One Month Later

Aeri sat in her office, files scattered haphazardly across her desk. She kept herself immersed in her work, using it as a shield to block out the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside her. Her pen moved swiftly over the documents, though her focus wavered. A knock at the door startled her, and she looked up as her maid stepped in cautiously.

"Miss," the maid said softly, "Mr Han is here. He's waiting outside."

Aeri stiffened, her heart clenching. She lowered her gaze back to the papers, her voice steady but cold. "I'm busy. Tell him I don't have time."

The maid hesitated, wringing her hands. "Miss aeri, he's been coming every day for the past month. Perhaps you could see him, just once-"

"I said I'm busy," Aeri interrupted, her tone sharper. She couldn't let herself falter. Facing him again felt like reopening wounds that had barely begun to scab over.

The maid sighed and left the room. Aeri sat motionless for a moment before her resolve cracked. Quietly, she rose and followed the maid to the hallway, staying hidden just out of sight.

Outside, Taesan stood waiting, his posture tense but his expression unreadable. The maid approached him, bowing slightly. "I'm sorry, but she said she doesn't wish to see you."

Taesan's lips curved into a bitter smile. "I understand," he said softly. "I deserve this." His voice wavered, and he looked away as if to hide his emotions. "This is my punishment. For everything I've done to her, I deserve to come here every day and face her rejection. It's the least I can do. But I'll never leave her lonely. I'll keep coming back because... she's all I have now."

Hearing this, Aeri's heart broke all over again. Tears spilled down her cheeks, silent and unrelenting. She pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs, unwilling to let him see her like this.

As the maid left his side, Taesan turned and walked away, his figure slumping slightly under the weight of his guilt. Aeri watched him go, her tears falling harder with every step he took...

Aeri sat with her maid, her expression resolute. "I want to go back to the forest," she said firmly.

The maid's eyes widened in alarm. "Miss, you can't mean that! You've just begun to recover-"

"I've made my decision," Aeri interrupted. "I'll give away all of my father's property to charity. I'll build schools and hospitals there, make it a place where people can live. It's the only way I can atone for his sins."

The maid knelt before her, tears brimming in her eyes. "Please, don't do this to yourself. Don't isolate yourself like this. You deserve-"

Aeri shook her head. "This isn't punishment. It's... my way of moving forward. I can't live with what my father did. I have to make it right, even if it means being alone."

"Give Taesan a chance," the maid pleaded. "You've both been through so much. Maybe, with time-"

"No," Aeri said, her voice trembling. "I can't. I won't. This is my choice, and I'm not going to change my mind."

The forest was quiet yet peaceful as Aeri stood in the exact same spot where everything had begun. The air was cool, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. She stared up at the cloudy sky, taking a deep breath.

A voice broke the silence. "Aeri."

She turned sharply, her heart stopping as she saw Taesan standing behind her. His face was pale, his eyes filled with emotions he couldn't hide.

"I know I've hurt you," he said, his voice cracking. "I know I'm your culprit and I'll accept whatever punishment you want to give me. But I can't stay away from you. You're the only thing that kept me alive in the end. Please..."

Aeri turned away, her shoulders trembling. "I can't hear you," she said quietly. "The noise in my head- it's too loud. All I can hear is the betrayal, the lies. And you..." She looked over her shoulder, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You're no different from him, my father. You used me too. For your revenge. For your gain."

Taesan stepped closer, but she took a step away from him, "Leave," she whispered, "Your revenge is over. I'm nothing to you now. Just... leave me alone."

He froze, the weight of her words crushing him. Slowly, he nodded, his hands clenched at his sides. "I'll leave," he said hoarsely. "But I'll never stop loving you. That's my punishment. To live every day knowing I destroyed the only person I ever cared about."

Taesan walked away, his heart heavy with emptiness. His revenge had brought him nothing but regret and loss. The one person who had brought light to his dark world no longer wanted him, He tried playing with fate thinking he can turn it the way he wanted but in the end he finally realized he could never undo the damage he'd done to her being.

Aeri stayed behind, staring at the spot where he had stood. Her heart ached, torn between the love she still felt for him and the pain of betrayal that refused to fade. She swore to herself that she would live in his memory, but she would never give him another chance.

They were two souls bound by love and shattered by pain, destined to live apart, yet forever connected by the scars they had given each other.

and that brings us to the end of this book. It was a memorable experience for me (I cried while writing the epilogue) but I'm honestly happy with the way everything turned out. I just wanna thank y'all for showing this much love to "stay away" tysmm ! I hope I didn't disappoint you.
love yaa <3