𝐃. 𝐋. 𝐒. || 𝐊.𝐓𝐇 ✓

ＴＨＩＲＴＹ-ＦＩＶＥ

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By now, he's calmed down much more than earlier. Now, we're sitting down in front of the jeep with the headlights still on while not saying anything.

I can still hear the way his breathing isn't fully back to normal, but I let him have this moment. After all I've just heard, he deserves it.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles quietly, barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean to get this worked up, but I'm hurting," I can tell that without him even admitting it. However, a part of me is happy that he's showing me this side of him. Most men hide their true feelings to act tough, but honestly, I would rather know when they're in pain than fake it with a smile like everyone else.

"I can't imagine," I begin, finding my words carefully. "But you're nothing like your father, Taehyung-"

"But I am, Ada. I opened up a place for girls to sell their bodies in different ways, and I profit from it. And you... oh, Ada what I've done to you is beyond forgivable,"

"No, no," I scoot close to him, making him stop thinking that way. "You make sure to protect and provide for those girls, Taehyung. You are not your father, do you hear me? You protect them, and you didn't force them into anything-"

"But I forced you to marry me-"

"So? I'm perfectly safe, and I'm glad that we married, Taehyung. Although it's fake for the public, I've gotten to know you, and now we trust each other. Real or not, I'm happy that you're my husband," I stop his train of thought before it can go down any worse direction.

"But-"

"No buts," I shake my head, placing my hand on his cheek while looking into his eyes, so he'll know how serious I am. "You're a good person, Taehyung. I know your mother would be proud of the man you've become,"

That does it. His lip quivers into a hurtful smile, and he cries once more but not as hard as before, just gentle, sad tears.

"We'll get through this, Taehyung," I say comfortingly, resting my head on his shoulder and letting him cry out any more tears he has.

However, after a few minutes, he starts shifting and stands up. He wipes his eyes and holds his hand out for me to take.

"I umm... I need to show you something else," he admits, while I take his hand, and when I do, he loops his fingers between mine, holding my fingers tightly while walking a few feet away from the jeep and towards a decaying tree.

"This is the last place where I saw my brother," he shuts his eyes momentarily, "and the place where we buried our mother,"

When we go around the other side of the tree, I see flowers laying over a dry piece of ground that's cracked. There are not just flowers, but two toys, a necklace that's nailed to the tree, and a stone over the top of what I assume is the head of the grave.

"Since our father risked being arrested, he told us to bury her here. We made the grave as nice as we could, but being children, we didn't know how. I still come and visit whenever I can to lay down new flowers for her," he stares hard at the grave as if remembering everything.

"Once we buried her, dad fled. I don't know what happened to him after that, or my brother for that matter. I was a lot younger, so my brother told me to walk a few miles on the road until I found a building full of people. He told me to go inside and tell them I was abandoned. After that, it was history. I was put up for adoption, but I was adopted not a week later by an older man who had enough money to take care of a lot of people. He died when I was fifteen, and he left it all to me. He was my father, and I loved him dearly, blood or not, he healed me," he admits softly.

"For the rest, well, just like my real father, I have no clue where my brother ended up or if he's dead. I could never find him, but trust me, I tried. There's just no trace of him." I find myself gently rubbing his back while he looks down at his mother's grave.

"I started my business for no reason at first, but after going to my therapy sessions, I found out I have mental problems due to trauma from my father. My therapist said my line of work was due to the early childhood trauma that was rooted deep within me, and it came out through my work because I was around it for so long. I never told him about my mother's death, but I told him the main parts." He admits, and I can understand that. If he did, then no doubt investigators would want to perform an autopsy on what's left of the body and dig her back up, but she's suffered enough, so I understand Taehyung's logic.

After hearing everything, it makes sense why he went into this business. He thought that was the right thing because his father was involved with women so much, but Taehyung protected them, a quality his father lacked when it came to Taehyung's mother.

"We should probably go. I have a feeling Alice is going crazy right now trying to find me," he admits while pulling me away from the grave and towards the jeep.

When we enter the jeep, he cranks it and drives backward until he makes it back to the main road. I have a feeling he's trying to act tough right now.

"This stays between us, okay? My therapist is the only one who knows... not even Eris knows about this," I agree, shaking my head silently while he drives down the road.

"I'm glad you told me," I admit, softly hearing the hum of the music playing, but I ignore it. Everything that happened is a lot to take in, so I let my mind rest and slowly think through everything once more.

There's no doubt in my mind that Taehyung's suffered a lot, but I only wonder just how much more he can take before he breaks.

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