chapter 8
697 Words
📘 Episode 8: The Headlines That Broke Her
> "If he ever had to choose... would he pick me in front of the world?"
– Irene’s diary, two years ago.
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✦ Morning, Seoul – Breaking News
> “CEO Ares Ji involved in extramarital affair, anonymous woman spotted at his penthouse!”
“Who is the mystery woman ruining Korea’s most elite couple?”
#AresAffair trends on all platforms
Irene didn’t even need to scroll.
Her phone buzzed nonstop—calls, messages, even emails from her former colleagues.
Her face wasn’t shown.
But the photo of her entering Ares’s penthouse at 1:47 a.m. the previous week... it was real. Too real.
In seconds, the internet had torn her apart.
> “Homewrecker.”
“Gold digger.”
“Another mistress hungry for a billionaire.”
No one knew the truth.
That she was the first one.
The only one.
The one he married in secret.
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✦ Irene’s POV
She stared at herself in the mirror.
Disheveled hair. Puffy eyes. A coffee cup trembling in her grip.
“Why now?” she whispered. “Why would he let this leak now?”
There was a knock. Not gentle.
She opened the door to see Ares standing there in a hoodie and cap, his eyes hidden—but the tension in his jaw gave everything away.
"You saw it," he said hoarsely.
“Don’t act like you didn’t know it would happen,” she snapped. “They always find out. Especially when you’re a Ji.”
“I didn’t leak it,” he said. “I’d never put you at risk like that.”
Her laughter was bitter. “But you did. By loving me in the shadows, you already made me the villain.”
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✦ Yena’s Move
Inside a five-star hotel suite, Yena Min stared out the window, sipping champagne as her assistant read out headlines.
She smiled faintly. “Let the public play judge. The court of opinion is faster than divorce court.”
“But if Mr. Ji divorces you now—”
“He won’t.” Her voice turned sharp. “Not until I’m done with her.”
She had one rule:
If I can’t have peace, neither can you.
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✦ Flashback – The Marriage Contract
Two years ago, Ares had begged Irene to sign a contract—one that kept their marriage hidden to the public.
> “Just for now,” he’d said, holding her hands. “I want to protect you from my world. It’s not safe.”
She had signed, blindly trusting him.
Now… the same contract prevented her from even proving she was his wife.
And that silence was ruining her.
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✦ Irene’s Apartment – Nightfall
“I can’t do this,” Irene said, standing with her back to him. “I’m tired, Ares.”
“I’ll fix this.”
“You said that last time. And the time before that.”
“I’ll announce you. I’ll end the contract—”
She turned around, tears streaking her cheeks.
“What will that change? The world already hates me. Your wife is planning my destruction. And you… you still wear your wedding ring for her.”
He looked down at his hand.
True. He hadn’t removed it in public once.
But that wasn’t because of Yena.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a chain.
At the end of it, her ring. Their ring.
“I never removed ours either,” he whispered. “I kept it close to my heart.”
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✦ Later That Night
She sat in silence, head against his chest as the storm outside raged on.
“Irene…” his voice cracked. “I’ll go public. Let them see the truth. Let the world burn.”
“Are you ready to lose everything?” she asked softly. “Your name, your empire, your father’s respect?”
“If that’s the cost of loving you in the light… then yes.”
She didn’t respond. But the way her fingers curled into his shirt… maybe, just maybe, a part of her still believed in him.
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✦ END OF EPISODE 8
- Writer
