The Price of Love

The Next Morning

The quiet was broken by the buzz of my phone on the nightstand.

I reached for it lazily, not wanting to move too far from her warmth.

A string of messages lit up the screen. One from our manager. Then Kia. Then Shin.

Manager Choi: Don’t panic. But check Twitter. Now.

My stomach dropped.

I opened the link.

BREAKING: The King’s Soo Yeon Caught in Secret Romance with The British Award Winning Best European Artist of the Year and Art Enthusiast, Fedora Claremont. Exclusive Photos Reveal Their Private Night Together.

My blood went cold.

I scrolled — and there it was.

A grainy but unmistakable image from the window across the building. Me. Shirtless. Dora wrapped in a blanket, sitting in my lap. My hand brushing her cheek.

Private. Intimate. Ours.

Exposed.

________________________________________

She stirred beside me, eyes fluttering open. Still half-asleep.

“What’s wrong?”

I hesitated. Swallowed hard.

“They know.”