Mine

Chapter 31

Drip Drop.

The sound of water filled the quiet space, the rhythmic patter of droplets hit the tile like a steady heartbeat. Steam curled through the air, fogging up the mirror and softening the sharp edges of reality.

Her thoughts were all over the place.

Drip Drop

How did she end up here? Wait- who is she even?

Her fingers twitched as she pressed her palm against the cold, tiled wall, her chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. The warm water cascaded down her skin, but it did nothing to wash away the emptiness inside her. A void so deep and so vast had taken root in her mind, swallowing everything that should have been there.

Her name. Her past. Her memories. Nothing but a blank slate.

She squeezed her eyes shut, the void inside was killing her. All she felt was darkness inside.

Why does it feel like everything is fading with that bracelet gone?

Her gaze dropped to her wrist, bare and pale under the dim bathroom light. A strange hollowness settled in her chest, an absence she couldn't explain.

Why did it feel like everything she had been clinging to so desperately had gone, snatched, ripped away from her just like that?

What if one day... I forget her face too.

The thought was brutal but insanely real, like a death bell. Maria let her head rest against the cool tiles, eyes closed as the warmth of the water seeped into her bones. It felt foreign. This moment of quietness after everything that had happened. Almost like stolen time. One straight out of the clock of death. Because she felt like dying every moment.

Jimin pushed open the door to his room, raking a hand through his hair as he stepped inside. The soft click of the door sang behind him as he walked in. His eyes flickered toward the cupboard, and with a quiet sigh, he pulled it open.

His fingers skimmed over the neatly folded stacks of clothes, searching for something she could wear. A plain T-shirt caught his eye, and he grabbed it, along with a pair of shorts. That should be fine, right? But as he held them in his hands, doubt crept in.

What if she gets cold?

His jaw tightened as he placed the shorts back and reached for a hoodie instead. It was one of his usual oversized ones, soft and well-worn. But the moment he held it up, he hesitated.

She's tiny. This thing would swallow her whole.

Exhaling through his nose, he shifted through his clothes again, looking for something smaller. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Jimin groaned, fishing it out and glancing at the screen.

Jungkook.

He clicked his tongue, swiping to answer. "What?" Jimin pressed the phone to his ear, his other hand still clutching the hoodie as he walked across the room. Jungkook's voice hit him the moment the call connected—loud, annoyed, and laced with frustration.

"Hyung, what the hell? Why is everyone slacking off while I'm stuck here like some damn intern?!"

Jimin exhaled sharply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "What happened now?"

"What happened is me sitting here, staring at the clock, just so I can input these scripted messages whenever Taehyung says so." Jungkook huffed. "I swear, if I have to type another fake-ass response, I'm gonna throw this laptop out the damn window."

Jimin smirked slightly, shaking his head. "You agreed to it, didn't you?"

"Yeah, well, I didn't think it'd be this mind-numbing. How does Taehyung even come up with these? These are so cliche- like 'Little dove!?'—who even talks like that?" Jungkook grumbled, his voice dripping with irritation. "And don't get me started on the waiting part. I'm literally counting seconds between responses just to make it look real. Meanwhile, where the hell is everyone else?! Hyung? Are you even listening-"