𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝑰𝒔 𝑶𝒖𝒓𝒔 ✓

Chapter 27

SHE hurried toward her husband with tearful eyes as he gasped for air, tears pouring down his face while his throat itched for him to speak. To move. To do anything.

Help me. He pleaded, the two words echoing through his mind and repeating themselves over and over again. Help me.

"Baby?!" She exclaimed, resting her hands over his cheeks to wipe his tear-stained face. "Baby, breathe! You can do it, just breathe!"

He was trying.

His breath hitched and his body trembled, while his heart ached and sank in fear.

"It's okay, beautiful. I'm right here for you. You're going to be okay." She assured her husband. "Just breathe, baby."

Tears continued to pour down his face as his heart dropped to his stomach. Pain rushed through his chest and neck and he tried to gasp for air once again.

"Breathe, pretty. For me." She begged, her voice trembling. "For me. I love you so much, you hear me?"

Anything for her.

Anything for her.

However, all he could do was hope for a miracle to happen.

One. Two. Three. He swallowed his saliva as he began counting numbers in his mind. Four. Five. Six.

Please.

"I'm here, baby," she whispered again, "I'm right here. Just wake up."

He let out a loud gasp of air at that, tears running down his face. He sat up straight and engulfed his wife in a tight hug, his body shaking, and the sensation of being able to move and breathe all came back at once.

"Baby!"

She returned the hug and squeezed his body close to hers as tightly as she could, rubbing his back in an attempt to calm him down.

"Shh," she shushed him in a gentle voice, placing multiple kisses on his forehead and damp hair. "It's okay. It's okay, pretty. I'm here."

He allowed sobs to escape his mouth while he took a fistful of her shirt in his grip. She continued to rub his back and muttered soft words of reassurance.

"I'm here, beautiful."

She then sank back to her place on the bed, still hugging him, and ran her fingers through his soft, damp hair. He sighed and rested his chin against her chest, her fast, rhythmic heartbeat filling his ears almost immediately.

"Y-You're here," he trailed off, his voice trembling with his soft gasps in between.

"Yes," she replied in a soft yet firm tone as if making a promise that their lives depended on, "yes, of course, I'm here. I'll always be."

He nodded helplessly, muttering a small word of gratitude in the process. He held onto her shirt tighter and squeezed her closer to him, heat radiating off his weak, shaking body.

"I-I'm... I'm o-okay." He hesitated, trying to reassure her nonetheless.

She nodded her head sadly, still playing with strands of his hair. She rested her head on top of his and heavily sighed, her breath catching in her throat.

She could only hope, right?

❆

She sighed and opened her eyes slowly, rays of bright, yellow sunlight meeting her sensitive lids as soon as she realized it. Heat rushed to her cheeks while she breathed in and out, her head shifting slightly to different corners of the room to take in the sight of the expensive furniture. Her gaze shifted to her side and took in the sight of her handsome, sleeping husband.

His eyes were closed shut and his chest was smoothly heaving up and down. One hand of his was pressed lightly against his stomach, and the other one was wrapped around her waist, hugging her close. She sent him a soft smile and cuddled him, nuzzling her face into his soft, brown hair.

"Good morning, beautiful," she whispered into the cusp of his ear, "I've missed you."

His eyes opened a few seconds later, his mouth already curving into a bright smile. She returned the smile and wrapped her arms around his torso, bringing him closer.

"Jagiya..." He muttered with hearty eyes, tears already filling his eyes. He could barely believe getting out of the situation he was in alive, let alone waking up next to his wife in the same bed, all cuddled up to her.

He simply couldn't believe it.

"Hey, baby..." She greeted softly, reaching up to run a finger through her long, slightly messy hair. "Did you sleep well?"

He nodded with a weak smile, his full bottom lip lightly trembling. "Yes, jagiya. I slept well, thanks to you."

She sighed sadly at that, pausing for a moment to think about the events that occurred just a few hours before.

"I'm sorry, baby," she replied. "I know you're not doing well. I'm here for you, okay?" He nodded his head. "I'll always be there for you."

He nodded again, this time a smile creeping over his face. The overwhelming sensation of feeling loved filled his insides and he shyly glanced away, heat rushing to the top of his cheeks.

"I love you, jagiya..."

Her frown slowly turned to a smile as the three words she has been deprived of for over a month rang through her ears. She squeezed his torso and pulled him even closer to her, causing his breath to stop in his throat.

"I love you more, beautiful." She replied in a soft, matter-of-fact tone. "I love you more than anything."

That wasn't possible for her to love him more than he loved her, he realized, but he bit his lower lip and remained silent nonetheless.

A few moments of comfortable silence filled the room. Hyunjin turned his attention to his wife's bright, beautiful face, then to her full, pink lips. He bit his own once again and his cheeks reddened.

"Jagiya?" She hummed in reply, still admiring his face, which was only inches away from hers. He swallowed his saliva and puckered his lips. "Please kiss me."

Then, he licked his lower lip to moisturize it. "Please."

She let out a suppressed, happy giggle and inched closer to his face, her eyes resting on the lips she had missed for a month. Not wasting any more moments, she crashed her lips against his own and placed a deep, passionate kiss.

He moaned as soon as he felt the familiar yet strange sensation overwhelm every part of him. His stomach exploded with butterflies and his heart dropped to his stomach in nothing but relief.

The pair broke away after a few, long moments. Hyunjin struggled to open his eyes while he let out another sweet moan, causing his wife to break out in a smirk.

"So," she smugly began, "are you ready to get up?"

He thought for a minute, only to break into a grin. He muttered a small 'please' as he sat up straight on the bed, soon followed by her. It was only then that he knew that he was safe with her. She wouldn't hurt him. She wouldn't force him. She wouldn't hit him or rape him like what had happened before.

He was safe now.

"Can you kiss me one more time?"

She happily nodded her head, "absolutely, pretty."