Jimin POV
"My father, Park Dongil, used to work as your father's assistant. He was Kang sajangnim's right hand man, handling everything from business to personal matters, while your mother was my father's childhood friend. She was the most beautiful woman in town at the time. Everyone wanted to get her attention, including your father. And he successfully did. Knowing Kang sajangnim's true nature, my father tried to warn your mother, but she refused to listen & accepted Kang sajangnim's marriage proposal. The wedding was the most extravagant event that this town had ever seen & your mother had become a real-life princess overnight. She thought that she had gotten everything that she'd ever dreamt of, a handsome prince charming, a magnificent castle, a happily ever after. She became even more over the moon when she found that she was pregnant with you. But soon, your father's jealousy began to lurk its ugly head out.
He forbade her from meeting her friends, controlled  her every word & gesture, just like what he's doing to you now but worse. He continuously dissected her every move & groundlessly accused her of cheating on him. She couldn't take it anymore & asked him for a divorce a few months after you were born. He was furious, again accusing her of having an affair with another man behind his back. They had a huge fight & she told him that she was going to take you & leave right away. That enraged him, so he- he-"

"He what?" She asks, body eagerly leaning forward.
"He killed her."
"You're contradicting yourself. If he killed her, then who was that lady on the phone earlier? See? You're obviously lying." She scoffs.
"Let me rephrase that. He hit the back of her head with a vase. There was so much blood & she stopped moving so he thought he'd killed her. Panicked, he called my father & asked him to take care of the body. My father was shocked & angry, but he pretended to obey your father's command & carried her away while planning to report the incident to the police. However, he discovered that she was still breathing, albeit very faintly. So he took her out of town to my grandmother's house & asked for help. Fortunately, my grandmother used to be a nurse during war & under her care, your mother survived. My father then came back to the mansion & lied to your father saying that he had buried her body in the nearby mountain. He also said that someone possibly saw him when he was doing the deed, so he wanted to leave town to avoid problems. Scared about being implicated, your father gave him a bunch of cash & told him to never come back here again. Afterwards, my father brought your mother to a remote village so that you father wouldn't know that she is still alive."
"If she had survived, why didn't she come back? Why did she abandon me? Why did she leave me suffering alone? If she had done nothing wrong, why would she hide? Why didn't she go to the police?" She shoots the questions at me, voice trembling.
"If you were her, would you come back to live with the man who tried to kill you? You know how powerful your father is. He could easily manipulate everything & made it seem like it was your mother's fault, just like what he's been doing all these years. Feeding you lies, manipulating you to make you hate your mother & obey him completely. Besides, your mother didn't abandon you. Both she & my father have tried multiple times to get you out of here, but you're always surrounded by assistants & bodyguards. They couldn't even come anywhere close to you without being found out. They needed someone, who they trust & your father doesn't suspect, to help them get to you & that person is me."
"Wait. So are you- are you my brother? Did your father marry my mother & have you?" She asks hesitantly.
"No, I'm not. My mother passed away when she gave birth to me. Your mother & my father never got married, but she took care of me like I was her own & I'm very grateful for that. That's why when my father passed away & told me everything, I agreed to help them to take care of you."
"Why didn't you tell me anything when we first met?" She still sounds skeptical, but not as much as before.
"Would you believe me?"
"No.." She mutters lowly.
"I planned to slowly gain your trust & then tell you about who I really am. But things got messed up, so I'm telling you this now because I have no other choice. We need to leave as soon as possible before your father marries you off & finds out about your pregnancy. So what do you think? Do you believe me now?"

Y/n POV
"Do you believe me now?"
"I- I don't know.." I look down & pick my nails.
His story sounds real, but I still have doubts in my mind. My bad experience with Taehyung has made me difficult to trust anyone.
"We don't have much time. What else can I do to make you believe me?" Jimin sighs in desperation.
"Can I- Can I talk to her again?" I lift my eyes & hesitantly ask.
"Eomeoni? I mean, your mother? Of course." He readily takes out his phone, taps on it & hands it to me.
I bite my lip nervously, waiting for her to answer the call.
"Y/n ah.. Has Jimin told you everything?" The lady says once she picks up.
"Yes." I nod, still not daring to look at her right in the eyes.
"How are you, my daughter? Are you okay? Jimin often tells me about you. I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you sooner. I'm sorry for leaving you. I hope you can forgive your weak mother." She weeps, tears streaming down her face.
"S-Sorry, but do you have anything to prove that you're really my mother?"
She looks stunned for a moment before she wipes her tears & smiles at me.
"All of this is difficult to take in, isn't it? It's only natural that you don't believe me. Give me a minute, I need to go get something."
The sound of drawer being opened & closed fills the silence & soon she comes back on screen again with a picture in her hand.
"This is the only picture I have of you which was taken during your first month celebration. Dongil, Jimin's father, paid a maid to steal it from the mansion for me before your father burnt everything." She shows the photo to me.
In it, a younger version of her is sitting on a chair with a sleeping baby girl in her arms. The baby is wearing a white lacy dress which looks awfully familiar.
"That dress.." I rush to my cupboard, rummage through the box at the bottom of it & take out my childhood photo album.
I hurriedly flip it open & my eyes widen as I see a picture of my little self wearing the same exact dress, with the same background as the photo in her hand.
"Omg.." I gasp.
Hands shaking, I bring the album & show it to her.
"Yes. That picture was taken at the same event." She nods smilingly.
"So you- you're really my mother?"
"Yes, I am Y/n ah."
"Eomma. Eommaaa!" My voice cracks as I burst into tears.
"I'll wait outside & give you guys some time to catch up." Jimin taps my shoulder before exiting the room.
We cry & talk & cry again for a while. I told her everything, about the hard times I experienced growing up with Abeonim, about Taehyung, about my pregnancy. Despite the abundance of tears being spilled, my heart is full because I now know that I have a mother & she loves me. She isn't an adulterer & she didn't abandon me like what Abeonim told me.
"I wish I could hug you right now, Y/n ah. I wish I could do something to ease your pain." She sobs.
"Your existence is enough to make me feel hopeful again, Eomma." Warmth spreads inside me as I call her.
"Y/n ah, please listen to Jimin. He will protect you & help you get out of there." She urges.
"I- I will think about it."
Although I am happy that I've found my mother & repulsed by the atrocities that Abeonim had done , I still can't make up my mind about leaving here.
What will happen then? Do I need to hide forever like eomma? Will I bring danger to her?
After I end the call, I step out of the room to return the phone to Jimin but he isn't there.
"Where is he? I'll keep it first then." I shrug & go back inside.
I stare at the unlocked phone & am extremely tempted to look through the messages & gallery.
Should I? Now is my chance. But he left the phone to me without hesitation so he must have nothing to hide.
Pulse racing, I glance at the closed door before quickly opening the photo album & scrolling down. It contains screenshots of documents, which I don't bother to look closely, but then my finger stops when I see a thumbnail that is different from the other black & white pictures.
"Lawyer Park?" The picture is blurry but I'm pretty sure that it is him.
Why does Jimin have a picture of Lawyer Park in his phone? This looks blurry, it seems to be taken secretly without his consent. Who took this picture?
The phone suddenly vibrates in my hand. Someone is calling & my heart stops when I see the caller ID.
"Nurse Min?"
Does Jimin know her too? Why does he have her number? Or is it a different Nurse Min?
I immediately pick up the call without saying a word.
"Hello? Jimin ssi? I'm sorry for calling so suddenly, but I think I've found what Miss Y/n is looking for. It's not the complete file but it contains some unexpected & crucial information that could be dangerous. I'm sending the screenshot to you, then you can judge whether you should show them to Miss Y/n or not. I gotta go now, someone is coming." With that, she abruptly ends the call.
What is going on? How does Jimin know that I was communicating with Nurse Min? And what file? I've never asked for any file.
Right then, the phone vibrates again. The picture from Nurse Min is coming in.
I click on the notification & a snapshot of some kind of document shows up.
"Kim Taehee? Why is Nurse Min sending her file to Jimin?" I wonder as I read the first line on the document.
"Date of admission August 2nd, 2019. Patient was bleeding heavily due to complication from abortion procedure. Guardian Kang Jihwan."
My blood instantly freezes.
Who is Kim Taehee? How come Abeonim is her guardian?
I open the conversation between Jimin & Nurse Min, and find another shocking piece of information.
Kim Taehee is Shin Minji & Nurse Min took that photo of Lawyer Park when he visited Taehee.
My brain starts churning, trying to connect all the dots.
Kim Taehee. She said someone killed her baby, which matches her file. Abeonim is her guardian, which means that he's most likely the one who puts her in the psychiatric ward. Is she related to the favor he asked from Jang wonjangnim? The tattoo on her chest which is the same as Taehyung's. Wait, Taehyung said that he didn't approach me for money. He was going to tell me his real reason but I cut him off..
Then, the realization comes crashing down on me, causing the phone to slip out of my grasp.
Taehee must be someone important to Taehyung & somehow Abeonim made her abort her baby. Taehyung wanted to seek revenge so he came at me.
Tears involuntarily escape my eyes as my body trembles in shock.
What has Abeonim done? How can he be so evil? Taehyung must have been suffering so much because of him.
"What are you doing?" A sudden voice startles me, breaking my train of thoughts.
Jimin is staring at me wide-eyed, visibly annoyed that I went through his phone, but I don't care. He's been withholding all this information from me & I want to know the truth.
"I should be the one who asks you that question. What are you planning? Why didn't you tell me about Shin Minji- I mean, Kim Taehee? How did you know that I asked Nurse Min about her? She's related to Taehyung, isn't she? I saw the tattoo on her chest & Taehyung has the exact same one on his. Who is she? His lover?"
"Give the phone back to me." He tries to snatch the phone away from me, but I quickly hide it behind my back.
"Tell me the truth. Who is Kim Taehee? What did Abeonim do to her?"
"Huh.. I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid that it would be too much of a shock to you, but I guess I can't hide it from you anymore.."
Then, he tells me a story so heartbreaking & bone-chilling that I find my face drenched in tears at the end of his monologue.
"That's all I know. I can't confirm Taehyung's story, but judging from Taehee's file that Nurse Min sent earlier, he must be telling the truth. I guess your father has been confining her in the psych ward for the past year so that she won't be able to tell anyone about what he's done to her. Hey, are you okay?" Sensing my silence, Jimin asks in concern.
I thought that I couldn't hate Abeonim more after I heard about how he treated my mother, but I was wrong. I'm utterly enraged by his disgusting action towards Taehee & deeply ashamed to be his daughter.
No wonder Tae did what he did. I would do something even worse if I were him.
"How can be so cruel? It was his baby! His own blood! And the way he concealed all his crime? Omg, I can't believe it. He always preaches about God's never-ending love & compassion, now I know that it's all bullshit!" I exclaim furiously.
"Shhh.. Not too loud. I know you must be shocked, there's just too much to process in such a short time. First your mother, now this. But please calm down, remember you have a baby growing inside you." Jimin grabs my shoulders & says.
"I can't just sit out & do nothing. I have to confront him about mother & Taehee." I push him away & step towards the door.
"No! Don't you ever do that. You'll risk everyone's lives. Mine, Taehyung's, Taehee's, Nurse Min's, your mother's, even your own." He frantically blocks my way & stops me.
"Then what should I do?! I can't just let him do whatever he wants, trampling over people, making them suffer like they worth nothing!" I exclaim.
"First, you need to leave with me. I need to make sure that you're safe before I can do anything else."
I contemplate my options. There's nothing left in this house that is worth staying for. I can't live with such an evil killer & watch him staying above the law.
"Ok, I'll go with you." I nod.
"You will? Are you sure? Because there's no turning back once we get out of here." He asks in surprise.
"Yes, I'm sure. When can we leave?"
"How about tomorrow morning? We can pretend to go to the university as usual & then leave from there. What do you think?"
"The sooner the better."
"Alright then, I'll go get everything ready now. In the mean time, please just stay in your room & act normally. Don't, again I repeat, don't say anything to your father. Can you do that?"
"Yes." I nod again, ignoring the burning urge to go downstairs & demand Abeonim's explanation.
"Good. I'll be back soon. Remember, stay here." Jimin says before exiting the room in a hurry.
The sudden silence engulfs me. With Jimin gone, my mind goes back to my mother, Taehyung & Taehee.
I hated my mother & Taehyung without knowing their agony. Thinking that I'm the one who is suffering the most, while actually the pain I'm feeling is nothing compared to theirs. I should've listened to Taehyung when he tried to tell me his side of the story.
The more I think about it, the more guilty & angry I feel. Although what happened to them was not my fault, I can't help but feel that I'm somewhat responsible because I'm my father's daughter.
I have to convince him to release Taehyung from the prison & Taehee from the hospital immediately. That's the least I can do.
Jimin's warning has been thrown to the back of my head when I grab the door handle & stomp out of my room.
10:47 PM. Where is he? Is he still in his office?
I don't bother to knock & push open to the door to Abeonim's office.
"Don't you know how to knock? What do you want?" Startled, Abeonim barks as soon as he sees me coming in.
"I need to talk to you." I stand before him, hearts pounding, hands trembling.
I'm extremely scared but I have to do this. I have to convince him to make things right.
"If it's about the marriage arrangement, save it. My decision is final." He grumbles & continues signing the documents on his desk.
"No, it's not about that. I need to talk to you about Kim Taehyung."
His hand stops abruptly for a fraction of second in the midst of writing before he resumes like nothing happened.
"I thought you'd gotten over him." He says flatly.
"It's not about me. It's about him."
"Huh.. Enough of this nonsense. I still have a lot of work to do. Go back to your room." He takes off his glasses & pinches his brows.
"I want you to release him & his sister right away." I mutter all my courage & say as calmly as possible.
"Y/n ah, don't you understand? He is serving his sentence in jail, I can do nothing about it. And what did you say? His sister? I don't-" He sighs heavily & says with a derogatory tone like I'm a whining three-year-old who's asking for candy.
"Kim Taehee. I'm sure you know her." I cut him off.
A fleeting fear passes across his face. He looks up at me, eyes widened slightly, as he gulps down his saliva. But he's not my father if he relents so easily.
"I don't know anyone named Kim Taehee. Who told you such a ludicrous lie? Is it Kim Taehyung? He must be so desperate that he fabricates such story to get your attention." He scoffs.
"It's not a lie! Why can't you just admit your wrongdoings?! You still can fix it now!" I exclaim in exasperation.
"You believe that criminal more than your own father? Have you lost your mind?!" He rises up & bangs his fist hard on the table, making me flinch. However, I'm not going to back down. Not this time.
"You are the one who's lost your mind! I know everything, every atrocious crime that you've done. You hide behind your religious & angelic front, when in fact you're worse than the devil!" I scream.
A hard slap lands on my left cheek, splitting the corner of my lips until I taste blood. However, the physical pain means nothing compared to the disappointment & despair in my heart.
He will never change. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. It's useless.
"Go back to your room now! And don't ever come out unless I tell you to. Where is Jimin? Jimin! Jimin!" He yells.
"I can't stay here anymore. I'm leaving & you can't stop me this time." I clutch my cheek & motion towards the door.
"You're not going anywhere!" He rushes forward & yanks my wrist, pulling me backwards.
"I'm not your object! I've had enough living with a monster like you for twenty years. Let go of me!" I struggle to escape from his grip but he's much stronger than me.
"Where are you going? You have nothing. You won't survive a day living out there. And who do you think will help you? Kim Taehyung? That pathetic bastard.." He laughs, like this is all a joke to him.
"Anywhere will be much better than here. You know what? The pathetic one is you. All you have is money. At least, Taehyung still has a heart & people who care about him. You don't."
"You ungrateful bitch! You're just the same as your mother."
He raises his hand & slaps me again much more forcefully than before, making me lose balance.
I stumble backwards & one side of my stomach hits the sharp corner of a nearby cabinet. Sharp pain pierces through my stomach & the alarm inside my brain instantly goes off.
My baby.
The pain is so unbearable that my breath gets hitched in my chest & my knees become weak. I sit down on the floor, clutching my stomach, while silently praying that the baby is fine.
But then I feel it. Warm sticky liquid flows out of my core to the cold marble floor. I brace myself & look down, only to find a big red stain spreading on my grey skirt.
"H-Help." I manage to mutter through the tremendous pain.
"Y-You're bleeding. Why are you bleeding? I didn't even do anything!" Abeonim stutters in panic.
"C-Call. The. Ambulance." I say in between heavy breaths.
All of a sudden, I lose all my strength & everything goes dark.

Jimin POV
"Rental car, check. Cash, check. Food & drink for the long drive, check. Y/n's fake ID, check. Did I miss anything?" I mutter to myself as I drive back to the mansion.
A smile involuntarily spreads across my lips as I go through our escape plan inside my head.
Appa, soon I'm going to fulfill your last wish. I'm sure Eomeoni will be overjoyed when she finally sees Y/n after so many years.
The sudden vibration of my phone snaps me out of my happy thought.
"Kang sajangnim?" A bad omen instantly lands upon me, sending chills down my spine.
Has something bad happened?
"Jimin ah, where are you? Come back to the house now. Something bad has happened." Kang sajangnim says as soon as I pick up the call. He sounds lost & scared, very much unlike his usual self.
"I'm on my way. What happened? Are you alright?" I ask, although I couldn't care less about him. All I'm worried about is Y/n.
"J-Just come back quickly." He abruptly ends the call.
"Shit." I hit the gas & drive as fast as I can.
The mansion is dark & quiet when I arrive a few minutes later. My heavy breath & footsteps are the only sound reverberating through the walls. All the doors are closed.
Where are they?
"In here!" I snap my head towards the voice & see Kang sajangnim frantically waving at me from a sliver of space in between his office door & the door frame.
"What happened?" I ask.
"I- I didn't do anything. I didn't mean to hurt her. I was just- She was-" He says incoherently.
I hastily push him away & rush into the room. The scene before me makes my heart drop to the pit of my stomach.
Y/n is lying unconsciously on the floor in a pool of her own blood.
"What did you do?! She's your own daughter for fuck's sake!" I spontaneously shout at him as I quickly kneel down on the floor & check Y/n's pulse.
"I didn't do anything! S-She bumped onto the cabinet & fell. It wasn't my fault! She did it to herself!" He retaliates.
"Is that all you care about? Now is not the time to discuss whose fault it was. Her pulse is very weak. Why didn't you call the ambulance?" I say as I lift her limp body off the floor.
"I- I was scared that- I was scared that-" He stammers, absolutely horrified. His charismatic extravagant self has diminished into a timid frightened man who looks much smaller than he actually is. Well, he should be traumatized because he has just witnessed history repeating itself.
"You were scared that you'd killed her?" I sarcastically scoff.
"But she's still breathing, right?" He stands frozen on the spot, not even daring to take a step closer to us.
"She won't if I don't take her to the hospital right now. You stay here & clean all the blood. I'll take care of her." I walk pass him & step towards the door. He doesn't even stop me or offer to go with me to the hospital.
I lay Y/n carefully on the backseat of my car & drive the car to the hospital.
"Hang in there Y/n ah. You'll be fine. The baby will be fine too. Yes, both of you are going to be fine." I repeat the same words again & again like a mantra, more for myself than for her since she can't hear me anyway.
That fucking coward. How could he do nothing watching his only daughter dying? Wait. He thought she was dead, just like her mother back then.
An outrageous idea pops up in my head all of a sudden. I glance at Y/n from the rearview mirror & hit the brakes.
What if- No, it's too risky. But this is our only chance. Make up your mind Jimin ah, you don't have time.
After thinking about it for another minute, I make a U-turn & drive towards the opposite direction.