FATE'S GAME | | BTS FF (18+)

CHAPTER SEVEN

ISHITA CHOUDHARY

I watched him walk away, phone pressed to his ear, his back straight like always. He didn't even glance at me. He never did, not for long.

I stood there in the dress, still feeling all the eyes on me. My fingers lightly touched the fabric at my side. It was soft. Beautiful. Too perfect for something that wasn't real.

The saleslady was still talking, saying how great I looked, how the dress seemed made just for me. But her voice felt far away. I wasn't really listening.

Because I wasn't here to fall in love with a dress. I was here because of a deal. A contract. A fake marriage.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror nearby. I looked like a bride. But I didn't feel like one.

I felt like a pawn.

I turned my head slightly, trying to see where he had gone. He was still on the phone, standing a little distance away. His shoulders were tense now. He wasn't calm like before.

Something was wrong.

I could tell by the way his jaw moved, the way he held the phone tighter than before.

The saleslady kept asking me if I wanted to try another dress, but I just shook my head.

"No," I said quietly. "This one is fine."

But my eyes didn't leave Taehyung. I could feel that something had shifted.

And then, almost like it was meant to happen that way, he stopped talking. He froze. His whole body went still.

He stared at his phone like it had just said something he didn't believe. Or something that scared him.

I'd never seen him like that before.

He was cold. Strong. Untouchable.

But now, for a second, he looked... human.

He closed his eyes, his face darkening with something I couldn't quite read.

Then suddenly, he looked up, his gaze meeting mine across the store. I jerked upright, straightening instinctively.

His expression was back to normal, his mask of indifference in place. He walked over towards me, his steps measured.

The saleslady was still speaking, but I didn't hear her. My eyes were fixed on him.

On his face.

On those eyes.

As he came closer, his phone went back into his pocket. He looked at me, his gaze briefly sweeping over me, taking in the dress.

I could feel him evaluating my expression. My reaction. But I didn't say anything. I just returned his gaze.

"We're leaving."

His voice was blunt, leaving no room for argument.

I nodded without a word.

The saleslady finally stopped her chattering, sensing the sudden change in the air. She seemed a little confused, her eyes shifting between me and him.

"When is the wedding sir?" The saleslady asked .

I turned to look at Taehyung, expecting him to brush the question off or ignore it like he usually did.

But instead, he answered.

"Tomorrow."

The word hit me like a slap.

I blinked, thinking I heard him wrong. "What?"