Chapter 1 :-Minji

When I got home, exhausted from the long day, I was met with an unsettling sight in the living room. My mother stood quietly, almost like a servant, while Park Soo-jin and Park Ji-eun lounged comfortably on the couch beside my father. Their smug expressions already told me trouble was brewing.

"Dad, look! She came home late again," Ji-eun sneered, her voice dripping with false concern.

I ignored her. She had been trying to kick my mother and me out of this house for years, and I wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

"Where have you been?" my father demanded, his sharp gaze pinning me in place.

"I was with Eun-jung," I answered, keeping my voice steady.

My father leaned forward, his expression unreadable. "There is a marriage alliance between the Kim Family and the Park Family," he announced.

"My daughter is far prettier than Minji," Soo-jin chimed in, flipping her hair dramatically.

I felt my mother step beside me, her silent presence a shield against what I already knew was coming.

"Mom, I don't want to marry that second master of the Kim family!" Ji-eun whined. "I heard he's disabled—he can't even walk."

I clenched my fists. The way she spoke, like she was above everyone, made my stomach churn.

"We have a strong relationship with the Kim family. If we break the engagement, they will make us suffer," my father countered, his voice cold and firm.

Ji-eun huffed and crossed her arms. "Then let Minji marry him. At least she's useless."

That was it. I took a step forward, ready to slap her smug face, but my mother grabbed my wrist, stopping me just in time. She shook her head slightly, silently pleading for me to stay composed.

"Yeah, Minji is single, and no one would marry her anyway," Soo-jin added with a fake sigh. "She's already twenty-six. It's about time she got married and had a child."

Her false concern made my skin crawl. She didn't care about me—she only cared about the money this marriage would bring.

I turned to my father, my voice filled with quiet defiance. "Dad, you're not selling me off for money, are you?"

His jaw tightened. "Then what do you expect me to do? If we refuse this marriage, the Kim family will ruin us. Our company will collapse, and we'll lose everything. If they feel embarrassed publicly, they won't hesitate to destroy us."

Ji-eun let out a dramatic sigh. "You are nothing to this family, Minji. What's the point of you staying here?"

"Shut up!" my father snapped at her, his voice laced with frustration. "How dare you speak to your elder sister like that?"

Ji-eun pouted but didn't back down. "Dad, but you divorced her foolish mother years ago. Why is she still here?"

Silence filled the room. My mother stood still, her grip on my wrist tightening. I could feel her pain, her silent endurance of years of mistreatment. My heart pounded.

After a long silence, I finally spoke. "Okay, Dad. I'll marry the second master of the Kim family."

Jieun's lips curled into a slow, soundless laugh, and her mother quickly joined in, amused by my fate.

"Great, Minji," Dad said, satisfied. "They want you to move into the Kim mansion tomorrow."

I clenched my fists but forced a nod. "Okay."

Dad sighed, rubbing his temples. "I have work to do," he muttered before leaving the living room.

The moment he was gone, Jieun and her mother stepped closer to me, their expressions dripping with mock sympathy.

"I really feel for you, dear elder sister," Jieun said, feigning sadness. "Imagine being married to a disabled man who can't even walk. How tragic." She smirked, her voice laced with cruelty.

I held back my anger, gripping my mother's hand and pulling her toward my room. As soon as we entered, I shut the door behind us.

"Mom, listen," I said, turning to her. "Even after I leave this house, don't let them bully you."

My mother gave me a gentle smile, as if my words didn't faze her. "Minji, we should be kind, even when others treat us badly."

Tears burned in my eyes. "I know… but you always stay silent, Mom. You let them walk all over you, even when they hit you. Why?" My voice cracked.

She sighed, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "Because I want you to have a place to stay. If I fight back, they'll kick you out for sure."

A tear slipped down my cheek. My mother was too kind—too selfless. Even after everything, she still cared for Jieun, who only repaid her with cruelty.

"Minji," she said softly, squeezing my hands. "If the Kim family treats you badly, promise me you'll tell me."

"I will," I promised. "But you have to tell me if this little princess and her mother do anything to you."

She chuckled lightly. "I will."

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The Park family's driver took me to the Kim mansion. The moment I stepped out of the car, I could tell this place was far more luxurious than my father's house. The sheer number of servants alone was overwhelming.

I stepped inside, expecting a grand welcome, but the place was eerily quiet.

"Hello?" I called out.

The Park family's driver took me to the Kim mansion. The moment I stepped out of the car, I could tell this place was far more luxurious than my father's house. The grand pillars, the endless glass windows reflecting the afternoon sun, and the sheer number of servants moving around in quiet efficiency—it was overwhelming.

Yet, despite its grandeur, something about this place felt... empty.

I stepped inside, expecting a grand welcome, maybe even a cold acknowledgment. But there was nothing. Just silence.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing slightly.

A servant appeared out of nowhere, moving with an eerie calmness. "Mr. Kim Joon-seo is not home. He will be back at night." Her tone was polite yet distant, as if she were merely reciting facts rather than welcoming the woman who was supposed to be his wife.

She didn't ask me anything—didn't even acknowledge my presence beyond the necessary instructions. She simply led me to my room, helped me put my things in place, and left without another word.

I let out a long sigh and sank onto the massive bed. The exhaustion from everything—the unwanted marriage, Jieun's cruelty, my mother's silent suffering—weighed on me like a stone.

At least with my so-called husband absent, I could rest in peace.

I closed my eyes, letting sleep pull me under…

Until—

BANG!

My eyes shot open. The door had slammed shut on its own.

The room, which had been silent just moments ago, suddenly felt suffocating. A strange chill crept down my spine as I realized… I wasn't alone