CHAPTER 18

SAIA'S POV:

Every morning for the past 15 years I have woken up at 5 o'clock. My body has been trained to do it by my father and I also have to be up early for my ballet practice. I don't need alarms or even a lot of sleep anymore. I just wake up. But this morning is different from all the others. This one, I have to break the heart of the man I love and leave him to save his life.

As I wake up I feel his deep, steady breathing and I'm grateful that he is still sound asleep. Lifting my head from his shoulder, I reluctantly pull away from his warmth and it feels like I am ripping off a piece of myself. Careful to keep my emotions in check and clad only in my underwear & his T-shirt, I search for the rest of my clothes that are scattered around the floor. My body is sore from the night before and my movements are awkward as I try to be as quiet as I can.

I dress quickly and use my phone to call a cab while being sure not to wake the sleeping soul in the next room. I'm afraid that he will wake up and stop me. I have to leave the cell phone he gave me here. It can be traced and they would easily find me. I wrack my brain with what I should write to him. I know that if I break his heart, Woo Bin might stop looking for us but it will probably only piss him off more than anything. I really have no way of knowing but even if it only delays Woo Bin, it will be enough for my father to escape and keep Ji-Hoo safe. Looking at the block of sticky notes on his desk, I know that even now when I need to I can't lie to Ji-Hoo. So keeping it simple and honest I scribble a few sentences on one, stick it to my phone, and leave it on his desk so that he can find it.

Grabbing my purse, I finally venture one last look at him. His peaceful, dreaming face makes my eyes burn and my throat tighten. My heart screams with longing and I am dangerously close to breaking apart. Steeling myself, I tear my eyes away and walk out of his house for the last time. Before I reach the street, the cab pulls up in front of his gate. Climbing in the backseat, I give the driver directions before I finally allow reality to sink in. Choking on bitter sobs, I curl into a ball on the seat and let the pain wash over me. My heart is completely shattered and I bite my fist in agony. I will never see him again… or hear him… or feel him… The cab driver watches me worriedly from his rearview mirror but I ignore him, totally oblivious to anything but my pain and the pain I will cause Ji-Hoo.

He will be devastated… After everything he has already been through, I am only going to cause him greater pain. But he will be alive… Will he? Truly? Or will he sink into himself and disappear? That isn't living… I wish he had never met me.He was doing fine without me. He was safe… But he doesn't see it that way. We made each other happy. I saved his life as much as he saved mine… My heart and mind fight against each other and only make me cry harder. I was foolish to think that the memories of making love with him would help sustain me through the loneliness without him. It only showed me what I could never have. IT'S NOT FAIR! IT'S SO FUCKING UNFAIR!

My gut-wrenching sobs continue until there is nothing left inside of me but emptiness. When the cab finally stops at our destination, I get out and face my future alone. The cab disappears around the corner and only then does my father step out of the shadows to approach me. I'm not afraid this time. I will do whatever it takes to keep this monster away from Ji-hoo and the twins. I don't resist when he presses the drug-soaked cloth against my face. Instead I breathe in deeply, grateful for the numbing darkness that overtakes me.

(^_^)

JI-HOO'S POV:

Stirring in my restful sleep, I smile as I remember the night before. I immediately feel the loss of her not being in my arms and reach for her…but my hand only finds emptiness and her side of the bed is cold. Suddenly very awake, my eyes snap open as I sit up. Blinking, I try to adjust to the brightness of my room as I jump up and make my way to the bathroom but she isn't there. Her clothes are gone and panic begins to set in. Reaching for my phone, I power it back on as I search the house looking for her. All of her things are gone. Dialing her number, I hear her phone go off and I follow the sound. It's sitting on my desk, a note stuck to the screen and my hand shakes as I reach for it.

"I can't be with you anymore. I'm sorry… Goodbye"

Shaking my head, I read it over and over in disbelief. I suddenly can't breathe. Crippling pain is coursing through my body. My heart shatters and I fall to my knees, my hand claws at the pain in my chest. NO! NO, GOD! PLEASE NO! I don't understand! How can she do this to me? It's too much! Squeezing my eyes shut, I cry out in pain but it sounds more like a sob than anything. I LOVE YOU! WHY? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! YOU LOVE ME TOO, DAMN IT! You...love me…

My heart begins to calm as my mind starts to take over. No. It doesn't make sense. I know that what we have is real and I know that she wants to be with me. I can see it in her eyes. Something happened…There is something she isn't telling me. When she had come back from the restroom at the Zoo yesterday something had definitely been wrong. I had let it go, believing that if it was serious she would tell me.

My memories of our time together play through my mind. We were happy. Every smile, every touch, every look, and every laugh proves it. What changed?

"I would do anything for you. I hope you know that." Her words from the night of Woo Bin's dinner party haunt me and my blood runs cold. How far would she be willing to go? Why would she leave me? There is only one answer.

"Son-of-a-bitch!" I hiss angrily. He used me. Eon Su-Jeong used me to get to her. He must have threatened her to leave me or he would come after me. Grabbing my phone, I dial Boo Ki's number.

When she answers the phone all I hear is a groan.

"…Boo Ki-ssi?...Are you okay?"

"…No. Why are you calling me at this ungodly hour? Did Saia forget something?"

"Is she there?"

"…No. I thought she was with you." I can hear the concern in her voice and she is fully awake now.

"She didn't come home this morning?"

"I'll check…" I hear movement as she goes to look. "No. She's not here. All of her stuff is still here though. What happened?"

"Call me if you hear from her." I tell her and I hang up. Reality begins to sink in and my heart starts to pound as I dial Woo Bin's number.

"Yobosayeo?" he answers groggily.

My throat suddenly tightens and I can't speak.

"Ya! Ji-Hoo-ah!"

"He has her Woo Bin." I quietly say, my voice breaking.

"…I'm sending my men to come get you." He hangs up but I can tell he is already in action.

I'm torn between anger and fear. I'm angry that she didn't tell me what is going on, angry that Su-Jeong won't leave her alone, and afraid of what he is going to do to her or what may come of her if I don't reach her in time.

(^_^)

SAIA'S POV:

I gasp in surprise as the cold water wakes me up. I'm tied to a tree and my father is filling up another bucket of water to throw on me. I hate this. How many times had he done this to me on the rare occasions I did something wrong as a kid? At least the weather is warm. It makes it easier to handle but the water is still cold. I'm better prepared for the next one as it hits me. My eyes start to blur as the water runs into them and I blink against the burning sensation.

"You let him fucking touch you…" he growls at me. "Haven't I taught you any sense of loyalty?" You were hardly ever around! You barely taught me anything. Not wanting to anger him I keep quiet. He grabs my chin and turns my head to get a closer look at the bruises on my neck. I didn't have time to try and cover them up before I left. They are pretty obvious. I'm not surprised he noticed them.

"Now I have to try and clean him off of you!" He yells angrily at me. "Stupid bitch! What did I tell you? Make him hate you! Drive him away! Instead you lured him in even more!"

"He does hate me! He won't come looking for me! I did exactly what you wanted me to so there is no reason for you to hurt him!"

He snorts in disgust and cuts my shirt off with his knife. He removes my jeans and I am left sitting in only my underwear and my bra. Grabbing a rough sponge, he begins to scrub my skin raw. I flinch from the pain but don't try to pull away. The ropes on my wrists hurt more than anything. My skin is burning and I can feel it starting to cut into me. Once he is done scrubbing me, he fills up the bucket again and splashes me. It stings a lot worse on my raw skin, especially in the places that he scrubbed till it bled.

"Can I see the twins?"

"Ani."

"Please… I won't ask for anything else."

He leaves me tied to the tree in my undergarments and I know the routine all too well. He will leave me here till I'm dry or till tomorrow, whichever works best for him. I have no idea where we are. I can see a lake peeking through the trees and the only building I see is the one my dad went into. I wonder how long I've been here and how Ji-Hoo is doing. He probably does hate me by now for breaking his heart. A part of me knows that he probably won't let me go that easily but I ignore it. It doesn't matter either way. I'm all alone now.

As the sun starts to sink behind the trees, I shiver against the cold. Exhausted, cold, and hungry I see my father come back for me. He unties me from the tree and yanks me up to me feet. My numb legs struggle to keep up with him as he drags me towards the building. He pulls me into an empty room and hands me a pair of clothes.

"Put these on and eat." He nods at some bread and water on the floor before he leaves. The door locks behind him and I sink to the floor in dispair.

(^_^)

He wakes me up with a foot in my gut. His fists follow and I try to protect my head with my arms. I don't cry out. I haven't since I was a child. These kinds of beatings are a part of life with my father. I refuse to give in to the pain. I refuse to let him see how much he is hurting me. Detaching myself from the pain, I focus my heart and mind on Ji-Hoo. All of our memories blur together in my head till all I see are his gorgeous eyes before my body can finally take no more and falls into darkness.

(^_^)

SERENA'S POV:

How long has it been? Hours? Days? Weeks? I have lost all track of time in this prison. I leave it once a day to use the restroom with Su-Jeong watching my every move. Why am I still alive? Isn't the whole point of capturing me to finish what he started 15 years ago? I try asking him what he wants and where our daughter is but he never answers me. The children run and hover in the corner whenever he comes in, the boy always keeps his sister behind him. They spend most of their time with him but they are terrified of Su-Jeong.

Today he comes for me and ties me to the chair I was in when I first arrived. A new girl is in the place of the one I saw that day. Her arms are tied in leather straps between two beams and her head hangs unconsciously against her chest. All of her weight hangs on her arms and her legs barely touch the floor. Her long hair covers her face but I can see that Su-Jeong has beaten her badly. He slaps her cheeks till she finally opens her eyes. She lifts her head and her eyes try to focus. A deep purple bruise is forming around her left eye, her lips are swollen from a busted lip, and blood runs down the side of her face from an unseen cut.

Su Jeong turns to me. "You wanted to see her. You have been looking for her all these years. Don't you even recognize your own daughter?" He sneers at me. Her shock mirror's my own as our eyes meet again for the first time since she was 9 years old. She tears her eyes away from me to look at her father.

"Wait… What do you mean? She's been looking for me?" she asks hoarsely.

Still gagged, I nod my head fervently in agreement. Tears blur my eyes and stream down my face. She never knew. I try to take in every detail of her as her eyes return to mine.

"…Mom?... Is it really you?"

A/N: Surprise! Fast update, I know. I hope you don't mind. ^_^ I am getting more anxious myself even though I know what's going to happen. Haha! That's the plus side of writing a story I enjoy reading too. Thank you as always for reading my story! It really makes me happy! ^_^