WHEN THE MARRIAGE COLLAPSE

forty-six - "Finally, he apologised."

Sunghoon jumped out of the bushes, "Yeonbyul! No!"

Haesun realised what Yeonbyul was planning all along, laughing in disbelief. Her eyes formed tears when she saw Heeseung appearing with the guards, "Heeseung-ah, I didn't do it! I'm telling you the truth!"

"Arrest her!" Heeseung ordered, "And call me by my title. It's disgusting to hear you calling my name."

"Lee Heeseung! Your Majesty! I didn't do it! Yeonbyul planned it all along! Please believe me!" She screamed as the guards brought her to the car, locking her in.

Sunghoon was about to jump off the cliff but Heeseung stopped him, "The divers will save her! Stop, Sunghoon! You're going to hurt yourself!"

They watched as the divers put on their gear before diving into the river, searching for Yeonbyul's body. Sunghoon pushed Heeseung away before glaring at him, "Make sure to give the heaviest punishment before executing her. Just killing her isn't enough for all the lives she has taken."

I feel empty. Am I doing the right thing? The water is slowly pushing me deeper into the river. I can't swim up. I did an impulsive decision, stabbing myself and making it seemed like she killed me. Am I the villain all along? Doing all this made me realise I'm no different from Mr Kim and his daughter. My father won't be happy if he finds out I did this. Why can't I swim back up? My body won't move. Blood is oozing out of my body, mixing with the clear river water.

Divers brought Yeonbyul's body back up, putting her down on the boat.

"Your Majesty, can you hear me?" One of the divers asked, snapping his fingers at her ears, "Prepare to perform CPR. You! Press something on her waist to stop the bleeding! Hurry!"

After performing the CPR, Yeonbyul coughed out water. She slowly panted and winced in pain as the diver pressed her wound, putting more pressure than before.

"We're glad that you're safe, Your Majesty."

"Take me to Sunghoon, please," she said quietly before closing her eyes, falling into the empty darkness.

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Heeseung kept his straight face as he walked to the dungeon where Haesun was. He looked at her as she sat at the corner, hugging herself. She immediately stood up when she saw him, "Heeseung, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you."

"It's 'Your Majesty' to you," he said sternly. She kneeled, "I didn't push her, I promise! Please! You have to believe me! I didn't stab her."

"How many times do you have to lie to me? I've trusted you, Kim Haesun. It doesn't change the fact that you have killed innocent people to get what you want."

He was about to walk away until her words stopped him, "What about you then? Didn't you just betray me? You planned this all along with that bitch and the husband of hers. It doesn't change the fact that you are just like me. Isn't that right, Your Majesty?"

"Shut up. We will wait until the baby is due. Then, you will be executed for causing treason to the kingdom."

"No! Please! No! Don't go! I can't die! Heeseung!" She called him and cried but he didn't answer. The entrance door was slammed close. She banged her head at the bars and sobbed quietly, sitting back at the corner.

"You win, Yeonbyul. You win. I gave up."

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Yeonbyul heard muffled voices around her, waking her up from the darkness. She opened her heavy eyelids and saw her mother holding her hands tightly. Minhwan screamed happily, "Yeonbyul!"

Mrs Seo helped her sit up straight, moving strands of hair from her face, "Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

"Where's Sunghoon?" She asked as her mother wiped her sweat with a clean towel. The entrance door opened and Heeseung rushed towards her, "Yeonbyul!"

Her eyes widened as she watched him holding her hands, his free hand touching her forehead to feel if her temperature was still high. She pushed his hands away, "What are you doing?"

"I'm worried about you as a friend. I didn't know things would get dangerous like this. I told you Haesun would harm you. Thank God you're alive."

"Where's my husband?"

"His Majesty has a meeting to attend to. He'll visit you tonight, Yeonbyul," Minhwan said as he gave her a packet of chocolate. Heeseung smiled, "You can call him Sunghoon, Minhwan-ah. After all, he's your brother-in-law."

Mrs Seo took Minhwan out since Heeseung wanted to discuss something with Yeonbyul. He sighed as he took a seat on a chair next to the bed, "The baby's biological father doesn't want to take care of him. Haesun will soon be executed so it's hard to find people who want to be his adoptive parents."

"Why don't you adopt him? Let him take lessons to be the next King. You'll be single soon and I don't know if you want to get married again. So take him as an adoptive son. Teach him how to be a better person than his parents. I'm sure it's okay, it's not against any rules anyway."

"You're right," he smiled.

"What are you gonna name him then?"

Heeseung thought for a while. He then smiled, "It's a name that you came up with when we were kids, the time when we were talking about marriages."

"Lee Hojun?" She asked in surprise. He nodded and fiddled with his fingers, "I like that. It's a bit similar to your name."

"I'm sorry, Yeonbyul. For everything that I did to you. I'm really sorry."

She stared at the ceiling, "It's okay. You realising Haesun's crimes and siding with me is already enough. I just want you to be a great King to your people."

"I will, I promise."