Bound by Love (Jaeyong)

Chapter 2: A Frigid Beginning

The day of their wedding arrived amidst a flurry of elaborate preparations and whispered conversations among the elite circles that attended. The grandeur of the occasion belied the tension that simmered beneath the surface, particularly between Jaehyun and Taeyong.

Taeyong, clad in a meticulously tailored suit, smiled brilliantly for the cameras and greeted guests with practiced charm. His facade of happiness was flawless, concealing the turmoil within. Beside him, Jaehyun remained composed, his demeanor dignified as he fulfilled his role in the carefully choreographed proceedings.

Amidst the exchange of vows and the flutter of congratulatory whispers, their parents presented them with the key to a luxurious house—a testament to their families' wealth and a symbolic gesture of their new life together. The mansion, nestled in an exclusive neighborhood, exuded opulence from every corner, yet its vast halls echoed with a silence that mirrored the emotional distance between its new occupants.

As the evening drew to a close, Jaehyun and Taeyong found themselves alone in their new home for the first time. The air between them was thick with unspoken words and unresolved tension.

Taeyong paced the marble floors of the living room, his movements restless. He glanced at Jaehyun briefly, their eyes meeting before quickly flickering away. "Well, here we are," he remarked, his tone laced with a bitterness he couldn't quite disguise.

Jaehyun nodded, his gaze steady. "Yes, here we are," he echoed softly, unsure of how to breach the wall of ice that had settled between them.

Their parents' parting gift—a sprawling estate filled with extravagant furnishings and echoes of past memories—loomed around them, a stark reminder of the expectations that now bound them together. Despite the grandeur, the silence that enveloped them was deafening.

They drifted through the evening with a strained civility, exchanging polite pleasantries and carefully avoiding the deeper currents of emotion that threatened to surface. When night fell, they retreated to separate wings of the house, retreating into solitude as they grappled with the weight of their new reality.

In the days that followed, their interactions remained limited to practical matters—a shared meal at the expansive dining table, brief exchanges about household logistics. Jaehyun threw himself into his work with renewed determination, the familiar routines offering a semblance of normalcy amidst the upheaval of his personal life.

Meanwhile, Taeyong juggled the demands of his university studies, the weight of unfinished theses hanging over him like a shadow. His days were spent in the quiet solitude of his study, immersed in textbooks and research papers, seeking solace in the academic pursuits that had long been his refuge.

Occasionally, their paths would cross in the corridors of their new home—a fleeting glance exchanged, words left unspoken. Each encounter served as a painful reminder of the chasm that separated them, a rift forged by conflicting desires and unspoken expectations.

As weeks turned into months, Jaehyun found himself drawn to the window of his study, gazing out at the sprawling grounds that surrounded their estate. The changing seasons painted the landscape in hues of gold and crimson, a reminder of the passage of time and the fleeting nature of their shared existence.

Tbc