"I love you… I still love you… I never stopped loving you."
Sunghoon's heart stuttered at her words.
The world seemed to tilt as she closed the distance between them, those three words slipping from her lips like a confession he had both dreamed of and feared.
His breath caught in his throat, emotions crashing into him all at once .. love, regret, longing, hope. His eyes searched hers, glossy and unguarded.
"I…" he began, voice trembling, before the truth spilled out without restraint.
"I still love you too. I never stopped. Not for a second."
Sonny swallowed, her fingers tightening around his.
"I crave calling you hubby again," she whispered.
"Please, Hoon… work fast, work smart, fight for us. Fulfill my wish. I want you to be my hubby again."
His heart thundered violently in his chest. That single word ..hubby .. shattered every remaining wall he had built around himself.
"I will," he vowed instantly, squeezing her hand as if anchoring himself to her.
"I'll work harder than ever before. I'll fight with everything I have. I'll earn that word back… and I'll make you say it with pride again."
She hesitated, then took a breath ..the kind that carried years of buried pain.
"Hoon… I need you to know something."
Her voice trembled.
"My parents forced me to divorce. They gaslighted me. They magnified every mistake you made, every flaw… until I couldn't see anything else."
Her eyes shone.
"But now I see clearly. I know you can prove them wrong. I need you to roar, to thrive… to show them who you truly are. And then.."
Her voice softened.
"..get us married again."
Something fierce ignited inside him.
His jaw clenched, not with anger ..but resolve.
"I'll prove them wrong," he said firmly, eyes blazing.
"I'll shatter every lie they planted. I'll rise higher than they ever imagined. I'll roar louder than their doubts."
He leaned closer, voice low and certain.
"We will get married again."
"My king!!"
She nuzzled softly into his chest, playful and tender all at once.
His breath hitched.
"My queen," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, his face sinking into her hair as if it was the safest place on earth.
"Together, we'll reclaim everything. Always."
He held her there, unmoving, as if afraid the moment might disappear if he loosened his grip.
"I've missed this," he confessed quietly, voice breaking.
"Having you in my arms… It feels like I was incomplete without you."
She sniffled, pressing closer.
"No one calls me queen except you, my king…"
Her words unraveled him completely.
He tightened his embrace instinctively, protective, reverent.
"You've always been my queen," he whispered against her hair.
"No one else gets that title. No one ever will."
"Hoon…"
She sniffled again.
"It's been… so hard without you…"
Her voice dissolved into quiet tears.
His heart shattered.
"I know, baby. I know," he murmured, holding her as if he could shield her from every lonely night she'd endured.
"It's been hell for me too. Waking up without you… breathing without you… existing without you."
He kissed her temple softly.
"But I'm here now," he promised.
"And this time… I'm not letting you go."