WHY DO YOU LOVE ME? - riki

✧ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 34 - ᴀʟʟ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ✧

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𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟯𝟰 - 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡

Riki sat alone in the dim light of their apartment, the silence pressing against his ears like a suffocating weight. Days had passed since Hwayoung's spirit was ripped from her body, and with each passing hour, the faint thread of hope he clung to unraveled further.

He stared at the pink baby duck vase hidden behind the TV. He hadn't even noticed it yet seeing that there was, a cruel reminder of her absence. His hand trembled as he reached for it, but he stopped halfway, clenching his fist instead. He didn't deserve to touch it. He didn't deserve her memory.

The thought that she might truly be gone—that she might never come back—was a cold dagger twisting in his chest. He couldn't stop replaying the moment Konon had taken her, the way her spirit had been pulled away, leaving her body behind like an abandoned shell. What if this time, she wasn't coming back? What if he had lost her forever?

Riki buried his face in his hands, his breath shaky as grief and anger swirled within him like a storm. He stood abruptly, unable to stay still, and grabbed his jacket. He couldn't sit here surrounded by her absence. He needed to move, to remember her in the only way he could now.

The rooftop was their first stop, the one where it had all started. Her laying drunk and wishing upon a strange occurrence in the sky. If she hadn't done that they would've never met. He would've never been able to start loving her.

The rooftop was empty now. Cold. Silent. He sat in the same spot she once was, staring at the sky that seemed so much darker without her.

"Why did you have to leave?" he whispered into the night. His voice cracked, and he swallowed hard, willing himself not to break. "You promised we'd fight together."

But she was gone, and the stars offered no comfort.

Next, he found himself at the hillside where they'd had their first picnic date. The grass was still green, the flowers in bloom, but none of it mattered. The colors seemed muted, dull without her. He could still see her there in his mind, the blanket and food he'd laid out for her that day, and her being confused about his weird eating habits. Her laughter had been the only thing that made that day perfect.

"I miss you," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I don't know how to do this without you."

The museum was the hardest. It was where they had spent a beautiful quiet afternoon talking about the history of the world, her hand in his as they walked through the exhibits. He couldn't even make it past the entrance before his legs gave out, and he sat there, his head in his hands, memories crashing over him like a tidal wave.

Every laugh, every touch, every moment they had shared felt like it was clawing at his chest, trying to pull him apart. He hadn't realized how much of himself he had given to her until she was gone. Now, there was nothing left.

Back at the apartment, the reminders of her were everywhere. The little decorations they had picked out together, the curtains she had insisted on, the throw pillows she loved. He touched them all like they were sacred artifacts, his anger and grief building with each moment.

The anger hit him suddenly, sharp and consuming. He grabbed one of the glass vases and threw it across the room, watching it hit the wall and completely shatter. "Why?" he shouted into the empty space. "Why did you have to leave me? Why now, when I finally had you?"

His chest heaved as he stared at the chaos he had created, the room strewn with reminders of her. He collapsed onto the couch, his head in his hands, his heart cold and heavy.

"If you don't come back," he murmured, his voice broken, "I'll never love anyone again. I can't. I won't."

But as the hours stretched into days, Riki wasn't sure if it was a promise to her—or to himself.

- 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝟎 -

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AUTHOR:

there is one chapter left

guys dont cry okay

but the ending...

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