Forever (Mine II)

Chapter 28

The Crushing Reality

The days following the devastating news were a blur for Kim. The ceremony was held, and now he was back in his room, his eyes dead and lost in thought. He sat on his bed, the soft breaths of his sleeping children the only sound in the room.

One evening, Kim overheard a heated conversation from another room. He crept closer, straining to hear what was being said. It was Thankhun's voice that made his blood run cold. "Because of you, Kim is suffering like this. If you had cared about him, this wouldn't have happened to Vegas."

Kim's heart pounded in his chest. He pushed open the door and stepped inside. "What are you talking about, Thankhun?" he demanded, his voice shaking with anger.

Kinn and Thankhun turned to him, their faces a mix of shock and guilt. Kinn looked particularly distressed, unable to hide the fear in his eyes.

"What's going on, Kinn?" Kim asked, his voice rising. "What care should you have taken?"

Thankhun remained silent, unable to meet Kim's gaze. "Kinn, what did you do to Vegas?" Kim's voice was laced with fury.

Kinn's face paled, and he stammered, "Kim, it was a mistake. I didn't know it would end like this. I was trying to protect you."

Kim's hand shot up, cutting off Kinn's words. "I don't want excuses. I want the truth. What happened to Vegas?"

Thankhun finally spoke, his voice trembling. "Kim, it was Father's plan. He wanted the business opportunity that Vegas was after. Kinn tried to protect him, but it wasn't enough."

Kim's blood boiled. "What did Father do?"

Kinn's voice was barely above a whisper. "Father wanted the deal for himself. When Vegas got it, Father saw him as a threat. I tried to convince him to let us work with Vegas, to make a partnership, but he didn't listen. I thought he agreed, but he had other plans."

Kim's eyes narrowed. "What plans?"

Kinn swallowed hard. "He arranged for Vegas to be killed. They pushed his body off a cliff into the sea. I didn't know until it was too late."

Kim's world shattered. His father had orchestrated Vegas's death, and Kinn had been unable to stop it. He felt a rage like never before, a burning desire for revenge.

"You knew," Kim said, his voice deadly calm. "You knew and didn't tell me."

Kinn's eyes filled with tears. "I was trying to protect you and the kids. I didn't want you to suffer more."

Kim's fists clenched. "You didn't protect anyone. You let this happen."

Thankhun stepped forward. "Kim, please, try to understand. Kinn did what he could. Father is ruthless."

Kim's eyes blazed with fury. "I don't care. Vegas is dead because of you all. I'll never forgive you."

The room was thick with tension as Kim stood facing Kinn and Thankhun, his eyes blazing with a mix of grief and fury. His voice, though quiet, carried the weight of his broken heart. "I don't understand why you hate me so much that you'd kill my happiness," he said, his voice trembling.

Kinn's eyes widened in shock. "Kim, I never wanted this. You know that."

Kim shook his head. "You were my brother, Kinn. Maybe not by blood, but you were still my brother. I trusted you."

Kinn's face paled. "You knew?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

"I know everything," Kim replied, his tone cold. "You're a fool for believing Father's lies. That's why all of this happened."

Kinn shook his head, desperately trying to make sense of it all. "Father didn't lie to me"

Kim's anger flared. "Then why do you still support him, even knowing that he's the one who killed your parents?"

Kinn recoiled, shock etched across his face. "No... you're lying," he stammered, refusing to believe it.

Kim's eyes narrowed, his voice dripping with bitterness. "Are you accusing me of lying?"

Without another word, Kim walked over to a nearby drawer and pulled out a book. He slammed it onto the table, the sound echoing through the room. "Read it, dumbass. It's our mother's diary."

Kinn hesitated before slowly opening the diary. As he read, his face drained of color, his hands shaking. The truth, laid bare in their mother's handwriting, shattered his defenses. Everything he had believed about his father was a lie.

"Everything he said was a lie," Kim continued, his voice cracking with emotion. "He used you, manipulated you, and now you've given him the chance to kill my love."

Kinn's eyes filled with tears as he looked up at Kim, his heart breaking at the realization of what he had done. "Kim, I'm so sorry... I didn't know."

Kim's anger only intensified. "Because of you, I lost my man. You're dead to me, Kinn. You're dead in my heart."

Kinn's breath caught in his throat as Kim's words cut through him like a knife. "I never thought of you as just a stepbrother. You were my family, Kinn. I treated you as my equal, but you destroyed everything."

Kinn tried to speak, but the weight of his guilt rendered him silent. He had never seen Kim like this—so cold, so detached.

Kim's voice was final, leaving no room for argument. "I don't want to see anyone right now. So leave."

Thankhun tried to step forward, his hand reaching out to comfort Kim, but Kim's glare stopped him in his tracks. "Leave!" Kim shouted, his voice filled with such pain and anger that it left no room for protest.

Thankhun and Kinn exchanged a glance, both knowing there was nothing they could say to fix this. They slowly turned and left the room, the door closing behind them with a heavy finality.

As the silence enveloped him, Kim felt the full weight of his loss. He sank to the floor, his hands trembling as he clutched his head. The pain was unbearable, the reality of Vegas's death crashing over him in waves. The diary lay on the table, a cruel reminder of the truth he could no longer escape.

He was alone, and nothing would ever be the same again.