The villa nestled along the edge of a tranquil lake outside Seoul was meant to be a safe place—a retreat where Hena, Damian, and Jun-ho could meet in private to plan their next steps. The mood had been serious but hopeful, and for the first time in a long while, Hena felt like she was surrounded by people who believed in her.
"I've secured the legal team," Jun-ho said as he laid out documents on the polished oak table. "Once we file this, Madam Seo will be forced to respond in court. Her web of lies is coming apart."
Damian nodded, sitting beside Hena with quiet determination. "We're ready."
But before another word could be spoken, the front door slammed open.
All heads turned.
Seo Hara stood in the doorway, dressed in high fashion black, sunglasses perched atop her head, and a storm raging behind her eyes.
"Well, isn't this cozy?" she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Hara?" Hena blinked, standing up. "How did you know—"
"Don't flatter yourself," Hara cut in coldly. "You're not that hard to track."
Jun-ho stood, stepping between her and Hena. "You're not welcome here."
Hara's lip curled. "Of course not. Not when you're too busy playing the hero for the sister you barely knew existed."
Hena narrowed her eyes. "Why are you here?"
"To tell the truth," Hara replied sweetly—too sweetly. Then she turned to Damian.
"She's not who you think she is," she said. "You're all being manipulated."
Damian's expression shifted. "What are you talking about?"
Hara took a deep breath, placing a trembling hand on her chest as if to play the victim.
"Hena has always been… unstable," she said in a quiet, trembling voice. "Ever since we were little. I tried to protect her, but she would get jealous. Possessive. She was obsessed with me, Damian. She tried to be me."
Hena let out a stunned breath. "What?!"
"She's dangerous," Hara continued, eyes misting as she spun her lie. "She's been following me, imitating me. Even now, she's trying to take my place, my life. Can't you see it?"
The room fell into a tense silence.
For a moment, Damian didn't speak.
He looked at Hena. Her face was pale, but her eyes—those honest, wounded eyes—met his with steady clarity.
Then he looked at Hara. And suddenly, the puzzle pieces clicked.
The late-night threats. The lies the media had spread. The pain in Hena's voice when she told him the truth.
Damian stepped forward.
"No," he said firmly.
Hara froze. "What?"
"You're lying, Hara."
Her face crumbled.
Damian reached for Hena's hand and clasped it in his.
"This woman," he said, "has shown more courage and truth than anyone else in this room. She's the one I trust. The one I love."
Hena's eyes widened. "Damian…"
He turned to face everyone.
"I've already ended my engagement to Hara," he announced. "And I've made my decision."
Then he turned to Hara.
"I will be marrying Hena."
The words hit the room like a thunderclap.
Hara's lips trembled. "You… you're making a mistake."
"No," Damian said, calm but resolute. "I'm finally making things right."
Hara took a step back, then another, as if the room was spinning around her. Her lies, her plans, her image—it was all unraveling in front of her.
"You'll regret this," she whispered, voice cracking.
"Maybe," Damian said. "But I'd rather regret trusting someone who's honest than continue living a lie."
Hara turned to Jun-ho. "You're all traitors."
Jun-ho's voice was cold. "Then call me a traitor with pride."
Hara looked one last time at Hena—her mirror, her rival, her sister—and saw that she had truly lost.
Then she turned on her heel and stormed out.
---
Outside, as the car door slammed shut and the driver pulled away from the villa, Hara sat in silence. Her hands clenched into fists, her chest rising and falling with every breath.
She had lost the man.
She had lost the lie.
And now, the war had begun.
But one thought echoed in her mind:
This isn't over.