The Woman I Love

Kei throws his phone on the desk and sits back in his chair before pinching the bridge of his nose. He hasn't been sleeping well. After he kicked out Hana, he had to clean house. His soon-to-be ex-wife had many eyes planted in the house and in his office. He fired all of them.

He has also been working on the warehouse fire investigation. It turned out that it was Hana's uncle who was behind it, just like Kei predicted.

With the help of his men, he has been gathering evidence of corruption against Takaya Watanabe. Kei is also preparing for a hostile takeover of Takaya's company. He is planning to destroy the man.

Kei slowly turns to his phone when it rings. He reluctantly picks it up and answers.

"Mr. Ichihara, you have instructed me to contact you if there was anything strange around Ms. Martin."

"Yes." Kei sits up immediately.

"She was just picked up by one of your grandfather's men," the man tells him.

"What? Where is she right now?"

"I followed the car to his mansion, sir."

Kei squeezes his phone. "Thank you, I'll be there shortly." He rushes out of his office immediately.

"Kei?" Jiro calls.

"I'm in a hurry, Jiro."

"I thought you were with Sam."

Kei frowns. "What made you think that?"

"She called me earlier when she couldn't reach you."

"Sam called me?" Kei scrolls down his recent calls. "Damn it, I was on the phone with Daisuke earlier."

"Kei, what's going on?" Jiro asks when he notices his brother's state.

"Ryota Ichihara happened," Kei says through clenched teeth. "I have to go."

He drives to his grandfather's house while many thoughts run through his head. Could he really protect Sam when it is so easy for his grandfather to reach her?

As soon as he reaches the entrance, Kei storms into his grandfather's house, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Welcome, Young Master–" The old maid bows to him.

"Where is he?" he interrupts.

"Mr. Ichihara is in his study."

Kei stomps to his grandfather's study and barges in without hesitation. "What the hell is going on here?" he hisses.

His eyes fall on Sam who is standing while hugging her purse tightly. He notices her eyes, glistening with tears that she was trying hard to hold back.

"What did you say to her?" Kei glares at Ryota while taking a few steps toward Sam. He unconsciously palms her face, it is cold. "Are you okay?"

Sam nods, afraid that her voice would betray her. For some reason, Kei's warm hand calms her a bit. She wants to lean into his touch, but Ryota's voice makes her jolt back.

"I knew it." Ryota shakes his head. "It is because of you."

Kei feels Sam's body tensing next to him. "What are you spewing right now?" he asks.

"Your quarrel with your wife, she is the reason," Ryota says. "I will do whatever it takes to protect this family. And if she's here to cause trouble, then I have every right to take action."

"Grandfather," Kei roars. "I will not stand to the side and let you disrespect Sam," he adds.

Ryota stands up and faces his grandson, his eyes narrowing. "How dare you talk–"

"How dare you threaten the woman I love?" Kei shoots back.

His words shock Ryota and Sam equally. The latter turns to stare at him with eyes as wide as saucers.

"Quarrel, you say?" Kei continues. "It wasn't a quarrel, Grandfather. I am divorcing Hana. Not because of Sam, but because she and the Watanabe family have become a liability to our family."

There is a tense silence in the room. The two men glare at one another for a while, both unwilling to back down.

Kei sighs.

"If you really care about your family," Kei utters with a calm voice. "You should look closer into what's going on. We almost lost Yoko and the baby because of Hana, and her uncle is related to the warehouse fire. So Grandfather, next time, do your homework first before threatening an innocent person."

Sam feels Kei's warm hand on her wrist. He pulls her gently as he walks toward the door.

"We're leaving," Kei says firmly. "If anything happens to Sam in the future, I will hold you responsible, Grandfather."

With that, Kei and Sam walk out of Ryota's study, leaving the old man standing frozen in his place with shock.

Kei opens the door for Sam who climbs into his car immediately. He gets into the driver's seat and takes a deep breath.

"Do you want to go somewhere with me?" Kei asks, looking at her with intense eyes.

There is a moment of hesitation before Sam whispers, "Sure."

They drove in silence for a while, neither of them brave enough to utter a word. The sentence that Kei has said earlier plays over and over in Sam's head. 'The woman I love,' he had said.

Kei finally pulls into a parking spot overlooking the ocean. He turns off the car and exits to walk to Sam's side. "Want to walk on the beach for a bit?" he asks when he opens her door.

Sam nods and follows him as they slowly make their way to the water. They stop only a few feet away from the waves.

It is not a beach where people can swim, so there are only a handful of people around. A couple strolling while holding hands, a young woman playing with her Pomeranian, and a couple of people power walking.

The sun glimmers over the water as a light breeze plays with Sam's red locks. Surprisingly, it is not too hot for a summer afternoon.

"What did he say to you?" Kei finally utters, getting Sam's attention. "You looked so upset."

Sam gulps. "He said that back then, I tried to trap you… using our baby."

Kei squeezes his eyes shut.

"I didn't think he knew," Sam adds with a whisper.

"He…" Kei faces Sam. "I know it sounds like an excuse, but my grandfather forced me to do it."

"He forced you to do what, Kei?"

Kei's jaw clenches a few times. "All of it–staying away from you, marrying Hana… the abortion."

Sam closes her eyes as she tries to control her emotions. She knew that Ryota Ichihara had something to do with it, but hearing that Kei just complied with everything his grandfather wanted feels like knives piercing her heart.