He Became a Tyrant After Losing Me

When Shuri noticed Noran approaching her, she quickly threw the tissue into the dumpster and hurried over to him.

"Ran, you're out! How are you feeling?" She asked him first, without waiting for his inquiry.

Noran gently cupped her cheeks with his hands, his expression filled with concern. "I should be asking you that. Are you sick, Rin? You don't look so well."

"I'm fine, just a bit tired from not sleeping last night," Shuri replied with a soft smile, leaning into his touch.

"I'm sorry… I made you stay up all night worrying about me," Noran apologized again, his expression filled with sadness.

"There you go again." Shuri playfully flicked his forehead to lighten the mood. "It's not your fault that you fainted and couldn't reply to me. I'm just glad you are alright. So, no more apologizing and frowning."

"Alright." Noran smiled gently as he gazed at her, his expression slowly relaxing. "I'll listen to whatever my Rin says."

"Really? Then why didn't you dry your hair properly before coming out of the bathroom?" Shuri pouted and made him sit down on a chair.

"You never listen to me to dry your hair properly," she continued to grumble as she took the towel hanging around his neck and rubbed his head. "Do you want to catch a cold?"

Noran smiled happily as she expressed concern for him and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I like it when you do it for me."

In the eyes of many, Noran was a brilliant man, and even someone untouchable. Yet, who could have thought he would act like a spoilt kid in front of his wife?

Shuri couldn't help but smile, secretly pleased that Noran was so dependent on her. However, while she enjoyed being relied on for his basic needs over the years, she felt he should learn some self-care skills.

"You should learn how to take care of yourself better, Ran. What if I'm not around?"

"Why wouldn't you be around? Are you thinking of leaving me?" Noran suddenly tightened his embrace around Shuri, his expression shifting from contentment to anxiety in an instant. His body stiffened, and he pulled back slightly to look at her, his eyes wide with alarm.

Shuri was surprised to see him suddenly looking at her with a hint of fear in his light blue eyes. She cupped his handsome face with her hands and asked, "Why would I leave you? I'm referring to the times when you need to be away from home for work. What's wrong? You look so worried…"

"Uhh…" Noran let out a soft sigh.

That's right.

He was worried; he felt extremely anxious that she might leave him after discovering what happened last night, fearing she might think he had cheated on her.

Noran buried his face into Shuri's soft chest, causing her heart to beat faster. "Please trust me, I only love you."

It still surprised her that his actions and words could still make her heart race, even after sharing countless intimate moments with him over the years.

She smiled and embraced his head affectionately. "I know, me too."

"Lies. You love Karlene too…" Noran grumbled under his breath.

Shuri chuckled softly. "Really, why do the both of you keep competing with each other like that?"

Shuri had long given up on improving her sister and husband's relationship. While they both trusted each other to care forher, they couldn't seem to tolerate each other's presence.

"She always likes to interrupt our time together…" As Noran continued to complain, Shuri's phone suddenly rang.

"…Just like now. I bet it's from her."

"Hehe, I'll go answer…" Shuri chuckled and Noran reluctantly released her.

Shuri went to the sofa, where she left her phone, and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Miss Shuri Lee?"

"Yes."

"Miss Lee, we are calling from the Evergreen Medical Center. Your check-up report is ready for review. When would you like to come in?"

"I'll drop by tomorrow afternoon at two," Shuri replied softly, not wanting Noran to hear her.

Knowing Noran had been busy lately, Shuri didn't want to trouble him with reviewing her medical report, knowing he'd insist on accompanying her.

After scheduling the appointment, Shuri hung up and turned around to see Noran looking a little grumpy.

"Are you going down to help Karlene in the café tomorrow?" Noran asked, assuming Karlene was the one who had called.

"Y-Ya, she's short on staff tomorrow, so I'll help her out for a bit," Shuri lied while smiling.

Noran felt relieved knowing that Shuri would be with Karlene, especially since he had anticipated himself to be very busy in the coming weeks. At times when he was away, he was grateful for Karlene's presence. He knew Karlene cherished his sister more than anything and would take care of Shuri when he wasn't around.

They made breakfast together shortly after and spent a peaceful day together before heading to bed early because Shuri hadn't slept the night before.

While Shuri fell asleep rather quickly, Noran couldn't sleep. He kept staring at her angelic face, fearing she might disappear if he were to close his eyes. He needed to keep Shuri from finding out about what happened last night.

He took his phone and stood up to walk to the living room balcony. Once outside, he called his director and requested to be pulled out from the Carter development project. He made it clear that either they pulled him out or he'd resign. He was determined to stay away from Sophia at all cause.

Sensing there was no way he could talk Noran out of this, his director reluctantly agreed However, he explained that Noran would need to travel to their headquarters to oversee the project handover if he wanted to withdraw.

Noran decided to fly out the next morning to arrange the handover. He was eager to distance himself from Sophia as soon as possible.

After booking his flight, he went over to the sleeping Shuri and gently stroked her hair while looking sadly at her. Despite being a victim himself, he felt remorseful and guilty, like he had wronged or betrayed her.

"Please forgive me…" He whispered before kissing her softly on her forehead.

…

News of Noran pulling out of the project quickly reached Sophia's ears. She screamed angrily over the phone, "What? How dare he!"

She didn't bother to listen to any further explanation from the other end before ending the call. After taking a deep breath to calm herself, she smirked. "Does he think he can escape from me by pulling out of the project?"

She picked up her phone once again and clicked into her phone gallery. There, she scrolled through the few photos of her and an unconscious Noran.

In the photos, Sophia was leaning her head against his strong chest, sporting a proud smile. Beneath the light gray sheet, the two naked bodies were partially hidden, sparking countless fantasies.

"Oh, Noran. Do you think avoiding me like how you did twelve years ago would work?" Sophia muttered with an evil grin. "You're the one who forced me to use these…"