Next Door to Them

Chapter Twelve

Aila was having a great day. It was Friday, which meant it was Seokjin's birthday.

She texted him in the morning wishing him a happy birthday. She asked for his plans like she didn't know what was coming.

She got to make his cake early in the morning, too excited for anything else. She messaged a picture to Erick and he said he would love it.

She left early as well. She knew Jimin said around seven but she could go and help out anyways. So around five she said bye to her coworkers, smiling big for the celebration that was to come.

The drive home seemed to go by faster. It was around 5:30 when she pulled over and saw Erick was already home. She frowned. Erick hadn't said anything. She parked and went to check the house.

The lights were out.

Her only explanation: Erick was next door. She decided to send him a quick text letting him know she got there and rushed to her car. She took out the cake she had packed in a white box as well as some balloons.

She was happy.

Today felt good.

She decided to go through side door by the kitchen. It was open, thankfully, so she quietly made her way in. She placed the cake and balloons in the center of the kitchen island. She didn't know where Seokjin was and this needed to be a surprise.

From the living room, she heard voices.

In specific, she heard Erick talking. She began to make her way to the living room, trying to be quiet just in case Seokjin was there.

"We know you found her Erick. How could you do this? To Aila in specific." Seokjin sounded hurt and mad.

Wait, who did Erick find?

She crept up to the living room, getting a better view. All of them were seated facing Erick. They all looked serious and somewhat irritated.

The face Erick made broke her. He looked lost, broken and hurt. His eyes became watery and she could see his throat bobbing.

But what made her mad was how everyone sat defensive while Erick was breaking in front of them.

"Please tell us what's going on?" Seokjin's voice cracked with a little bit of sympathy.

Just what the fuck is going on.

She was getting ready to barge into the living room but Erick began to speak. Something told her to sit and listen.

Why would Namjoon, Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook look so defensive. She understood it had to do with someone. They had asked how could he do this to 'her.'

Do what?

Her heart soften listening to Erick talk about how much she meant to him. She never really understood how she caught his attention. She never really believed anyone could fall in love with her. But her heart smiled at his kind words.

She missed some words while she daybreamed about her Erick but abruptly came back when the words 'mark burned and it seemed hers did too' echoed in the room.

Her heart dropped at what he said. Her mind raced to make sense of the words.

His mark burned and so did hers.

Her chest became tight instantly, with a pulse in the back of her head. Her heartbeat became faster as she tried to listened to his story but it was hard to concentrate when her mind began to darken the world around her.

He found this soulmate.

That was all her mind kept saying, a nasty voice getting louder and louder in her mind.

He lied.

How many times had he told her he was at work, at meetings? Were all those late nights and trips a lie?

Her mind began to question everything he had done the past couple of months, anxiety and doubt clouding her mind.

No, no, no,

Erick would never do that to her. He promised to love her. He took care of her emotions. His touches are the most tender. He loves her. He told her he loved her and you don't lie when there's love, true love.

Her heart broke. She trusted him. She gave him her heart to take care of.

It wasn't the fact he found his soulmate, it was the fact she believed he would tell her and not leave her in the dark. But apparently, everyone knew except her.

Did they all know? Did they help him cover his tracks?

Then, what finished her heart was when she caught his confessing about sleeping with her.

Her whole world crumbled in a second. All her confidence, all the promises, everything they had build was for nothing.

She trusted him. And now she's beyond broken and shattered. The knot at the back of her throat felt asphyxiating. Everything around her seemed to blur, the noises not reaching her ears as her life crumbled around her.

How does she even face him? Them?

"—believed she was damned to hell! I love her and I can't let her go."

No you don't love someone and keep them on the dark.

"But you can't keep this up! You have meet your soulmate and you have more than one! You fucking bonded with one as well! You have lied to Aila for four months! Even we have started to see how it was affected her! Either you tell Aila, or I will."

Seokjin's words brought her back.

No.

She's not going to be humiliated anymore. How could he have the heart to keep such a facade? To act like nothing was happening? To cover his bond to his soulmate? To act like it wasn't killing him to be away from her?

She took a deep breath before she spoke.

"I c—"

"That won't be necessary."

She stepped up to the living room, looking straight at Erick. His faced morphed into disbelief.

She tried to stop it but the tears blurred her vision.

"Nena, it's not what it looks like, I was—"

"I don't think it matters now Erick." The tears came down her face. Erick immediately got up the chair but Taehyung and Namjoon got in his way.

"Baby please, please listen to me. Please let me explain everything to you. I'm begging!" He tried to fight the arms holding him down but Taehyung and Namjoon were not going to let him go.

Aila's sobs broke all their hearts. Her pain was too much.

She wasn't prepared for this type of heart break. She imagined this day happening, but it never crossed her mind it would go like this.

Never deceived.

"You are a motherfucking cheat! You fucking cheated!"

"Baby, please it wasn't me! The bond! The pull! It w—"

"No it's not about that! It's the fact you lied! It's the fact you all knew!"

She looked at her friends. Everyone she ever trusted was present in this very room.

"No Aila, we didn't want to! I promise I wanted..."

Aila's breath became uneven. Jimin rushed over to her side but she pushed him away.

"Don't fucking touch me! I don't want to hear the excuses!"

She needed get out. Her breaths were coming ragged and her lungs felt like they weren't getting air. Her vision became dark and the tears were not helping.

Her chest hurt, her hands felt numb. And her breathing, she couldn't make it steady. Her cries and sobs echoed in the house as she ran out the living room and stumbled out the door.

Erick stood paralyzed as he watched Hoseok and Yoongi run after her.

He stood paralyzed as he realized he lost her.