News spread fast. The household buzzed with speculation. The staff whispered behind closed doors. The heir was marrying a girl with a mysterious past. A girl with no name left, only scars.
Hana walked through the hallways with her head high, but the sting of judgment clung to her like perfume. Not everyone would accept her.
So-Yeon pulled her aside. "You know this isn't going to be easy."
"Nothing worth having ever is."
"Just be sure you're doing this because you want to—not because you feel you owe us."
Hana paused. The guilt was real. But the resolve in her chest burned hotter.
"I want to. I choose this."
And that changed everything.