Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 67: He Cried Every Night

Chapter 67: I Cried Every Night

Eunchae looked down at the bouquet in her arms, trying to calm her racing heart. The red roses she had chosen after much contemplation were luscious and beautiful.

“Hoo…”

As she sighed repeatedly, Lee Joon, who had just received the signal, smiled brightly.

“Why are you so nervous? It’s not like you’re meeting Margarita for the first time.”

“I’m not nervous because of Margarita. I’m going to meet my ex-husband’s mistress.”

“Mistress? What mistress?”

Lee Joon jumped at Eunchae’s pouty defense.

“When did that happen? Yoon Eunchae, you really hold onto things.”

“Then why did you lie about it? Just thinking about it makes me angry again. And what did Alice ever do to deserve this?”

As Eunchae rolled her eyes and pressed the issue, Lee Joon could only clear his throat awkwardly.

“Calm down, Eunchae. You’ll scare our baby Hope.”

“Right, sorry, baby. I’ll play some nice music instead of yelling.”

Eunchae said as she gently rubbed her belly. She connected her phone to the car’s Bluetooth and played classical music. Soon, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto filled the car.

As the light changed, Lee Joon resumed steering. Eunchae straightened her upper body, took a deep breath and exhaled. Just as Lee Joon said, she was indeed quite nervous.

Today, Alice was going to have dinner with Margarita. Earlier, Margarita had gone to the airport to pick up none other than Alice.

She had planned to visit Korea in the spring, but her child had suddenly fallen ill, so she only set foot on Korean soil after a season had passed.

Eunchae felt unnecessarily anxious, especially since they were going to have dinner at the mansion Alice had purchased in Korea.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Alice, it was the nervousness and curiosity that often accompanies meeting someone for the first time.

She had also recently discovered that Alice was a joint representative of JCH Investment.

She learned what the acronym JCH stood for at that time. It was derived from “Joon and Rachel.” The capital came from the inheritance left by Michael. Lee Joon had used all that money for Eunchae.

“Alice has no idea how much she scolded me when she found out. She was so upset that she said she would fly to Korea right away to tell you everything.

Lee Joon shook his head as he remembered Alice’s reaction immediately after the divorce.

“If only I had known then, it would have been easier for you.”

The more Eunchae thought about it, the more pity she felt for Lee Joon, prompting her to stifle a sigh. Noticing her reaction, Lee Joon removed one hand from the steering wheel and gently took hold of hers.

“It’s all in the past now. Let’s just let go of those old memories. No matter how much we dwell on them, nothing will change. What matters is our present, now that we’ve reunited.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

Eunchae readily accepted his wise advice. She believed that the past held its own significance. Every moment surely had its reason.

As Eunchae relaxed, she spent the entire drive to their destination discussing more meaningful and future-oriented topics with Lee Joon.

As the conversation flowed, the topic of the baby’s gender naturally came up.

“I don’t mind whether it’s a boy or a girl. I just want them to grow up healthy.”

“Me too.”

Eunchae smiled and nodded in agreement to Lee Joon’s words. But then, he proposed an unexpected condition.

“If you love me more, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a son or a daughter.”

“Ah…”

A surprised sigh escaped from Eunchae’s lips, as red and full as the rose petals she held in her arms. This was a situation she hadn’t anticipated at all.

“Others might say that I lack fatherly affection or that I’ve lost my mind, but Eunchae, that’s exactly how I feel. We’ve just confirmed our feelings for each other, and soon I’ll have to share you with Hope. It makes me so sad… and a little jealous.

“What? How can you say that? My love for you and Hope is completely different.”

“Is that so?”

Lee Joon replied skeptically, adding, “Honestly, Hope is probably already our top priority, and once she’s/he’s born, it’ll only become more so.”

“That can’t be helped. Hope is… still young and small, and he/she needs his mother’s care.”

“She/He’ll still need it even when he grows up, you know?”

With a confident smile, Lee Joon turned left at the traffic lights and entered an upscale residential area. The car drove on and stopped in front of a two-storey house at the end of the alley.

“Be careful getting out.”

Lee Joon got out first, opened the passenger door, and took Euchae’s hand. Responding to his familiar kindness, Eunchae smiled back.

“Thank you.”

“Of course, that’s only natural.”

Lee Joon gently kissed Eunchae’s cheek before taking the gift box and paper bag out of the trunk. They were for Alice and Daniel, Jae-han’s son.

After ringing the doorbell, Alice opened the door with Daniel in her arms.

“Joon!”

“Alice, how are you?”

Lee Joon greeted Alice with a bright smile, exchanging pleasantries.

“Yay!”

“Have you been doing well, little guy?”

As Daniel clapped his hands in delight, Lee Joon lifted him into the air. He was Daniel’s godfather.

“This is the person I love, Yoon Eunchae.”

When Eunchae was finally introduced, both women’s eyes lit up simultaneously. Despite this being their first meeting, they took an instant liking to each other.

“You’re even more beautiful in person. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Alice Jung. My Korean name is Jung Ah-rin.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too. Alice, you’re even more beautiful in person.”

“Of course! Do you think the photos taken from a distance captured my beauty properly?”

Eunchae burst out laughing at Alice’s playful response, poking fun at Mrs. Kang’s behavior. Alice had a stylish and elegant appearance, but her personality was refreshingly straightforward.

“I felt so sorry when we first spoke on the phone. I was so out of it…”

At Alice’s apology, Eunchae shook her head with a polite smile.

“It’s alright. I heard from Lee Joon. If I were in the same situation, I would have reacted the same way.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

With a pretty smile, Alice led the two inside.

“Welcome! I’m sorry I couldn’t come out to greet you with Alice. I got a call unexpectedly.” Margarita apologized.

“It’s alright, we’ve been warmly welcomed.”

Lee Joon replied, turning the conversation smoothly as he greeted her.

“Come on in, Rachel.”

“Hello!”

Eunchae and Margarita exchanged greetings, lightly kissing each other on both cheeks.

“Ma! Ma! Kyahaha!”

Was the bright and positive energy contagious? Daniel, unable to contain his excitement, laughed loudly and clapped his hands, shouting with joy.

The adults watched Daniel with warm smiles. His mere presence brought joy to everyone.

The four of them, having exchanged cheerful greetings, moved to the dining room to begin their meal.

“Does the food suit your taste? I’m still not very skilled at Korean dishes, so I’m not sure if it turned out well.”

Since Margarita couldn’t speak Korean, the four of them conversed in English.

“It’s so delicious. Really.”

Eunchae gave a thumbs-up to express her satisfaction, and Alice beamed with joy.

“I’m glad to hear that. I was really nervous while preparing it, worried it might not taste good.”

From Alice’s relieved expression, Eunchae could sense her sincerity and warm heart.

“Even with my morning sickness, I’m able to eat well. Thank you, Alice, for preparing such a delicious meal.”

“I’m more grateful that you’re enjoying it.”

The two exchanged kind words and giggles, already deeply engrossed in each other.

“It’s such a happy and fulfilling evening. Let’s toast to that.”

Margarita suggested, raising her glass of wine. Eunchae opted for grape juice instead.

“To everyone’s happiness!”

“To happiness!”

The glasses clinked together in cheerful harmony at the center of the table and smiles spread across everyone’s faces.

After finishing the meal, which filled their hearts as well, they moved to the terrace connected to the garden to enjoy dessert and tea.

“Thanks to Joon, Daniel is having so much fun.”

Alice smiled gently as she watched Lee Joon playing enthusiastically with Daniel. Even after it was revealed that they weren’t blood relatives, Lee Joon genuinely loved and cared for Daniel.

“Having Joon by my side made the time raising Daniel a little easier. Since Joon was going through a tough time right after the divorce, we relied on each other a lot.”

“Were you not scared when you decided to have Daniel?”

At Eunchae’s cautious question, Alice looked at her with a wistful smile.

“If I said I wasn’t scared, that would be a lie. Jae-han was very opposed to it, too. Initially, he thought like Joon—hoping that after he died, I would meet someone else and live happily. But you know, Eunchae, we could never do that.”

“I know well.”

As Eunchae expressed her understanding, Alice slowly nodded in agreement.

“So, I convinced Jae-han. Even if… Daniel was to leave this world early due to a genetic disease, I wanted to raise the child you left behind.”

“…”

“Others might point fingers and criticize me for being selfish, but I have never regretted my choice, not even once. It was the same when I chose Jae-han. I chased after him relentlessly, even when he pushed me away.”

Alice’s eyes were misty with memories, but the smile on her lips was gentle and warm.

Eunchae looked at Alice with admiration, understanding just how much she had loved her late husband. She also recognized how brave and bold Alice was.

“So, how has our Lee Joon been living in New York?”

In response to Eunchae’s curious question, Alice pressed her lips together for a moment, then looked at Lee Joon, who was lifting Daniel and pretending to fly him like an airplane.

“Well, Eunchae, as you might have guessed, he hasn’t been doing well. He was buried in work almost every day. Or he drowned his emptiness and loneliness in alcohol. If he hadn’t done that, he probably wouldn’t have been able to hold on.”

“Ah…”

The image of Lee Joon, suffering more than she had anticipated, made Eunchae heartache. He might have endured days that were just as painful, if not more so, than her own.

Alice’s continued words supported Eunchae’s suspicions.

“And… he cried every night. Even when he silently cried in the dark room, it was so sorrowful that it would break anyone’s heart to hear.”