The Dock — Too Late
When he arrived, the dock was chaos.
Men shouted. The yacht rocked violently. Emergency lights flashed red against the water like warnings.
Gu Sean's shoes hit the wood hard as he sprinted forward, ignoring the people calling out to him, ignoring Isaac's voice in his head telling him to be cautious.
Nicole.
Nicole was all he could see.
A worker shouted, "Someone jumped!"
The words turned his blood to ice.
Gu Sean's stomach dropped as he pushed toward the edge.
And then he saw her.
In the water.
Pale. Shaking. Fighting something invisible.
For a second, his heart stopped completely.
Then he saw the arms around her.
Strong arms.
Pulling her up. Holding her steady.
Xan.
Gu Sean froze mid-step, the sight striking him like a blade to the ribs.
Xan had her.
Xan was holding her like she belonged there—like his body had been built to keep hers above the surface.
Nicole's face was twisted in panic, sobbing, trembling—
And then she clung to him.
And Gu Sean's chest cracked open.
It wasn't jealousy first.
It was devastation.
The kind that settled deep and heavy because the truth was simple:
He wasn't the one who got there in time.
Again.
His fists tightened at his sides, nails biting into his palms. He wanted to pull her away. Wanted to lift her himself. Wanted to shout that he was her husband, that she was supposed to be with him, that he should've been the one holding her—
But he didn't move.
Because Nicole was alive.
Because she was breathing.
Because if Gu Sean broke this moment, if he made it about himself, he'd never forgive himself.
So he stayed back.
Watched.
Silent.
Xan lifted her toward the rescue ladder. Men grabbed Nicole gently, pulling her up. Nicole coughed, gasped, cried—her hands still reaching as if she needed to keep holding onto something real.
Xan climbed up after her, wet and furious, scanning her face like he was checking for damage no one else could see.
Gu Sean stood there with seawater misting his coat, heart pounding like a war drum, and forced himself to stay in the shadows.
She's safe.
That had to be enough.
Even if it shattered him.
⸻
Following Them — The Longest Drive of His Life
He didn't speak to anyone.
He didn't approach.
He watched from a distance as Xan guided Nicole into a car. He saw Nicole slump against the seat, wrapped in a blanket, shaking—small and fragile in a way Gu Sean hated because he knew how hard she fought not to be seen that way.
The car pulled away.
Gu Sean followed.
Not close enough to be noticed.
Close enough to be sure.
The streets were slick with rain, headlights reflecting across wet pavement. He kept his distance by a car length, then two, then three—always watching the brake lights ahead like they were the only thing keeping him breathing.
When they reached Ash's building, Gu Sean slowed further.
He watched Xan escort Nicole inside.
Watched the door close.
Watched the lights in the apartment flicker on.
Only then did he finally release a breath.
His hands were still clenched.
His heart was still breaking.
But she was home.
Safe.
And Gu Sean drove back to the estate alone.
⸻
That Night — Restless
Gu Sean didn't sleep.
He sat in his study with the lamp on low, phone in his hand, thumb hovering over her contact like it might burn him.
He wanted to call.
He wanted to text.
He wanted to demand she come back because he was her husband.
But every time he pictured her expression—the confusion, the fear, the exhaustion—he stopped.
Don't corner her.
Don't force her.
Don't make this about your need to hold her.
He checked the phone again.
No messages.
No updates.
Just silence.
The estate felt hollow without her. Too large. Too cold. Even the air felt wrong. As if the house had accepted her presence and was now rejecting the emptiness she left behind.
Gu Sean leaned back in his chair, eyes closing.
And the memory came anyway.
Nicole's laughter in her room.
The way she'd hugged him.
The way she'd asked him to stay that night.
And the kiss…
His hand tightened around the phone.
Then the image shifted.
Nicole in Xan's arms.
Alive.
Safe.
Not his.
Gu Sean's chest burned.
⸻
The Next Morning — Decision
He heard about the team dinner through company chatter.
It wasn't official. It was never official.
But rumors were a virus in corporate halls.
"She looked so close with Xan."
"She drank a little."
"He kept bailing her out."
"She didn't even mention Gu Sean."
That last part scraped against his nerves like sandpaper.
Gu Sean didn't even realize he was standing until he was already pulling on his coat.
He wasn't going to storm into her life.
He wasn't going to confront her.
He was going to check on her.
That's what he told himself.
That's what he repeated in his head on the drive to Ash's place.
⸻
Ash's Apartment — Breakfast
When Ash opened the door, surprise flickered across her face.
"Gu Sean?"
He kept his voice low. Controlled. "I came to see Nicole."
Ash hesitated. "She's—"
The words died when Gu Sean stepped inside.
And saw him.
Xan.
In Ash's living room like he belonged there.
Sitting on the couch. Calm. Comfortable.
Nicole was just beyond him, hair messy, wrapped in a hoodie—alive, but quiet.
Gu Sean's body went rigid.
The air thickened instantly.
Nicole's eyes widened when she saw him.
"Gu Sean—"
His gaze locked onto Xan first.
His chest felt like it was splitting open all over again.
He could still see the ocean. Still see Nicole clinging to him.
Still see how naturally Xan held her.
"Why are you here?" Gu Sean asked, voice calm enough to fool strangers.
But not Xan.
Xan's eyes sharpened. "Same reason you are."
Gu Sean swallowed a bitter laugh.
Nicole's face turned pale, tension rising like smoke.
Ash stood off to the side, arms folded like she was ready to throw hands at the first wrong word.
Gu Sean forced himself to shift his attention to Nicole.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Nicole nodded once. "Yes."
But her voice sounded tired.
Gu Sean's jaw flexed.
Then Ash's voice cut through.
"She has another meeting today," Ash said sharply, eyes darting between the two men. "With… Lennel."
Gu Sean went cold.
"What?" he snapped, spinning back to Nicole. "Why would you meet him again?"
Nicole's eyes widened. "I didn't schedule it. It appeared after my promotion—"
Gu Sean's gaze flicked to Xan immediately.
Xan sat up straighter. "It shouldn't exist."
Gu Sean's voice dropped into something dangerously quiet.
"How," he demanded, "is he even free to meet her? He was supposed to be blacklisted. He was supposed to be blocked at every level."
Xan's face hardened. "He was."
Gu Sean stepped forward, eyes burning. "Then explain how he slipped through."
Xan's jaw clenched. "Because someone let him."
Silence.
Ash's expression shifted. "Someone… inside?"
Gu Sean's mind raced through possibilities—admins, scheduling assistants, department coordinators, someone paid off, someone careless.
Then the darker thought:
Someone intentional.
Gu Sean looked at Xan, voice tight. "And how is he not in jail? After what he's done? After the complaints?"
Xan's gaze turned lethal. "Because money buys silence. And men like him keep slipping through cracks."
Gu Sean's hands clenched into fists.
Nicole stood there shaking, breath shallow. "Stop—please. I can handle it."
Gu Sean's eyes snapped to her. "No."
His voice was firm now. Final.
"You can't handle him alone."
Nicole flinched.
"I'm your husband," he continued, voice low. "And whether you believe me or not, I will not let anything happen to you again."
Xan stood too, eyes hard. "He's right. Nicole, that man is dangerous."
Nicole's mouth opened, but nothing came out.
Because she knew it too.
Gu Sean looked at Xan, the rivalry still burning—but something else layered beneath it now.
A grim understanding.
A shared goal.
Protect her.
Win her heart later.
Survive first.
Gu Sean inhaled sharply, forcing his jealousy down like poison.
"Fine," he said coldly. "Temporary truce."
Xan's gaze didn't soften. "For her."
Gu Sean nodded once.
"For her," he echoed.
Nicole stared between them, heart pounding, confused and terrified by the fact that two men who clearly hated each other were now united by the same thing.
Her.
And as Gu Sean looked at her—really looked at her—he made himself a vow so quiet only his own heart heard it:
I will protect you… even if it destroys me.
And when you're safe—
I will earn you back.