Forbidden Step-Love🔞 | KTH

Chapter 4

Shame gnawed at you like a starving beast. Your mother's face, etched with the laughter lines you cherished, flashed in your mind, a stark contrast to the raw need burning in Taehyung's eyes. Yet, the warmth of his touch lingered on your skin, a phantom echo of the forbidden dance you'd just initiated.

"Dad," you choked out, the single word a desperate attempt to reclaim the boundaries you'd so recklessly crossed. But the tremor in your voice betrayed you.

His own voice held a ragged edge as he mirrored your plea. "Sweetheart, don't." His eyes, however, held a different story - a story of a hunger that mirrored your own, a hunger that transcended the roles you were supposed to play.

With a shuddering breath, you leaned forward again, the space between your lips collapsing. This kiss was different. The initial raw hunger had morphed into a desperate search for comfort, for connection, for something you both shouldn't crave. The guilt that had been a gnawing ache now roared, a deafening alarm in the quiet room.

Just as the kiss deepened, the unmistakable rumble of a car engine shattered the fragile bubble you'd created. You tore yourself away abruptly, gasping for breath. Panic surged through you, the weight of your actions crashing down with renewed force.

Taehyung's eyes mirrored your terror. He ran a hand through his hair, his chest heaving with exertion. The room, once filled with unspoken desires, now hung thick with a suffocating silence.

"Who could that be?" he rasped, his voice rough and tight.

The question hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the reality you'd been desperately trying to escape. You scrambled to your feet, the guilt a physical weight dragging you down.

"I... uh... I'll go check," you stammered, your voice barely a whisper. You darted from the room, his bewildered gaze burning into your back.

As you fled down the stairs, the image of his bare chest and the forbidden taste of his kiss seared into your memory. The forbidden fruit you'd tasted was both exhilarating and devastating, leaving a bitter aftertaste in your mouth. On the landing, you bumped into Mrs. Kim, your mother's best friend, a warm smile creasing her face.

"There you are, dear! I just brought over some of your mother's favorite cookies," she chirped, oblivious to the storm raging inside you.

The scent of vanilla and cinnamon, a familiar comfort from your childhood, hit you like a physical blow. It was the last fragrance your mother had baked into the kitchen before her illness took hold. Tears welled up in your eyes, blurring your vision.

"Thank you, Mrs. Kim," you managed, your voice thick with emotion. You accepted the container, the weight of it suddenly unbearable. It wasn't just the cookies; it was the weight of your mother's memory, of the life you'd shattered with a single, guilt-ridden kiss.

As Mrs. Kim continued chatting, you excused yourself, seeking refuge in your room. The room you shared with your mother, a room that still held the faint scent of her perfume. Burying your face in her favorite pillow, you allowed the tears to fall freely.

You loved your step-father as a father, or at least, you thought you did. But this... this was something else entirely. A tangled mess of grief, confusion, and a yearning you couldn't explain. The taste of betrayal, not just of your mother, but of yourself, filled your mouth.

The forbidden kiss hung heavy between you and Taehyung, a secret that threatened to destroy everything you held dear. You knew you couldn't continue down this path. But the question remained - how do you step back from the precipice without hurting everyone in the process?

The guilt coiled around you like a viper, squeezing the life out of your already fragile sleep. Every time you drifted towards unconsciousness, the image of Taehyung's bare chest and the taste of his kiss would flash behind your eyelids, jolting you awake with a fresh wave of shame. Hours bled into one another, the silence of the house broken only by the occasional creak of floorboards or the distant hooting of an owl.