Somehow, I Ended Up Married To A Chaebol Heiress

Chapter 85

The car shot forward, tires screeching as my mother merged into traffic. Streetlights streaked past us in long blurs of white and yellow. My seatbelt dug into my shoulder as she swerved sharply into another lane.I glanced back again.

He was still there.

My father’s car cut through traffic behind us, refusing to fall back.

“Mom…” my voice shook. “Why is Dad chasing us?”

She didn’t look at me. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“He wants to take you away from me. He wants to steal you from me.”

“What?” I stared at her. “Mom, please, don’t drive like this. You’re going too fast.”

“I can’t slow down. If I do, he’ll catch up.”

“Mom, please,” I said, panic creeping in. “This is dangerous. We should stop. We can talk it out with Dad—”

“No!”

The car swerved again, narrowly missing another vehicle. A horn blared loudly beside us.

“Mom!” I cried. “Please, stop! This isn’t right!”

“No!” Her voice cracked. “Why do you want to stop, Harin?” She finally glanced at me, eyes wide and wild. “Do you want to go to him? Is that it? Do you want to leave me?”

“No!” I shook my head frantically. “That’s not what I meant! I’m just scared. This is dangerous!”

“Then why are you asking me to stop? Do you not love me? Do you want to abandon me too?”

My chest tightened. “No, Mom! I love you! I just don’t want anyone to get hurt!”

“There’s nothing to discuss. I won’t let him take you away from me.”

The road ahead opened into a long, dark stretch. The sound of the ocean grew louder, waves crashing somewhere beyond the railing.

“Mom… this is the coast road.”

She didn’t answer.

Behind us, my father’s car accelerated, closing the distance. His headlights filled the rearview mirror.

Then—

Red and blue lights flashed ahead.

Two police cars appeared from the opposite direction, sirens wailing as they swerved across the road, blocking the lane completely.

“Mom!” I grabbed her arm. “The police—!”

She slammed the brakes.

The car screeched violently before jerking to a stop just a short distance from the police blockade, the edge of the coastal road visible beyond, waves crashing far below.

Her chest heaved as she sat frozen behind the wheel.

Then she screamed.

A frustrated scream tore out of her, echoing inside the car as she slammed her palm against the steering wheel again and again. I flinched, my heart pounding so hard.

The driver’s door of the car behind us opened.

My father stepped out, his movements hurried, his face pale with worry.

“Harin!” he called out urgently, raising his hands slightly as he took a step forward. “Come out of the car.”

Before I could even react—

“Stay inside,” my mother said coldly.

Her voice was completely different now. Almost empty.

“Don’t listen to him.”

I turned to her, stunned. I didn’t understand what was happening anymore. Why did she look like this? Why did she sound like this?

Two police officers approached carefully from the front.

“Ma’am!” one of them shout, “please turn off the engine and step out of the vehicle.”

My mother let out a short laugh.

“No. I’m not going back there again.”

My heart skipped.

“Mom…?” My voice trembled. “What are you talking about?”

She ignored me. Her hand suddenly moved toward the dashboard.

“Mom—!”

She opened the glove compartment and pulled something out.

A knife.

My breath caught in my throat.

“M-Mom, what are you doing?” I cried, panic flooding me. “Why do you have that?!”

“Shut up, Harin!”

I froze.

She pushed the door open and stepped out of the car, gripping the knife tightly. The cold metal glinted under the moonlight as she raised it, pointing it toward my father.

“Don’t come any closer,” she warned, her hand shaking but her grip firm. “Stay where you are.”

My father stopped immediately, his face draining of color.

“Haneul… please. Put it down. You’re scaring Harin.”

But she didn’t lower the knife.

Instead, her eyes hardened as she stared straight at him.

“What are you doing here, Kang-min? You came to take Harin away from me, didn’t you?”

“Ma’am, stay where you are,” one of the police officer said firmly, raising his hand. “Please lower the weapon. No one here wants anyone hurt.”

Another officer slowly shifted position, trying to widen the angle between my parents. “We can talk this through. Just put the knife down on the ground.”

My mother laughed again and looked back at my father.

“This is what you want, right, Kang‑min? As if putting me in that psychiatric ward wasn’t enough for you. Now you’re going to make me suffer by taking Harin away from me, right?”

“Haneul, I’m not here to take Harin. I swear.”

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I pushed the car door open and stumbled out.

“Mom, stop!” I cried, my voice shaking as I ran toward her. “Please… put the knife down.”

“Harin, don’t—!” my father shouted.

My mother turned sharply, eyes widening when she saw me so close.

“Harin… why did you come out?” she said, panic flickering across her face for a split second.

“I’m right here,” I said, tears streaming down my face. “I’m not going anywhere. Please, Mom—drop it.”

Her breathing grew erratic. Her grip tightened.

And then—

She grabbed me.

One arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders, pulling me back against her chest. The cold edge of the knife pressed dangerously close to my neck.

Everything stopped.

“Haneul!” my father shouted, horror flooding his face. “Don’t do this. Please!”

The police froze instantly.

“Ma’am,” an officer said slowly, carefully, “please release the child. Let her go. No one is moving.”

My heart pounded so loudly I could barely hear anything else.

“Don’t come any closer!” my mother screamed, backing away with me still trapped in her arms. “If anyone moves, I swear—”

“Mom…” I sobbed, my hands trembling as they clutched her sleeve. “It’s me. Harin. Please. I’m right here.”

Her breath was hot against my ear. 

“I won’t let anyone take you,” she whispered, voice cracking. “You are all I have in this world, Harin.”

Tears streamed down my face as we stood there, her arm locked tightly around me, the knife still raised.

“Mom…” I choked. “Why are you doing this? Don’t you love me anymore?”

She took another step backward, dragging me with her. Her footing was unstable now, heels scraping against the rough pavement near the edge.

“I love you so much, Harin. That’s why I’m doing this… because I don’t want to lose you.”

She suddenly looked at my father.

“This is all your fault!” she screamed at him. “Look at us! Look at what you did to our family!”

Her voice broke as she yelled, “Are you happy now? Would you be satisfied if we just die here?!”

“Dad—” I cried, my voice breaking as I looked at him through my tears.

My father dropped to his knees without hesitation.

“Haneul, please,” he begged, his hands shaking as he raised them. “Just take it out on me. I’m right here. Do whatever you want to me. Just don’t hurt our daughter. Please.”

“Hurt her? What are you talking about?” Her arm tightened around me protectively. “I’m not hurting her. Can’t you see? Harin is safe. She’s safest with me.”

“Ma’am, please stop this. There’s no need to go this far. Let the child go. We can resolve this peacefully.”

Her head snapped toward the police officers.

“You stay there!” she screamed, the knife shaking in her hand. “Don’t come any closer!”

She took another step back.

The edge of the cliff was only a few steps away now, and beneath it, the sea roared violently. Heavy waves crashed against the rocks below.

“Mom—” I gasped, feeling the wind whip against my face.

“Haneul! What are you doing?!” my father screamed, his voice breaking as he pushed forward before stopping himself, terrified to make her panic more. “What are you planning to do?!”

She laughed softly.

“What do you think I’m going to do? You’ve pushed me this far, Kang-min. If I surrender… you’ll just take me back to that hellhole, won’t you?”

The knife trembled as she gestured wildly.

“You’ll lock me up again,” she continued, her voice rising. “You’ll tell them to keep watching me, won’t you?”

She shook her head, her smile turning bitter.

“If I hadn’t run away from that hospital… you would’ve trapped me there forever, right? You and them. All of you.”

I don’t understand what they mean by that. Run away? My mom… ran away from the hospital?

“I had no choice, Haneul. You were sick. You kept threatening to hurt yourself every time. That’s why we had to keep a close watch on you.”

My mother suddenly turned her body fully toward him.

“I’M NOT SICK! You’re the one who’s sick! All of you are! You locked me up, injected me and watched me like an animal.”

She looked down at me.

“If they take me back… I’ll never get to see you again, Harin,” she whispered, then lifted her head to face my father once more.

“I’D RATHER DIE THAN GO BACK TO THAT PLACE!”

“Mom—please—”

“Harin,” she said urgently, her voice shaking as she stared at me. “You love me, right? We have no escape anymore. You understand me, right? You want to stay with me, right? You won’t leave me, right?”

She took a step backward, closer to the edge.

“No!” my father screamed.

“Just close your eyes, okay, Harin. Everything will be over in a second.”

“Mom…” I pleaded. “Please don’t do this.”

“Shhh… don’t be scared. Everything will be fine.”

Before she could take another step, there was sudden movement behind her.

In one swift motion, I saw her arm jerk upward. Someone’s hand gripping her wrist tightly.

“Harin—move!” a voice shouted.

The sudden force broke her hold on me.

I stumbled backward, losing my balance and collapsing onto the ground. My palms scraped against the gravel as I caught myself. Heart pounding, I looked up.

“…Mr. Kim?”

Why… is Mr. Kim here?

My mother let out a furious scream.

“LET GO OF ME!”

“Haneul-ssi, please calm down. This isn’t worth it.”

“OUTSIDERS SHOULD NOT MEDDLE IN OUR BUSINESS!”

She thrashed violently, struggling against him at the very edge of the cliff. Mr. Kim held on with everything he had, his feet slipping on the gravel as the waves roared below.

Police officers rushed forward.

“Ma’am, stop resisting!”

But she kept pushing, her strength fueled by pure rage.

“SCREW ALL OF YOU!”

Then—

The ground gave away.

Their bodies disappeared over the edge, swallowed by the darkness and the roaring waves below.

“AHJUSSSIIIIIII!”

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That night… how I wished I had listened to my father back then. If I had forgiven him, if I had believed what he said… I’m sure none of it would have happened.

Because of my stubbornness, an innocent life was lost. But why… why did it have to be this way?

.

Mr. Kim… you must be upset with me, aren’t you?

I should be punished for my own foolishness. Don’t you think so?

I should have listened to what you were going to say to me that night, before I left with my mother. If only I had stayed. If only I had listened.

It’s okay if you resent me, Mr. Kim.

No…

You should resent me.

Because I was the one who brought suffering upon your family.

But why…

Just why…

When you were about to fall that night…

Why did your face look so calm?

And why…

Why did you smile at me?