Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Price of Hidden Sins: Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

Not long after, Josh entered their bedroom. The scorching afternoon breeze slipped in through the window that had not been properly closed, carrying the scent of dust and silence into the room. Outside, the city of Los Angeles grew busier and more crowded, as if no one out there was not in a battle against time. No sound from the vehicles below reached their penthouse floor, but the density of the atmosphere down there could be felt by anyone.Josh walked with brisk steps. He had stopped by the house briefly to retrieve a written document. The moment he opened the bedroom door, he naturally turned toward the wardrobe room on the right side of the spacious master bedroom. But his steps halted halfway.Something on the bed caught the corner of his eye as he walked. His feet stopped instinctively, and his body turned to make sure of what he had seen.A mound was visible beneath the blanket, on the right side of the bed. At first, Josh only frowned. But then, faintly, he heard a sound. A

Not long after, her phone vibrated again. A short message from Mark.I’m at the lobby.Ashley exhaled softly, then stood up. The weight in her chest hadn’t disappeared, but the simple presence of someone else—someone who knew her—offered an odd sort of steadiness.She reached for the thin knitted cardigan hanging behind the door and stepped out of her room, walking down the stairs. Her hand searched the pocket of her pants to make sure the elevator access card was still there. Once in front of the private elevator, she tapped the card, and the metal door slid open with a quiet hiss and she entered.Mark stood not far from the entrance after the elevator arrived. His silhouette is upright, both hands full of food bags. When he saw Ashley approaching, his shoulders dropped slightly. His face softened, relief etched into every line of his face.“Hi,” Ashley greeted softly, almost unsure whether her voice could reach him.Mark nodded, returning her greeting with a gentle smile, though his

“Stop it!” Ashley shouted again much louder.And then the silence in the dining room fractured like glass under pressure.Josh turned to Ashley. His voice cracked the air, slicing through the tension like a blade. "You brought a man into our home, Ashley. While I was gone. What the hell were you thinking?!"Mark stood his ground, shoulders squared, but his voice was calm. "You’re really getting it all wrong. I’ve told you. I was here because Ashley needed help. There’s no lies. That’s all."Josh let out a disbelieving laugh—bitter, scornful. "Help? You call sitting across from my wife, eating dinner like some family reunion, help? Who even are you to her?""Someone who truly cares about her—maybe even more than you ever have." Mark shot back, unable to keep the bite from his words.Ashley flinched. Her hands trembled on her lap, but she kept her gaze down, trying to steady her breath.Josh took a menacing step forward, eyes blazing. "You don’t get to barge into a married woman’s home

The next morning, the apartment felt like a shell. Ashley woke up with a heavy sense of emptiness pressing down on her chest. The space beside her on the bed was cold, untouched, and glaringly empty. Josh hadn’t come home. Not last night, and still not this morning. And this was the first time Josh had pulled something like this since they moved to LA. Back in Korea, she might have known exactly where to find him—at Sharon’s place. But here? Ashley didn’t even know where to begin guessing. She really didn't know where Josh spent the night.She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, trying to calm the pounding in her head. Then, she reached for her phone on the nightstand. The screen was blank. No missed calls. No messages. Nothing. She refreshed her inbox. Still nothing. For a second, she considered sending him a message—something short, maybe just a question. Or maybe calling him, even if just to check if he was alive. But her fingers hovered ove

The silence in the basement was thick and hollow, only disturbed by the muffled echoes of Josh's footsteps as he walked a few paces ahead of Ashley. They had just exited the elevator and were headed toward the car parked near the far end of the dimly lit structure. Josh’s jaw was clenched. His eyes fixed straight ahead and his shoulders very stiff. The remnants of his earlier frustration simmering just beneath the surface.The concrete echoed beneath their steps as they walked through the dim basement of the apartment building. The only sounds were the distant hum of fluorescent lights and Josh’s low, frustrated sighs.He hadn’t said much since they left the apartment. But the tension was thick, hanging between them like fog.“I still don’t see why we have to go,” he muttered under his breath. “It’s ridiculous.”Ashley, a few steps behind, quickened her pace to keep up. “It’s just dinner, Josh. He’s trying to apologize.”Josh shot her a sideways glance, sharp and impatient. “Apologiz