PURPLELEMON의 작품

He stepped in slowly, tall, confident. The kind of presence that makes the air shift without a sound. Dark hair swept back, perfectly tailored navy suit, crisp white shirt, and a tie that somehow made him look both intimidating and effortless. Expensive shoes clicked softly against the polished floor. He paused, scanning the room, eyes landing on me with an intensity that made my pulse quicken.“Ms. Veronica,” he said, voice smooth, low, just enough to make me catch my breath. “I’m glad you’re awake.”I blinked. Awake? Alive? The words felt almost too heavy, almost too kind for someone I had never met.Luke’s eyes widened. “Mommy… it’s him!” He jumped off the chair and ran to the man, his small legs carrying him faster than I could have imagined. “He helped me put you to bed! He said everything would be okay!”The man bent down, his dark eyes softening as he held Luke gently. “And you did very well,” he said, ruffling Luke’s hair. “You were brave.”Luke beamed. “I was scared! But you

“Don’t move!” he yelled.Everything shattered at once—nurses screaming, metal carts crashing, the sharp echo of his boots against the tiles. The guards lunged, but too late. His arm shot up, the gun flashing.The crack of the bullet split the air.Andrew moved first—but not toward me. He dragged Emma into his chest, shielding her, the two of them tumbling hard to the floor. My stomach turned cold even before the pain hit.Then it came—white-hot, tearing through my abdomen, stealing the breath straight from my lungs. I staggered back, hands clutching uselessly at the wound, warmth spilling fast between my fingers.The guards tackled the intruder, shouts and chaos ringing in my ears, but all I could see was Andrew. Not me. Not the blood spreading beneath me. Him—hovering over Emma, panic etched across his face, his hands cradling her like she was everything.I hit the ground, my vision blurring, the sterile lights above warping into harsh halos. My own husband’s voice reached me, broken

The news struck me like lightning.The keys jingled in my trembling hands as I shoved them into the ignition, my heart pounding so violently it was hard to breathe. My mother sat stiffly beside me, clutching her handbag as if the thin leather could anchor her in this storm. Luke sat in the back, swinging his small legs, oblivious to the magnitude of what was happening.His voice, sweet and innocent, rang out every few minutes:“Mommy, why are we in such a hurry?”I couldn’t find the words to explain. How could I tell a six-year-old that the man who had never once looked at me with love, the man who had measured my worth in silence, might be dying?Instead, I forced my lips to curve into something resembling a smile. “We just need to check on Grandpa, baby. He’s not feeling well.”Luke accepted that answer with the ease only a child could, his attention quickly drifting to the toy car clutched in his tiny fist. The wheels spun as he pressed it against the window, making soft engine no

“Take these and sign them.”I shoved the divorce papers into my husband’s hands. He barely glanced at them before scrawling his signature—as carelessly as if it were our son’s school trip form.No hesitation. No questions. Nothing.And yet, my foolish heart still ached. How could he sign so easily? But then again, why should I be surprised? He never really cared for me. He never did. So why did I ever expect him to?“Here,” he said, cold as ever.Andrew set the papers on the table instead of handing them back to me and walked out of the room.“Mommy, is Daddy upset with you?” Luke’s starry eyes looked up at me, full of innocent sweetness.“Sometimes grown-ups get upset, baby. It’s nothing really,” I told him softly, praying he would drop the conversation.I forced a smile and squeezed his little hand. “Now, tell me—how was school today, dear?”With his small fingers curled around mine, I stood and led him out of my husband’s house, away from the man I loved so deeply.The cool evening