, yet sweet.
As she heard Yoona's breathing become steady, Tiffany pulled away and set up her blankets on the mattress on the floor.
She stared at the ceiling, wondering about a few troubling things.
Why was Yoona so hungry? It wouldn't make sense that Jessica and her wife wouldn't have enough money or food – they were decently well off to be living in this apartment complex. Tiffany recognized that Yoona had an appetite, but anyone could tell Yoona's hunger was something out of the ordinary.
The other times Yoona had stayed over, she was normal. She would eat dessert, but was otherwise an average girl. Jessica was always in a rush, though, which was weird for Tiffany. It wasn't that Jessica was desperate to hand Yoona off to her, but it was as though Jessica didn't want Yoona around to see something.
Which made Tiffany wonder about Jessica's wince when Yoona kissed her. It could be an innocent injury, but Tiffany's mind began to wander. Maybe Jessica had fallen somehow, maybe-
"Appa hurt umma…is accident? Umma have booboo…Yoona no want umma have booboo." Tiffany could hear Yoona turn in her sleep. She sat up to see Yoona with a distressed look on her face.
And from the girl's words, Tiffany realized what was going on. She covered her mouth to silence her gasp, not wanting to wake the girl.
She stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, thoughts racing in her mind about the state of Jessica's home life. She couldn't invest too much weight into Yoona's sleep-talking words, but she knew.
Tiffany knew there was something gravely wrong for Yoona to have these kinds of nightmares.
And just like that, without asking, without being involved in their personal lives…everything was clearer for Tiffany.
How are you supposed to act on a child's words in her sleep? That was the issue.
But the real problem was that Tiffany knew she couldn't just sit by and do nothing.
And that scared her to death.
*That same night*
Jessica sat at a sleazy bar and watched her wife dance with numerous women. She would feel them up, kiss them, practically have dry sex with them right in front of her.
The saddest thing was, she knew this was nothing compared to what her wife was capable of on her own nights out.
She was numb to these things after all this time. The last time she confronted her wife about these escapades? She broke her nose. Before that? A black eye.
Sadly, Jessica had been conditioned to "learn her lesson" about talking back to her wife. She was like a mannequin recording everything that went on. A shell of herself that saw her drunk wife soil their marriage (if anyone would call it that) over and over. She had no friends, no social life, she was separated by an ocean from her family in America…her "experiences" with her wife were the closest thing she had to a social outing besides going to the grocery store with Yoona.
Jessica had to wonder where it went wrong. She was happy with her wife when she proposed. Her wife was also enthusiastic about adopting Yoona. The woman had always been a bit aggressive and domineering, but Jessica (mistakenly, as she now realized) took it as protectiveness and affection on the woman's part. Until her wife's independence became more of a habit than an exception – Jessica had become weak-willed when it came to her wife. She painted a somewhat delusional picture of their relationship as one of protector and protected instead of what it really was…a woman and a mother practically forced to be a housewife, and nothing more.
Jessica didn't work – her wife took care of the bills. Which was unfortunate, because Jessica was educated in business management from college. She was an intelligent woman, but somehow settled into being taken care of by another. Maybe it was the desire for a fairy tale, maybe it was Jessica's demeanor…or maybe Jessica had just fallen into a trap she couldn't get out of. Not on her own.
After another hour of drinking and dancing, her wife grabbed her and led her down the street to a shady hotel.
She paid for a room, and when they entered, she threw her down on the bed. She tore her clothes off and…took her. And Jessica, the shell that she was, laid there and accepted it.
She accepted that she was a disgusting, undignified, unworthy human being for letting herself become like this. Weak, cowardly and hurtful toward Yoona's life.
Jessica didn't want to be like this. She wanted to be happy, she wanted to see Yoona smile. She wanted to provide good food, good housing and good schooling for her daughter, among other things. Yet her she was, a mere tool for her wife's pleasure and pain.
She wanted so badly to find something…someone…that would help change her fortunes. Jessica wanted Yoona, at least, to have a better life and not have to witness and experience the violence, sadness and misfortune Jessica was subjected to.
'Something…someone…'
Jessica trudged up the stairs in her apartment building. She walked slowly, carefully – it was still painful because of last night.
She cleaned herself and her clothes as well as she could, but the blood from her cut lip was still evident, though unbeknownst to Jessica.
Her wife had told her to go home since she wanted to have some fun the next day with her friends. She said she would maybe be back in a few days.
Those words were music to Jessica's ears – at least she could have a few days alone with Yoona.
She rang Tiffany's doorbell, it was about 6:00 in the morning. After a minute, a sleepy Tiffany in her pajamas opened the door.
"Jessica?" Tiffany's groggy voice asked.
"Hey, umm…I came to pick up Yoona. Is she still asleep?" Jessica asked with her hands under her chin, an inadvertently cute sight.
Tiffany scratched her hair and squinted her eyes to adjust her vision before she answered.
"Yup. I'll go get her, you can wait on the couch if you'd like."
Jessica sat on the couch and waited. It was a nice place – clean, straight lines, a bit minimalist yet cozy and warm colors at the same time – clearly a single person's apartment.
It was just another instance that hit Jessica in the face, figuratively, of a better life that was out there. Of a happier, simpler life that she could see so close to her own, literally.
Jessica looked up to see Tiffany carrying a sleeping Yoona in her arms. A worried look made its way onto Tiffany's face as she approached.
"Why are you crying?!" Tiffany whispered, careful of Yoona's slumber.
Jessica realized she had tears on her face, wiping them in an embarrassed manner.
"It's…it's nothing, just yawning a bit." Jessica smiled it off, only to show her swollen, bloody lip.
"Oh my god! How did your lips get bloody?! What happened?!" Tiffany's whisper gained volume, but Yoona only stirred a bit as she nestled her head into Tiffany's neck.
"Nothing, I cut my lip with this new floss I bought…here." Jessica outstretched her hands, signaling that she wanted Yoona back.
Tiffany reluctantly gave the woman her daughter, but wanted to press on because of the shock in the moment.
"Like I believe that. Jessica, listen…it may not be my place to ask, but…does your wife hit you?" Tiffany said her words as carefully as she could, cognizant to keep her tone neutral to not anger Jessica.
"Absolutely not. Look, Tiffany, it's none of your business. Stay out of my personal business, or-"
"Or what? Or else?! Are you kidding, Jessica?! I heard Yoona sleep talk about how appa hurt umma…don't LIE to me. I may not be your friend, but this is serious!" Tiffany exclaimed, which caused Yoona to cry out as she woke up.
"Look what you did! Just SHUT UP, Tiffany, AND STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS!" Jessica cooed Yoona to calm her as she walked away angrily.
Tiffany, in shock at the sudden anger and emotion from Jessica, only strengthened her opinion that her wife was beating Jessica. But with things like this, proof was everything.
And even though she didn't ask to be involved in this, she took it upon herself to make sure Jessica would be able to get away from her scumbag of a wife. It was strange because they always seemed like an average family when she saw them. They were always going out on what Tiffany presumed were dates on the weekends…
If only she knew...
*A week later*
Tiffany was in her little black dress, ready for a special date with Taeyeon to make up for missing last week. The latter was taking her out to a nice restaurant in Seoul, and Tiffany wanted to look her best before she drove to Taeyeon's place.
As she was putting on her earrings, there was a knock at the door. She figured maybe Taeyeon would pick her up as a surprise, so she grabbed her purse and looked through the peephole.
Only, no one was there that she could see.
She was about to pass it off as a prank until she heard the knocking again. She looked through the peephole, again with no one there.
She opened the door as the knocking still ensued, only to find Yoona with tears in her eyes as she clung to Tiffany's leg.
"Yoona? What's wrong sweetie?" Tiffany wondered why Yoona was so distraught.
"Auntie come quick! Umma hurt! Umma not move…!" Yoona tugged on Tiffany's hand in desperation as she continued to cry between her words.
"Yoong, calm down honey. What happened?" Tiffany wiped the girl's tears as Yoona explained as best she could.
"Appa got angry again, and…"
*FLASHBACK earlier that night*
Jessica's wife came through the front door drunk and spewing profanities. She had just lost a lot of money in a bet over a soccer match at a bar. Her hunger and headache only compounded the problem.
"Where's my dinner, b*tch?!" She yelled as Jessica brought out a plate of food. She handed it to her, only for her to scowl and insult her in disgust.
"Are you kidding me?! You burned the food! How STUPID can you be?!" She jumped to her feet and grabbed Jessica by the neck.
"Make it again while I drop a deuce in the bathroom. And if it's just as bad…" Her words were a clear threat as she walked off to the bathroom.
Jessica, able to breathe again, raced to Yoona's room. Something was different about her wife that night…she was especially on edge. She kneeled beside the girl and her dolls.
"Yoona, honey, look at umma," and she did, "umma needs you to stay quiet and stay in your room, okay? Umma is going to lock the door while she…talks…with appa. This is very, very," Jessica stared at her daughter directly in her eyes, "important, Yoongie. Can you do that for me?" Jessica's tears threatened to fall as she had to do whatever she could to shield Yoona from her wife's potential wrath.
Yoona nodded absent-mindedly as she played with her dolls.
"Good girl. If anything happens, go to your auntie Tiffany right away, okay? Don't go anywhere else except to Tiffany. Understand?" Jessica gave the girl's shoulders a squeeze to emphasize her point.
"'Kay, umma…Yoona be good." Yoona smiled to assure her mother she had heard the instructions.
Jessica kissed Yoona's head as her lips lingered for a second. She sighed and stood, taking a deep breath to go back and heat up some more of the food she burned. The click of the door signaled the lock was in place, though Yoona could still unlock it from the inside.
When Yoona was bored, she tried to listen to her parents talk as if the grownups held secrets she wasn't supposed to know.
She heard her "father's" voice rise in volume, something about how the food was even worse than last time. Yoona heard something splatter on the floor, as her mother's voice seemed to utter an apology.
Jessica yelped as her wife roughly grabbed her arm. Yoona could hear a muffled cry.
"Stop! I'll make it again, just please…stop." Jessica pleaded.
"SHUT UP! You're a disgrace as a wife, you know that?!" Her wife punched her, enough to cause her to step back.
She stared back in shock, anger coming up for a split second as she kicked her in the leg.
The fury in her eyes only served to drop Jessica's stomach to the floor. She had acted in retaliation, though she knew she was physically much weaker than the woman.
This time, she punched her enough to almost knock her out. As she fell, her head hit the edge of the coffee table in the living room.
Jessica was unconscious before she hit the floor.
Her wife uttered other profanities before she grabbed her coat and disappeared out the front door, not even acknowledging Yoona's presence…as if she ever did.
Yoona wondered what was going on…if it was safe to come out now. She unlocked the door and took a peek, only to see Jessica lying on the floor on her stomach.
The girl tiptoed to her mother, nudging her slightly.
"Umma…wake up." Yoona's naivety showed in her words.
Jessica didn't move…and if Yoona could tell, she wasn't even breathing.
"Umma, wake! Yoong hungry!" Yoona shook her mother again, walking around to see her face only to find her mother had a very large booboo.
Jessica's lip was busted, the blood spilling onto the floor as a bruise was quickly darkening on her cheek.
Yoona knew blood when she saw it, and got scared.
"Umma hurt!" Yoona shrieked as she tried to think of what to do.
When she remembered how Jessica told her to go to Tiffany, Yoona scampered off through the front door without a second thought.
*Flashback end*
Tiffany gasped in horror at Yoona's account of the story. She raced to Jessica's apartment to find her in just the state Yoona described.
She called for an ambulance, and just sat and waited since she wasn't exactly trained in how to handle a situation like this medically. She busied herself by calling Taeyeon to cancel…again.
"Hey, Fany…ready for tonight?" Taeyeon answered in a sweet voice.
"Tae, umm…" Tiffany hated to break the news to her two weeks in a row. The pause only let Taeyeon know it was bad news…again.
"Damn it, Tiffany…what's the excuse this time?! Is it that kid again?" Taeyeon was frustrated at the lack of time she has been able to spend with her girlfriend recently.
"No. It's not that, it's just…an emergency." Tiffany didn't want to explain the situation to Taeyeon, at least for privacy.
"Emergency as in…what?" Taeyeon asked, almost sarcastically.
"Just an emergency, Taeyeon. I'm sorry, but I can't make it tonight, I just-"
"Just WHAT?! Are you seeing someone else, Tiffany? Just TELL me what it is!" Taeyeon screamed into the phone.
"NO! Taeyeon, it's not like that. You have to understand, let me explain. I'm really sorry, baby, I-"
"Don't BABY me, Tiffany…I'm getting sick and tired of missing our dates. I barely see you any more…do I even matter to you?" Taeyeon asked, almost with a sense of sadness.
"Of course you do, Tae, b-"
"Then shouldn't I be your priority?! HUH?! Do you even KNOW how much the reservation cost me tonight? How people wonder if I'm single or have an imaginary girlfriend since I'm never with her? DO YOU?!" Taeyeon was getting angrier by the second.
"Taeyeon, I'm sorr-"
"F*CK YOUR APOLOGY! Sorry stopped mattering a long time ago…look. I can't continue to take a backseat to whatever it is you're doing that you have to miss our plans. And at this point," Taeyeon sighed, "I don't want to know. Tiffany…I can't continue to invest time and effort into this relationship without you doing anything in return." Taeyeon paused.
Tiffany took the hint, asking a question she never thought she would have to.
"Are you brea-"
"Yes, Tiffany. Call it whatever you want, but we're done. Go and have fun with whatever is occupying your time. Have a good life…and good riddance." Taeyeon ended the call with a strong sense of finality, Tiffany left looking at her phone in confusion and shock.
Tiffany felt like crying. She had indeed neglected Taeyeon while she watched Yoona all those weekends. She had cancelled plan after plan to help Jessica with babysitting. The worst part was, she didn't think anything of how it affected the relationship.
And that made her feel worse, knowing it was her avoidance and lack of priority that sunk her relationship with Taeyeon. They had been dating for several months, and Tiffany, if pressed, might have said that she loved Taeyeon. Taeyeon was a good woman – stable job, beautiful, funny – but Tiffany didn't know if she could imagine a future with her.
Nonetheless, she had an unconscious, beaten woman in front of her, and Tiffany almost accepted this as a mission to save Jessica and Yoona's lives and livelihood. She would have respected Jessica's privacy, but kneeling right there, right then…Tiffany was invariably a part of all of this now. It angered her, it saddened her, it tugged at her heart…but there was one thing Tiffany knew.
Jessica deserved better.