Did We Love Each Other ✔️

Chapter 22

The next day...

Taehyung woke with a low groan, an unfamiliar ache spreading through his entire body. He shifted slowly, attempting to sit up-but the sharp sting of pain forced him back down. Blinking rapidly, he rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the fog clouding his vision and steady his aching limbs. Gradually, the weariness softened, and he managed to sit upright on the edge of the bed.

As he opened his eyes, a cold breeze brushed against his right side, sending a soft shiver through him. His gaze drifted toward the window, where the world outside painted the most beautiful picture-clear skies stretched endlessly, and cherry blossom petals swayed gently with the wind. A soft coo escaped his lips, mesmerized by the flawless beauty of the morning.

That's when he realized he wasn't in his own room-he had fallen asleep in his secret room. A sudden flash of memory shot through his mind, making his heart race. His gaze dropped to his naked body, and the scenes from last night crashed over him, causing his breath to hitch. His eyes shifted to the mirror, where his skin was covered in dark, vivid hickeys. His swollen lips still bore faint traces of blood, leaving him stunned and strangely numb. Heat began to bloom inside him, spreading with every thought of the marks his baby husband had left.

His heart skipped a beat at the memory of his husband's moaning, sweat-slicked face from the night before. He looked back at the mirror, fingers trembling as they traced the tender bruises. His cheeks flushed deep crimson, and his ocean-blue eyes widened, filled with a shy, small smile as he took in the proof of their intimate night.

His gaze swept slowly around the room, searching for the one person who had left him in this state-but his baby was nowhere to be seen. The memories of the night before came rushing back in a dizzy haze. He didn't know how many hours their bodies had moved together, only that it had been endless... infinite. Even when the first light of dawn slipped between the curtains, they hadn't stopped.

He couldn't remember when his eyes had finally surrendered to exhaustion, pulling him into a deep, dreamless sleep. But now... where is his bun? What is he doing? Did his baby also cherish the marks he had left-those tokens of his hunger from last night? Did his baby enjoy every touch, every kiss, the way their breaths had mingled?

His mind stirred at the thought of how his baby might look now, skin scattered with his hickeys. Just imagining it made his chest tighten-it would be a sight that could steal his breath, maybe even his sanity.

With a restless urgency, he slipped out of bed, grabbing a towel as he moved. Pushing open the closet door, he stepped inside his room, the quiet space carrying the faint scent of his baby. Without hesitation, he headed into the washroom, craving the sting of a long, hot shower-something to awaken his body again, to make it ready, stronger...

After dressing, Taehyung left his room quietly, but his heart sank-his baby still hadn't come inside their room. The absence weighed heavily on him, a silent sadness he couldn't shake.

As he left the room and entered the dining room, he saw his father, engrossed in a book, sipping coffee as usual. His eyes wandered to the others-Enwoo and Lisa chatting softly to Jimin's unborn baby, while Yoonji and Jin were busy in the kitchen. But the one person Taehyung longed to see the most is nowhere to be found in the entire mansion.

"Did you just wake up, oppa? Why did you sleep for so long, huh? Do you know how long we've been waiting for you? If you were going to be this late, I wouldn't have woken up so early! Now look-you made my precious beauty sleep is gone, and you were here slept like a rock!"

Lisa spoke with a soft, frustrated tone, her pout unmistakable as she momentarily forgot the weight of the truths she'd uncovered just yesterday. Taehyung's gaze lingered on her, searching deeply-for some hint of fear or hesitation in his sister's beautiful eyes, but found none. Instead, all he saw reflected in his sister's beautiful eyes was the pure, unwavering love he had always known is there-and that love is meant only for him.