Catch 22 - JJK (21+)

Chapter - 28 Heartbreak (part 2)

JUNGKOOK

"I was fourteen when I found out my perfect little family was a sham. One night I couldn't sleep and happened to be awake when my dad came home late from 'work'. I could hear my mom from behind the closed door of their bedroom, screaming and crying almost hysterically.

My parents arguing wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Usually, Lana and I would just grab our headphones and turn on some music to drown out the noise, but the fact that she was so upset piqued my curiosity.

When everything went eerily silent, I grew even more concerned. Then suddenly, I heard her yell 'pregnant?!' followed by a slap so loud it echoed through the hallway and bounced off the walls of my bedroom. Apparently, the woman my dad had been sleeping with, for years according to my mom, was having his baby."

Shit... a baby?! I swallowed the thickness in my throat and found myself speechless for a moment as my mind drifted to my dad. I would have fucking lost it if he'd gotten his mistress pregnant. The mere thought of it had me seeing red.

Without even thinking my hands tightened into fists, my jaw clenched, until I reminded myself that this was Aria's story; not mine. I needed to get out of my head. Releasing the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding, I reined in my temper and focused my attention back on the woman I love.

"I can't even imagine overhearing something like that." I took her small hand in mine, brought it to my lips, and kissed each of her knuckles. "I had no idea you'd been through something so... heartbreaking."

There were a few times that Aria said things alluding to idea that her father hadn't been the world's best husband, but damn. She'd never actually come out and said anything like that before. Plus, I knew her parents were still together, so it never even dawned on me that cheating fathers was one of the many things we had in common. Except... her situation was a lot worse in my opinion.

"I'd been meaning to tell you for quite some time, but as you know, it's not the most exciting topic to discuss. Whenever I was with you, I just wanted to enjoy the moment."

"I totally understand. I'm happy you're sharing it with me now, though. So, what happened after that?"

"Well..." she sighed, "She threatened to leave him and destroy everything he'd built if he didn't figure out how to make the problem go away. My dad's voice was much quieter than hers, so I didn't hear his response. I'm not sure what happened with the woman or the child. I never heard anything about either of them ever again.

"In fact, my mom nor my dad ever breathed a word about it to me or my sister. The next day, they both pretended like nothing had even happened. They didn't realize I'd heard their conversation, and since my mom was the queen of putting up a facade, pretending like her life was perfect to appear a certain way to the people around her, she never left him."

"Gosh, that must have been so difficult for you. Especially having to go through it at such a young age."

Today was the first time Aria had ever opened up about her past and now it made sense why. She'd basically been taught to keep quiet and pretend like everything was okay even when it wasn't. That revelation made me sad, but it also made me want to be that safe place for her, so maybe she'd feel like she could open up more.

"It was, but I got through it. Mi Mi and Lana were my support system. They were the ones who got me through that and everything else in my life... them and many years of therapy and meditation." She chuckled slightly, but her green eyes were solemn as she continued.