Chapter 6

Anna’s POV

My chest felt heavy the moment our eyes met. He stood at the far end of the room, arms crossed, his expression unreadable—calm, but serious.

“So,” he finally spoke, voice low and even, “you want to be part of my company?”

I nodded without a second thought.

Working with him… it wasn’t just about the job. It was a distraction. A way to stop my mind from spiraling into memories I wasn’t ready to face. A way to feel like myself again—or at least, someone new.

“I can be your personal assistant,” I offered, forcing a small smile.

But the way he looked at me… it was like he could see straight through the surface. Like he saw every scar, every truth I tried to bury.

“You’re not strong enough yet to start working, Anna,” he said gently, stepping closer.

His concern wasn’t harsh or pitiful—it was warm, grounded, real. That made it even harder to ignore.

I shifted on the couch, patting the seat beside me.

“Sit, then,” I murmured, softer than before.

He did.

And for a moment, we said nothing. Just sat there—quiet, breathing the same air. Not boss and assistant. Not rescuer and rescued.

Just… two people, sharing silence, unsure where it might lead.

He sat beside me, the silence stretching between us like a thin thread—fragile, yet oddly comforting.

I kept my gaze ahead, afraid that if I looked at him too long, the walls I’d built would start to crack.

But then he spoke.

“You know,” he began slowly, “when I first met you… you reminded me of someone I lost.”

I turned to him, surprised by the softness in his voice. “Who?”

“My sister,” he said quietly. “She was bright. Brave. But life was unkind to her. She hid her pain behind smiles, too.”

I blinked, swallowing the lump forming in my throat. “What happened to her?”

“She didn’t make it,” he said. “The world never gave her a second chance.”

There was a pause.

“I think… that’s why I couldn’t walk away from you. Not just because I felt responsible, but because you chose to fight. To come back from something that should’ve broken you.”

My chest tightened again, but this time, it wasn’t from pain.

It was from being seen.

“You’re not alone anymore, Anna,” he said, eyes locked on mine. “Even if you never let me all the way in—I’ll still be here. Quietly, steadily. Just here.”

Tears pricked my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall. Instead, I gave him the only thing I could in that moment.

A nod. A shaky, honest nod.

And somehow, that was enough.

But his words weren’t what I needed to hear.

What I truly craved wasn’t comfort or soft reassurances—it was revenge.

Revenge on the one who shattered me. The one I gave ten years of my life to—the man I loved blindly, only to be left bleeding, broken, and discarded.

“Thank you, Hae-Jae,” I said, offering a faint smile. “But I need to leave this space… I need to explore the world out there and find myself again.”

My voice was calm, steady, but it carried the weight of silent storms. I met his eyes—those deep brown eyes that always saw too much. For a moment, he almost nodded… almost. Then he hesitated, catching himself before I could be sure.

“Anna, you’re not fully healed yet,” he said gently, rising from his seat, concern etched into his face.

I let out a slow, frustrated breath. The kind that tastes like restlessness.

I needed more than healing. I needed freedom. A fresh start. Something real.

I looked around the walls that once held me like a lifeline.

It was time to go.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned…

Men? Most of them are just beautifully wrapped disappointments.

He walked out without another word, the door slamming behind him with a thud that echoed through the quiet room.

Silence fell within the sitting room.

I stood there, motionless, staring at the empty space he left behind. My heart didn't race, not like it used to when men got upset around me. Instead, there was this dull ache—something heavier, deeper.

I sat back on the edge of the bed, my hands resting on my lap as thoughts began to spiral through my mind like autumn leaves caught in the wind.

Why was I still here?

Why did I let someone else’s kindness feel like a cage?

My eyes flickered shut, and just like that, my memory betrayed me—pulling me backward to the past I kept trying to bury.

The scent of cinnamon and cologne filled the kitchen. I remembered that day—sunlight pouring through the windows, laughter ringing in the air like a melody.

Max stood behind me, arms wrapped around my waist as I stirred a pot of stew.

“You always smell like vanilla and rain,” he whispered into my ear, his lips brushing my neck. “I swear you were made to be mine.”

I had smiled then. I believed him. Every single word.

“I’ll never hurt you, Anna,” he promised, turning me around and placing a soft kiss on my forehead. “No matter what happens, it’s you and me, always.”

I had looked into his eye, those same eyes that later watched me fall apart without lifting a finger.

Always?

That word felt like a lie now.

Because it hadn’t been always. It hadn’t even been forever—just a few years of sweet nothings, followed by colder nights, angry silences, and betrayals too sharp to forgive.

He made me bleed… not with fists, but with neglect, gaslighting, and every time he chose someone else over me.

Ten years. Ten wasted years of believing love could fix a man who didn’t even think he was broken.

I opened my eyes, the room around me coming back into focus. My heart beat a little louder now—not with pain, but with purpose.

I wasn’t going to let that version of me define this next chapter.

I owed it to myself to rewrite everything he tried to erase.

It was time to leave.

Not just the house. Not just Hae-Jae’s kindness.

But the ghost of who I used to be.

And maybe… just maybe… find the version of Anna that Max never got the chance to destroy.