The tension in the room thickened again, sharper this time, more dangerous.
Yuna's eyes filled with tears again, but she didn't look away. "What did you find?" she demanded, her voice quieter now—but more intense than before.
Ethan didn't answer.
Because this time—
There was no way to soften it.
And that hesitation confirmed everything.
Yuna let out a small, broken laugh, shaking her head. "Unbelievable…" she whispered.
She turned away from him, her hands trembling as she pushed aside another stack of papers, but now it wasn't about searching anymore—it was about not looking at him.
"You said 'we'…" she murmured bitterly. "But it's always just you, isn't it?"
Ethan stepped forward again, his voice lower. "I'm trying to protect you."
"From what?" she turned sharply, her eyes burning with emotion. "The truth?"
Silence.
That was the answer.
Yuna's lips parted slightly, her breath catching as realization sank deeper. "It's worse than I thought, isn't it?" she said quietly.
Ethan didn't deny it.
And that—
That was enough.
Yuna's strength seemed to drain from her all at once. She stepped back slowly, her hand reaching for the edge of the desk to steady herself.
"I asked for answers…" she whispered.
"You'll get them," Ethan said.
"When?" she asked.
He didn't respond.
Her eyes closed briefly, tears slipping down again. "You don't trust me," she said.
"That's not true."
"Then why won't you tell me?" she asked.
Ethan looked at her, his expression finally showing something deeper—something conflicted, something almost restrained.
"Because once you know," he said quietly, "you won't be able to go back."
The room fell completely silent.
Even the air felt still.
Yuna opened her eyes slowly, looking at him again—this time not just with pain, but with something heavier.
Understanding.
Fear.
And determination.
"Then I don't want to go back," she said.
And for the first time—
Ethan didn't have an answer ready.
Because whatever came next—
Would change everything.
Ethan's patience finally snapped.
"Why the hell do we always fight about this, Yuna?" His voice echoed sharply through the room, cutting through the tension that had already been building between them. He ran a hand roughly through his hair, frustration written all over his face now, no longer hidden behind calm silence. "I know what I have to tell you and what I don't, so stop pushing me every second!"
The words hit harder than he intended.
Yuna froze.
Not because he yelled.
But because of what he yelled.
Her expression changed instantly, the hurt in her eyes turning cold. She looked away from him immediately, her lips pressing tightly together as silence wrapped around her.
"Yuna—"
She didn't answer.
That silence made Ethan exhale sharply again. He stepped closer, reaching for her arm gently, but she tried to pull away. Ethan didn't let her go completely. Instead, he turned her face back toward him carefully, forcing her to look at him.
His voice lowered this time, less sharp, but still tense. "If it's important, I'll tell you. Probably."
Probably.
That word destroyed whatever calm she had left.
Yuna stared at him in disbelief.
"Probably?" she repeated quietly.
Ethan immediately realized how wrong that sounded, but before he could correct himself, Yuna stepped back from him completely.
"You didn't tell me you killed my father," she said.
Her voice wasn't loud anymore.
And somehow—
That was worse.
Ethan's expression tightened.
"You didn't tell me my father was doing horrible things behind my back," she continued, her breathing uneven now. "You let me hate you. You let me believe you killed him for no reason."
"Yuna—"
"No!" she snapped suddenly, tears filling her eyes again. "You don't get to stop me this time!"
The room fell silent except for her trembling voice.
"Do you know what that did to me?" she asked, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Do you know how many nights I cried because I thought you murdered my father without a reason?"
Ethan looked at her, but for once—
He didn't interrupt.
Because he knew she was right.
Yuna laughed bitterly through tears, shaking her head. "And now suddenly I'm supposed to just accept everything? That he was selling children? That he was involved in crimes? That everything I knew about my family was fake?"
Her voice cracked completely at the last word.
Fake.
That was what hurt the most.
Not just losing her father.
But realizing she never truly knew him.
Yuna wrapped her arms around herself as if trying to hold herself together. "You keep saying you're protecting me," she whispered, "but all you did was leave me in the dark."
Ethan's jaw tightened hard enough to show the tension beneath his control.
"I was trying to keep you away from this," he said quietly.
"But I was already in it!" Yuna cried.
That echoed through the room.
And neither of them moved afterward.
Yuna's tears kept falling, her emotions spiraling faster now that everything had finally broken open.
"Do you even understand what happens now?" she asked shakily. "Once people find out everything my father did…"
Her breathing became uneven again.
"The media will destroy him," she whispered. "And me too."
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yuna—"
"No, listen to me!" she cried. "Do you know what they'll say?"
Her voice trembled violently now.
"'The daughter of a criminal.'"
"'An actress who lived off dirty money.'"
"'The president's daughter hiding her father's crimes.'"
She shook her head repeatedly, panic rising inside her.
"My name will become trash, Ethan," she whispered painfully. "Everything I worked for… everything I built myself…"
Her voice disappeared for a second before returning weaker.
"What if people think I knew?"
Ethan stepped closer immediately. "No one will think that."
"You don't know people!" she shouted. "They believe whatever destroys someone faster!"
Her hands trembled badly now.
"What if my career ends?" she asked quietly. "What if people hate me because of him?"
Ethan reached for her again, but she stepped back before he could touch her.
"What if my mother died for nothing?" she whispered.
That—
That broke something in the room.
Even Ethan went silent.
Yuna's tears fell harder now, uncontrollable, years of pain and confusion crashing into one moment.
"I already lost my baby," she whispered shakily. "Now I lose my father too… and maybe myself after this."
Ethan moved toward her again, slower this time.
"Look at me."
She didn't.
"Yuna."
His voice softened.
Still firm.
But softer.
Finally, slowly, she looked up at him.
Her eyes were shattered.
And Ethan hated that expression more than anything.
"You are not your father," he said quietly.
Yuna laughed weakly through tears. "That's easy for you to say."
"It's the truth."
"But people won't care about the truth!"
"I do."
The words stopped her.
Ethan stepped closer again, this time gently holding her shoulders before she could move away.
"You are not responsible for what he did," he said firmly. "None of this touches who you are."
Yuna's lips trembled. "It does…"
"No."
His voice hardened slightly.
"You became successful because of yourself," he continued. "Not because of him."
Her eyes lowered.
"But his blood is still connected to mine," she whispered.
Ethan stared at her for a second before answering quietly—
"And mine is connected to worse."
That made her look at him immediately.
For the first time since the argument started, Ethan's expression showed something raw beneath the control.
"You think I don't understand what it feels like to hate what your family became?" he asked softly.
Yuna stayed silent.
Ethan exhaled slowly, his grip on her shoulders loosening slightly.
"You don't carry his sins," he said. "And I won't let anyone make you feel like you do."
Yuna looked at him helplessly. "What if I can't escape it?"
Ethan's gaze darkened slightly—not with anger toward her, but toward the world outside this room.
"Then I'll destroy anyone who tries to bury you with him."
The certainty in his voice made her breath catch.
Not because it sounded violent.
But because he meant it completely.
Yuna stared at him for a long moment before her strength finally gave out again. She leaned forward weakly, pressing against him as quiet sobs shook her body once more.
This time—
Ethan held her immediately.
Tightly.
One hand against the back of her head, the other around her waist, steadying her as if he could physically stop her from breaking apart.
And in that moment—
Neither of them spoke again.
Because there was nothing left to defend.
Only pain.
And the desperate need to survive it together.