The house looked the same as it always had—the sprawling mansion with its manicured grounds, the imposing facade that spoke of old money and carefully maintained appearances. But as Seo-yeon stepped through the front doors, the atmosphere felt different. Colder. More charged, as if the air itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to break.
The maids were lined up in the entrance hall, their heads bowed in respectful greeting. But Seo-yeon could feel their tension, could see it in the way they avoided her eyes, the stiffness in their posture. They were scared of her, she realized. Scared of what she might do, of what she might say, of the woman she was becoming.
The last time she'd been here, before everything had changed, she'd walked in on her husband and his secretary. She'd seen them together in their bed, seen the way he looked at another woman, heard the mocking words he'd used to wound her. And she'd left without a word, without a fight, without making a scene.
