This was a hard round to watch – them blurry tears always getting in the way. We are almost at the end of the match between Meunchanok and Luckanai. Nok knows how to fight dirty and she says things that she cannot take back. She knows how to hit where it hurts, but after a punch she would regret it immediately, stewing within herself and wishing she could take it all back. But when a line is crossed, is there no turning back? Nai says exactly what he means, but are his words final too? I hope it’s no to all of the above. 

EPISODE 12 RECAP

Nok’s face breaks into a huge smile after the pregnancy shock wears off. She’s so excited to be pregnant that she rushes out of the bathroom to show her husband the positive pregnancy test. Though he’s not in the room, and as she tries to call him, her face falls.

Nai is in the main house, confessing the truth to Dad. He tells his uncle that he was afraid Kae would do something to the baby so he promised not to tell Dad. He says they are strictly friends and he only helped where he can, and that the baby absolutely belongs to Dad. Dad says his issue is with himself because he doesn’t want Kae to see him in this condition. He thanks Nai for always looking out for Kae in his place. He wants to be worthy of her beautiful smile and doesn’t even have the strength to stand on his own. Nai reassures Dad that he’s wrong, Kae’s smile is beautiful but lifeless. He takes Dad to see Kae to validate the truth behind those words.

But Nok beat them to it. She’s distraught and already crying when she returned to see Kae. She says she wants to take her words back, that she can’t give up Nai. AW. Nok asks Kae to pick a dollar value and she would write her a check immediately. When Kae keeps shaking her head at the number on the check, Nok slowly loses it. Kae notes that Nok is acting like she doesn’t want to lose Nai, and for the first time, Kae starts to believe what she sees: that Nok is truly in love with Nai. Finally, Nok relents that she has written down everything that she owns in exchange for her husband and her dad back.

This is what Nai and Dad sees when they get to Kae’s office. Nok is super shocked to see Dad making that effort, and to hear him say that he can’t take being apart from Kae any longer, even knowing that he doesn’t want Kae to see him this way. He starts to get out of his wheelchair to walk to Kae but stumbles, Kae reaches out and says that her and the baby is strong enough to hold Dad’s hand and walk together. As they have a moment of understanding, Nai peers at the check, and questions if this is how much he’s worth to her? Nok could only muster more tears at the sight of Dad and Kae before her and hightails out of there.

Nai runs after her demanding answers, but Nok lashes out at him, she says that he was secretly seeing Kae behind her back and even having the gumption to bring Dad to Kae, he has ruined her family. Hurt, Nai states that he could not have ruined her family when he believes wholeheartedly that her family is his family. Nok spats that she’s taking back her words, he will NEVER be her family. Oof. Those fighting words.

Meanwhile Penny and Nah Phai goes through their usual fight because Nah Phai cares more about Nok than her own daughter. Penny says this exact thing which earns her a slap to the face, and makes Penny even more mad at Nok.

Nah Phai collects Nok’s clothing from the small house since Nok wants to stay in her old room, and Nah Phai runs into Nai. She tells the younger man that she knows he means well when it comes to Dad, but Nok is his wife and she should be #1. Nai argues that treating each other like #1 should work both ways, right now Nok doesn’t even want to hear him out nor look at his face.

But alone in her room, Nok does think about her harsh words. She recalls her own promise at the pool that she will be his family and that she will never abandon him. Dad rolls in with his wheelchair and Nok relents sadly that her months of trying is nothing compared to someone’s mere appearance. She asks Dad if it has to do with the fact that he will have a new kid. Dad reassures her that both kids are equally important to him, and he urges Nok to make it up with Nai because he can tell that they love each other, and he doesn’t want their relationship to be ruined.

Later Nok watches as Kae moves back in with Dad. Nok begrudgingly leaves the big house and walks to her little house, only to realize she’s not particularly feeling welcomed there either. But Nai isn’t around so she starts to tidy up, and waits up for him. But Nai is busy at work and opts to spend the night at the office instead. He hears that Khun Nat has an ailing housekeeper and decides to donate the fabric he bought for his mom to the housekeeper. Small world, because that fabric made its way to the intended person.

Nok feels peeved when she wakes up to an empty bed. She immediately gets one of the employees to look for her husband and upon spotting him asleep on the office couch, the employee sends her a picture. This makes Nai smile because it shows that she still cares. Unfortunately Nok slips on something on the floor and rushes to the hospital. Wongwait, who had been on a date with his mom and Mom (Vi), gets called in to see a patient. Gosh, how much do I love that Wongwait is seeking out Vi to spend as much time with her as possible?

Wongwait reassures Nok that her pregnancy is healthy and that she’s 8 weeks along. He learns that Nai doesn’t yet know and advises Nok that an expectant father ought to know because he would be ecstatic with the news. He says that he’s not the father and yet he’s so happy. I love Wongwait. Speaking of the devil, Nai appears at the hospital because he got called to pick up Kae and Dad who are both helpless on their own apparently. He spots Nok with Wongwait and immediately gets jealous. He stews in the physical therapy room and Kae has a word with him. She realizes that Nai and Nok are still misunderstanding each other so she relents that the dollar amount that Nok had written on the check isn’t the value that she sees in Nai, but in fact, Nok had written everything she’s worth to trade back her husband and dad. Kae summarizes that there’s no question that Nok doesn’t love him.

Penny tells Nah Phai that she found work in China and will be there for awhile. She quietly tells her mom that she cares about her and worries about her. Before mom would let her daughter see her tears, she says that the next time she sees Penny, she would try to be more calm. Ugh, these two. Even if Penny is the devil incarnate, she’s still the little girl who seeks her mommy’s love and approval. But yeah, don’t feel too rest assured with her though, she wreaks a final havoc before leaving: she overhears Wongwait and Nok talking about Nok’s pregnancy and that she needs to tell Nai soon, so Penny steals the baby announcement on the table.

She approaches the happy Nai and tells him congratulations on the new baby and that she found the announcement in the TRASH. Nai sees red, and confronts Nok, and well, things get said that cannot be taken back.

Wongwait had been drilling with Nok that Nai would be happy with the news, so Nai’s angry reaction wasn’t what she was expecting. Nai spats that he ought to be the first to know, not Wongwait, and that it’s not Wongwait’s job to take care of other people’s family. The hypocrisy is not missing on Nok who points out that he did that for Kae. Nok turns her own venom on Nai and says that she’s not thinking about keeping the baby and reminds him why they got married in the first place. She never thought about having a baby with him and therefore, this baby shouldn’t even be born. Gah, line has been crossed!

And that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. With tears welling up in his eyes, Nai spits that if she doesn’t want the kid, that’s fine because he’s the dad and he will take care of it himself. He doesn’t want it born into hell, and that she has no idea what it’s like to be a child with a mother who tells him straight to his face that she doesn’t want him. She has no idea how much he doesn’t want to be in this world. He says that someone like her, who is born with a lot of love, doesn’t understand it. He questions what she wants in exchange for the kid. OMG.

Nok could only look at him and ask if that’s the kind of mother he thinks she would be. Never mind that, Nok tells him to hold his end of the bargain during the wedding, that he would forfeit his title and hand everything back to her, he would walk out empty handed and he can have the kid. STOP IT, Nok!

Nai says she doesn’t need to ask him that, because as he said earlier, he won’t do what she doesn’t want him to do and whatever she wants him to do, he will do everything in his power to grant it. She reminds him that he betrayed her when it comes to her father and that what she needs him to do is to leave as promised. Oof. Nai’s tears continue to fall on their own accord. He says that if she still thinks that he betrayed her, then even if they’re together, they’ll just be hurt and the kid will be hurt, so in the end, Nai AGREES. He says he will give her back everything: the position, the money, and he will go his own way with his baby.

Nok runs onto the bed and sobs. She thinks back to his last words that while she’s pregnant and carrying his child, he will take care of her to the best of his ability.

Nok stirs with a start, and she watches Nai proceed with his day as if nothing happened the night before. She looks at him, hopeful. Then during breakfast, Nai tells everybody that Nok is expecting but doesn’t share their agreement.

They have a talk by the pool – and Nai says that he didn’t forget their agreement, but he didn’t want to be everyone’s killjoy since they are so happy about the news. Nok seems to appreciate that sentiment and relents that in front of others, they can pretend to be normal, while between the two of them, they don’t need to pretend. Nai says that he wasn’t pretending this morning and that he has something to ask of her. He wants their remaining time together – the remainder of her pregnancy – to be a happy one. He adds that he knows he’s “forcing” her, but she’ll only need to pretend to be happy for less than a year and be done with him for the rest of her life.

Oh James Ji, that’s some damn mature acting.

Nok could not look at his face as her tears fall. Nai kisses her hand. This is so painful to watch. I must like to feel pain. Painfully good.

So we proceed with another peace during the war. They take pregnancy pictures, go to ultrasounds, take pregnancy yoga classes, and all of the “fun” pregnancy things.

Time seems to fast forward until Nok’s belly gets bigger and bigger.

Grandma on the other hand, deteriorates. She sees Khun Nim selling garlands on the street and it hit her the reality of the person she raised and loved, and has to face her own actions. We get a flashback of how Grandma raised Khun Nim, to the final day where Grandma got hurt over Khun Nim’s “betrayal” in running away with a man, getting pregnant, and then leaving her child in Grandma’s care. She cries in the car as she watches the ailing Khun Nim. She buys out the tray of garlands, but the occasion doesn’t sit well with her and she proceeds to get sick from the heartbreak.

Mom tells Nok to visit Grandma and bring her to the doctor. Nok admits to Grandma her deal with Luckanai and that she will divorce him, get everything back, and have nothing to do with the child. This statement gets Grandma crying all over again as she realizes the error of her ways. She says that she taught Nok all wrong. She says she taught her to be this way because she hated Nim and Nai, but now she’s not so sure anymore. She admits a secret she has been harboring, and shares with Nok that she saw Nim on the street selling garlands.

So Nok pays a visit to the vendor location. She confronts Nim and asks why she can’t go back to see her son. Nim is in tears as she begs Nok to not tell Nai. She says due to her selfishness on the day she left Lucky, she could never erase that image away, the image of Nai crying for his mother. She just wants to remember his face on the day of his wedding, and that his smile that day is good enough for her. She says she doesn’t want to see him sad on her last final breath.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Nok makes a deal with Khun Nim. That if she gets treatment and doesn’t heal, her secret is safe with Nok. But if she does heal, then they would go together to meet with Nai. Before she could settle further, Khun Nat appears and Nok lies that Khun Nim is her old nanny. Then Khun Nim realizes that Nok is pregnant.

Wongwait suggests to Nok that she should try to understand a son’s heart, the one who has been looking for this mom, and that she should tell him while he still has the chance to do something about it. It’s a heartbreaking scene when Khun Nim hugs the fabric that her son bought her, and Nai spots the garland that reminds him of his mother. He prays that they would see her soon so that they can share good news with her.

We get a cute reprieve with Wongwait and Mom (I know, I should start calling her Vi, but I’ve been calling her Mom since the first episode lol). They go rock climbing and the instructor mistakes them for being a couple. Mom says no way, she’s so much older, but the instructor relents that these days men like to date older women. Hahaha. So while Wongwait goes to the washroom, Mom calls dad to get his take on dating a younger person. Dad tells her to go for it. I love them! Wongwait is so darn cute as he takes her plate and cuts her meat for her. Wongwait + Vi ftw.

Dad tells Kae that he plans on retiring from work when the baby is born. He realizes that money cannot buy happiness, and he wants to spend the rest of his time with his family.

Meanwhile Khun Nim agrees to chemo but the side effects are tough on her. She’s throwing up and getting dizzy. Nok had gotten her to agree by saying that she needs to live in order to hold her grandchild. Grandma is doing better and asks if Nok is sure that she would hide this from Nai, because he will get angry when he finds out. Nok says she wants to tell him from the beginning, but that she’s afraid that Nim would run away. Once she’s treated, Nok hopes that she can convince her to meet Nai. This time, Nok says she’s willing to do it for Nai.

But in front of Nai, she’s not so charitable. She snaps at him for hovering so much about what she eats and questions whether who is pregnant here. Hahaha. The whole household lament that she’s being harsh on Nai and they all note that he’s suffering from sympathetic pregnancy, where a man would suffer from the same pregnancy ailments as his wife. So we have two pregnant people now? Lol. Dad advises Nok that she should be more sympathetic to his plight.

So Nok turns on some classical music and Nai beams when he hears it. He asks to talk to his baby, and he gives her belly kisses, whispering over and over that “daddy loves you.” AWW.

Seeing this, Nok flashes back to Grandma saying that nothing compares to the person you miss for so long. Nok sets out to have Khun Nim see the ultrasound in an effort to give her some encouragement, but she had to lie to Nai that they changed the date which conflicted with his meeting schedule. He is not happy about having to miss an ultrasound (so cute). Unfortunately that day, Khun Nim starts to blackout and falls down the stairs… and we are confronted with a preview of the final week’s episodes, the one particular scene that we’ve been working towards all this time.

COMMENTS

I am filled with a mix of excitement and trepidation. Although it was a rough episode to watch, there are still some warmer scenes to embrace. But I got to thinking, Nok’s worse enemy is her harsh words. She says them as reaction to her opponent’s action, striking them down where it hurts the most. But it almost always hurts her more in the end. I like the focus on Nok seeing Khun Nim’s reality after giving up her child. I hope it makes her realize that this is not the reality she wishes on herself – because having all that position and money, but also losing a family for it – doesn’t seem like it’s worth it in the end. Nai isn’t a victim by any means, but he’s always the guy that means what he says and she’s the girl that has more bark than bite. They are evenly matched and I doubt anyone can be knocked down. Next week, all bets are off. We shall find out how this game of love resolves itself, can we really take back what we’ve said after crossing the line? Will the winner take all, as Nok seems to indicate? I don’t know about you, but I’m so ready to declare a winner, even if they have stolen my cake.