Denied Love

01.Rin Will Never Love Anyone

Book Title : Rin Will Never Love (Denied Love) Writer : PEONY

Translate by : Sun Yan

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Several months have passed...

The sound of high heels from a luxury brand echoed through the hallway. Praenarin, a 35-year-old woman, half-walked and half-ran toward a special room in a prestigious private hospital. The surroundings seemed to fall into complete silence.

The sound of her footsteps was so loud in her ears that she could barely hear anything else. For a brief moment, Praerin's ears were ringing, and even the nurses' conversations couldn't pull her attention away.

Room 902-that was the special room her father's personal secretary had

urgently told her to come to. Something urgent had happened. Because of that, she had immediately dropped everything at work and rushed here as quickly as possible.

"Dad!"

She pushed the door open in a panic, afraid that something had happened to her father. But as soon as her eyes swept across the room, she found a

composed, middle-aged man standing inside, waiting for her with his usual calm expression.

That man was her father.

"Rin, you must marry Nong... Khem. Marry her."

Praerin froze, unable to control her expression for several seconds after hearing the first sentence her father said the moment they met. Lately, he had been acting strangely for days.

Today, he had been gone since early morning, and then he had his secretary call her to come to the hospital. She had panicked, thinking something had happened to him. But when she arrived, he was completely fine-only to

throw this shocking statement at her instead.

"If you want to become the company's president, you must marry Khem for me."

"Wait-Khem? Why do I have to marry her? I won't do it."

She smiled slightly as she asked in confusion. Was this really the reason he had called her to the hospital? She knew her father had a dramatic personality, but she never expected him to be this dramatic-summoning her here just to talk about an arranged marriage.

But as she glanced toward the hospital bed, her eyes met the figure of

someone lying there, surrounded by various medical devices and bandages.

"Khemjira"-the daughter of Uncle Anek, her father's close friend. But hadn't she disappeared for months? After confessing her love that night, she had vanished.

And now here she was, unconscious in this hospital room.

Praerin looked around. The room was bright due to the floor-to-ceiling glass walls. A humidifier released a faint, pleasant scent beside the bed. There

were several bouquets of flowers and even greeting cards.

Several greeting cards suggested that she had been here for days. Praerin frowned slightly and looked at her father, her eyes filled with questions.

"The one in the hospital isn't me-it's Khem."

She placed her luxury-brand handbag on the coffee table but didn't sit down. She had a feeling she would need a lot of energy to talk with her father today.

"What happened to Khem? And what does that have to do with me getting married? I already told you-I will never love anyone again. Don't try to

force me into an arranged marriage. It won't work."

"If you want my inheritance, you must marry Khem. If you don't, I will give everything to her-including the president position you want so much. I'll let someone else have it instead."

Praerin's mouth fell open. Her beautiful face stiffened for a moment before she let out a bitter laugh at herself. Her legs weakened, and she sank onto

the sofa.

No matter how much she resisted, she couldn't go against her father. He knew exactly how badly she wanted his fortune-especially the company

president position he currently held. And because he knew, he was using it to threaten her. How wonderful of him!

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Since there was no way she would be in the mood to work for the rest of the day, Praerin decided to stay. She planned to settle this forced marriage issue today. She would also wait for that kid to wake up-so she could hear her rejection firsthand. If Khem refused to marry, this ridiculous wedding wouldn't happen.

"Here's your coffee. We should discuss this again later. You seem tired today, Dad. Maybe you said something without thinking it through. I'll

pretend I never heard it."

She placed the iced coffee on the table in front of her father after taking a short break to grab something to eat.

"I heard that if Khem wakes up this time, she'll be able to go home tomorrow. Can you take care of the hospital bill for me? After she's

discharged, I want her to stay at our house. I don't want a woman living alone."

"Sure, Dad. Bring whoever you want home. You own everything anyway."

He could tell she was being sarcastic. Wasin took a sip of coffee and waited in silence, giving his daughter time to think.

At most, he would wait until Khemjira woke up. She had already regained consciousness once before, when he wasn't here, but she had been hysterical, crying over her father's death.

Her condition had gradually improved over the past few days. That was why he had come early today-to be here when his best friend's daughter finally woke up.

Thinking about his longtime friend since their school days, Wasin sighed. He felt sorry for the one left behind-Khemjira.

Before long, the person lying on the bed slowly opened her eyes. He quickly set down his coffee cup and got up to check on her.

"Khem, how are you feeling?" "Uncle... my dad..."

Khemjira blinked against the light, her gaze meeting the face of the man she had called "Uncle" for as long as she could remember. It was another day of waking up to the cruel reality that her father was gone. He had left her behind-alone. Her mother had passed away when she was young, and now her father was gone too, unable to witness her success in life.

"I'm so sorry, Khem. But you need to be strong so you can recover quickly." "I have no one left... No one, Uncle..."

The bright eyes that once sparkled were now dull with sorrow. The memory of losing her father was still vivid, and tears welled up in her eyes, her chest tightening with grief.

"You still have me, Khem. I'll take care of you."

Outside, Praerin had just returned after handling the hospital bills. She overheard the conversation and quietly stepped back into the room, careful not to startle anyone.

Seeing her father gently stroking Khemjira's head as the girl cried on the hospital bed gave her an odd sense of unease. She didn't know why Khem was here alone, with no one watching over her.

But even so, she still didn't understand why she had to marry her. They had a twelve-year age gap. Khemjira had just graduated, while she was already thirty-five-a woman with a stable career, the only thing unstable being her emotions.

Khem was just starting her life, while she had already been through enough. They were far too different.

To ensure she could be discharged the next day, Khemjira underwent

another medical checkup. Meanwhile, Wasin called his daughter out onto the balcony to continue their earlier conversation.

"I want you to look after Khem."

"Why should I? There are plenty of nurses here. And what happened to her, anyway? Drunk driving?"

Praerin had noticed multiple bruises and scrapes on Khem's body-along with a cut at the corner of her eyebrow. It made her suspect that Khem had been in some sort of accident while not in the right state of mind.

"Her car went off a cliff during a graduation trip. Anek was driving. Khem was trapped in the wreckage all night before rescue teams pulled her out at dawn. She was injured but not critically-thanks to her seatbelt. She's been recovering here for days, and her wounds are healing. But Anek... he died on the spot. That's why I want to take her in."

Praerin fell silent for a moment as she imagined the accident Khemjira had been through. She hadn't known anything about it before. Ever since her workload had increased and Khemjira had started university, they had barely kept in touch, despite how close their fathers were.

No wonder her father had been leaving the house early and staying out all day lately, leaving her to run the company alone as CEO. He had been coming here instead.

"Uncle Anek is gone...?"

She asked, feeling an unexpected pang in her chest.

"Yes. But the funeral hasn't been held yet because we wanted his daughter to be there. That's why I want you to marry Khem. She has no one left, and I promised her father that I'd take care of her as best as I could after he was gone."

"And what does that have to do with me? If you want to take care of her, then do it. She can live her life, and I'll live mine."

"Stop clinging to someone who never loved you. You have no one else now, do you? Marry Khem, Rin. It'll help you move on from that woman. Don't make me suffer through this with you any longer."

Wasin deliberately avoided answering her question directly. He had his own reasons. He knew that Khemjira had loved his daughter for a long time-and still did. Unlike the others who had entered Praerin's life only to hurt her

over and over again, Khem's feelings had never wavered. And yet, his daughter had never been able to let go of her pain.

"Once you live together, you'll grow to love each other. You can take your time-two years should be enough. After that, you'll take my place as the company's president. If you still don't love each other by then, I won't stop you from getting a divorce. You have nothing to lose. I'll talk to Khem myself. She'll definitely want to marry you."

Praerin massaged her temples and let out a long sigh. Marrying for an

inheritance? Was her father being overly artistic again? Did he really think he could just throw someone at her to heal her broken heart?

She paused to think. Right now, she wanted that presidency. It had always been her and her mother's dream. Marrying Khemjira for two years would fast-track her to that goal instead of waiting for her father to step down or pass away-both of which would likely take a long time, considering he wasn't even close to retirement age.

"...Fine. But only for two years. After that, I'm filing for divorce. Akknd you'd better be ready to hand over that presidency."

She agreed-for now. Two years of marriage to that kid would get her everything she wanted. But she had no idea if she'd come out of it with her sanity intact.

Khemjira had changed a lot since she started university.

But of course, there was still one more hurdle to cross. If Khem refused to marry her, then her father's terms wouldn't matter at all.

After getting an answer from the young graduate, her father returned home in an unusually good mood. But Praerin? Not so much.

Not only had Khemjira agreed to marry her, but she actually seemed

happier than before. The moment their eyes met, the younger girl's face lit up as if she were an entirely different person.

Praerin already thought Khemjira was strange, but her father was even

stranger. How could he bring up marriage when the girl's father hadn't even been cremated yet?

"Have you eaten yet?"

She asked, watching as Khemjira, still sitting on the hospital bed, stared at her without blinking-almost as if she were a long-lost relative.

If she thought Praerin was going to stay and watch over her all evening, she was dead wrong.

"If I'm hungry, will you get me something to eat?"

"No. You'll eat what the hospital gives you. Otherwise, what's the point of having a nutritionist?"

"I don't know... I just feel like my mouth tastes bland and numb. My dad just passed away. I have no one left. If I could eat something you brought me, I'd probably have an appetite."

The 23-year-old girl leaned back against the slightly inclined hospital bed, looking utterly drained. Even though she had several days to process everything, she still felt like the world was collapsing around her.

She had no one left.

But at least she still had Uncle Wasin and Phi Win-the orphan her father had hired to watch over her since she entered high school. They had studied

together, gone everywhere together, and practically grown up like real siblings since her father had been too busy to take care of her himself.

"I'm sorry about your father."

"Thank you. He had an incurable disease. Even if he didn't die now, it would have happened sooner or later. If I kept blaming myself, he'd probably be really sad."

Khemjira turned to look at the woman beside her, sitting with perfect posture, her elegant shoulders poised. A small, resigned smile crossed her lips.

She had long come to terms with the possibility of losing her father. She thought she'd be able to handle it easily. But when the moment actually came, she completely broke down for days before she could even reach this point.

"You move on pretty quickly." "Not really. I just talk big,"

Khemjira admitted with a weak chuckle.

"But it's true, isn't it? If I had been the one who died, I wouldn't have wanted my dad to blame himself for it. We loved each other a lot. We were all we had."

Her voice trembled, and she reached for a tissue to dab at her welling tears. Her vision blurred, but she refused to let herself break down again.

She had already cried so much.

No matter how many tears she shed, her father wasn't coming back. By now, he was probably up in heaven, free from all the suffering his illness had caused.

"I know this might not be the best time," Praerin said, "but I have a favor to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Do you want to do a good deed?" "How?"

"Tell my father that you don't want to marry me. If you refuse, I'll give you money to start a new life. Your fiancé wouldn't want to marry someone who's ready to throw you away at any moment, right?"

Praerin tried to persuade her, but the response she received made her body heat up, especially her head.

"No, I will marry you-and I will get married willingly."

Look at her! How could she answer so innocently? How dare she challenge me? Fine... She'll soon realize just how unbearable it is to marry someone

like me. I'll make sure she feels unloved, unwanted-so much so that she'll pack up and leave because she can't stand being married to me.

Praerin turned her face away to hide her displeasure.

Just then, dinner arrived. After receiving her meal from the staff, the patient, Khemjira, looked at it with boredom, having no appetite. The person who hadn't left her side finally spoke, her voice distant and cold.

"Eat your food."

"Will you stay with me tonight, Rin?"

Khemjira accepted the food but still had enough energy to ask something she knew was impossible.

"Why should I?"

Praerin sat with her arms crossed, looking at the other woman indifferently. What does she think we are, asking me that? Someone like me-I wouldn't stay at a hospital for just anyone. I'd only done it once, for my mother, until she passed. And now, the only person I'd do it for is my father, though thankfully, that moment is still far off.

"Because Uncle asked you to take care of me."

"Listen, we are nothing to each other. Why should I take care of you?" "Because I'm your fiancée."

"No."

"You're so heartless. Are you really going to let me sleep here all alone?"

Khemjira pouted sadly. Even though the wedding gave her some comfort, it still hurt that her future wife seemed to dislike her so much.

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Knock, knock, knock!

A series of knocks on the door interrupted their conversation. Then, the person Khemjira was closest to appeared-Kwanrin, who had gone home to pack Khemjira's things for tomorrow, as per Wasin's instructions. She was also the one who had been by Khemjira's side since day one.

"Khem, are you feeling better?"

The young woman, two years older than the patient, entered, carrying bags filled with clothes and other necessities.

"Is your name Kwanrin?"

Praerin asked, noticing the familiar face of Khemjira's close caretaker. As soon as she saw her, Praerin quickly grabbed her bag, preparing to leave.

"Yes," Kwanrin replied.

Praerin turned to glance at Khemjira, who was still pretending to be sad on the bed, and then gave a small, indifferent smile. She wasn't anyone's personal nurse. If someone was supposed to take care of Khemjira, it would be someone like Kwanrin, who was close to her.

"There, your caretaker is here,"

Praerin said, as she walked toward the door. "I'm leaving now."

Just as she was about to step out, she heard Khemjira's voice from behind. "See you tomorrow at home, Ms. Praerin."

Praerin turned and looked at the pale face of Khemjira before she walked out. This was a huge burden, wasn't it? Marrying the daughter of her father's friend to inherit a billion-dollar fortune and secure the position of CEO, which should have been hers from the start, without doing anything.

But even though it was difficult, she had to go through with it. Khemjira wasn't going to help her, so she had to push herself. From being the lowest- ranking student in the class, she had worked her way up to become a CEO that everyone respected.

The next step was to become president in her father's place, to fulfill her dream and her mother's.

No matter what, she had to marry Khemjira to achieve that dream. But she promised herself-she would never love her. No matter what happened, in this lifetime, she would never love anyone again.

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Khemjira's family wasn't wealthy enough to have someone take care of her, as her father was just a lawyer with no big business of his own. After leaving the hospital, Wadin had sent someone to pick her up and bring her home. The rest of her belongings had already been moved from her old house.

When the black European car pulled up in front of the grand entrance of the large house, Praerin stepped out with her caretaker, Kwanrin. The house was large, two stories, in a luxury style with white walls, black window frames, and grand archways.

Surrounding the house was an English-style garden, vast and beautifully maintained. It was so different from the house where she grew up.

Praerin had always seen the value in renting rather than buying, especially since her father had to divide his money to pay for her tuition. The house they lived in was rented, more affordable, compared to buying a permanent home.

But now, the situation was different. If she didn't agree to marry Praerin, Khemjira would be in a tough position-especially with no job of her own.

Although she had her father's life insurance money, she would have to save it in case, after two years, Praerin decided to kick her out.

Although this house wasn't hers, because Kwanrin was here, Khemjira felt a strange connection to it. Still, she felt more attached to the modest, rented

house she had grown up in. Yet here, surrounded by the luxury and the presence of Kwanrin, she found some comfort.

That should make her feel like this was truly her home. "We're here, Phi Rin."

Khemjira led her close caretaker through the grand entrance of the house and into a large reception hall. The space was elegantly decorated, featuring a set of welcoming sofas and a grand piano. Several housekeepers-about

five or six, not including the driver-stood in neat rows, making the house feel lively and well-staffed.

Each of them was dressed in matching uniforms, looking proper and respectful, befitting the household of the president of a furniture design and interior decoration company.

Khemjira greeted them politely, as someone younger should. In response, they introduced themselves one by one with warm smiles, as if welcoming her as another mistress of the house.

"Khun Khem, please hand me your bag. I'll have someone take it upstairs to your room,"

An older housekeeper, Aunt Malai, offered. "Thank you, Aunt Malai."

Khemjira handed over the bags that Phi Rin had brought from her rented home. Soon after, the housekeepers dispersed, leaving only her, Phi Rin, and Aunt Malai in the hall.

"Are you really going to stay here, Nong Khem?"

"Yes, I'm going to marry Khun Rin. We'll be living here together as Uncle invited,"

She answered confidently. She had loved Rin for a long time. If she wasn't being selfish, she would have admitted how happy she was to marry her- even though Rin clearly wasn't thrilled about it.

"P'Rin, you don't mind staying here with me, right? Now that my father is gone, I can't afford to hire you anymore. But I still want to stay with you."

"I don't mind, as long as Nong Khem still wants me here."

Knowing that her life now depended on Khemjira, Kwanrin couldn't refuse. She could live anywhere, do anything, as long as she was with Khemjira.

Her happiness depended on Khemjira's happiness.

However, she had just graduated and was looking for a job-she couldn't be Khemjira's caretaker forever. Soon, Khemjira would have a family of her own.

"Khem only has P'Rin now. I love you like my real sister, and I won't abandon you,"

Khemjira said sincerely. At 173 cm tall, she turned to the person she trusted and felt safest with, only to hear news that made her heart clench.

"The funeral for your father has been arranged. If you feel up to it, we can go pay respects today. If not, I'll take you tomorrow."

Khemjira stiffened for a moment before forcing a smile, as if to encourage both herself and Kwanrin.

"I want to go today." "Khem."

A deep male voice echoed from the stairs leading to the second floor.

Khemjira immediately turned toward the source and respectfully pressed her palms together in a wai.

"Sawasdee ka, Uncle."

"Are you feeling okay today? If you're in pain anywhere, tell me. Don't keep it to yourself."

Wasin returned her greeting before stepping down to join them. Dressed entirely in black, there was no need to ask where he was going-it was the first night of his best friend's funeral, for which he had taken on the role of host without hesitation.

"I'm feeling much better, Uncle. Um... could I ask you to let P'Rin stay here too? We're really close, and I'd feel more comfortable if she was around."

"Of course, Khem. I already spoke to the head housekeeper. She'll take care of your needs as before. You can do whatever you like-I won't force you."

He gave his promise to his future daughter-in-law before shifting his gaze to the woman whose nickname matched his own child's. He had observed her before. She seemed harmless and didn't treat Khemjira as just an employer's daughter, though she didn't make her feelings too obvious either.

"Alright then, I'll go get changed and pay my respects to my father." "Go ahead. Your room is next to Rin's. After the wedding, you can move

into the same room. I'll head to the funeral first. You can go later with the driver."

"Yes, Uncle."

Once the owner of the house had left, Khemjira was led upstairs to see her new bedroom. The house had two wings, left and right, each with three

large bedrooms, separated by a hallway that led to the staircase, study, office, and utility rooms. Her assigned room was on the left wing.

As she stepped inside, she noticed the balcony window had been left open, allowing the white curtains to sway gently in the breeze.

"Feel free to rest, Khun Khem. I'll take care of preparing Khwanrin's sleeping arrangements,"

Aunt Malai offered.

"Aunt Malai, what time does Khun Rin usually come home?"

"Khun Rin finishes work at five. If she doesn't have plans or any unexpected delays, she's usually back by six-thirty at the latest."

"Thank you."

"I'll have the driver ready whenever you're set to leave. Just come downstairs when you're ready."

Khemjira nodded with a smile as the older woman left, dragging P'Win along with her. Once the thick door closed, she let out a deep sigh and began inspecting the room.

The entire space was fitted with built-in furnishings made of polished white Palissandro marble, making her feel like a spoiled rich girl. She quickly unzipped her suitcase and pulled out a black outfit, preparing herself for the funeral.

Even though today was her first day out of the hospital, Khemjira didn't want to rest any longer. She needed to hurry and take a shower, change into black attire, and go greet the one who had gone to rest forever-at the temple.