When Love Forgets

Chapter 7

                 

                     Taehyung's POV

I tossed and turned all night, sleep evading me as my thoughts spun around the image of Mina’s tear-streaked face and the bruise on her cheek.

My mind kept coming back to one question—who did that to her? Why was she hiding it from me? And why the hell did it hurt to see her like that?

I had never been close enough to her since we married to care. That was what I told myself. But seeing her that broken, trembling as if I would harm her—it cut deeper than I thought possible.

Frustration gnawed at me. She wouldn’t tell me anything. She shut down the moment I tried to talk to her.

I grabbed my phone, my fingers hovering over the screen. Finally, I dialed the number of one of my men, a guy I trusted to keep an eye on things.

“Check where my wife went yesterday,” I ordered, my voice rough from the sleepless night.

It didn’t take long before he called back. “She was at her parents' house for a while.”

Her parents. It hit me like a punch to the gut. I clenched the phone, piecing it together. The bruise, her silence, her fear—it all pointed to them.

I remembered the stories about her stepmother, the rumors of how harsh she was. My jaw tightened in anger. If they were the ones hurting her…

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Mina, and it stayed with me all the way to the university the next day.

Sitting on the steps outside the building, I stared blankly at the sky, unable to focus on anything. My head was a mess, trying to understand why this bothered me so much.

“You look like hell,” Jimin’s voice cut through my thoughts as he sat down next to me.

I gave a half-hearted shrug. “Didn’t sleep.”

Jimin looked at me with raised brows.

“What’s wrong? You never look this distracted. Is it... something with Mina?”

I scoffed, trying to play it off, but Jimin knew me too well.

“I don’t know, man. I found out someone hurt her. She wouldn’t tell me who, but I think it’s her parents.”

My voice was low, filled with a frustration I couldn’t shake.

“And I raised my voice at her last night. She flinched like she thought I was going to hit her.”

Jimin was quiet for a moment before he spoke.

“You raised your voice?”

“Yeah, I didn’t mean to. I was just… angry. Frustrated. I thought she wasn’t being careful, and the press got photos of her looking all lost in the streets. But then... I don’t know. The way she reacted messed with my head.”

Jimin shook his head, a knowing look in his eyes.

“Taehyung, man, you need to apologize to her.”

I frowned. “Apologize?”

“Yes,” he said firmly. “She’s already dealing with a lot, and you raising your voice probably didn’t help. I know this whole marriage thing is complicated, but if you care at all, even a little, you should apologize. It’s not her fault.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

“Yeah… I know. You’re right.”

Jimin smiled slightly. “I always am.”

But even after the conversation with Jimin, I couldn’t shake the heavy feeling in my chest. Apologizing was one thing, but the truth was, I didn’t know what to do next.

I wasn’t used to this—the confusion, the guilt, the strange protectiveness that suddenly flared up whenever I thought of Mina.

And now, I had to face her, try to make things right. But part of me wasn’t sure where to even begin.

                  Mina's POV

I couldn’t bring myself to go to university today. The bruise on my face was too noticeable, and no amount of makeup could hide it. But even more than the bruise, it was the mess inside my head.

I felt trapped. My stepmother’s threats echoed in my mind, pushing me to stay close to Taehyung, for the sake of money, to avoid punishment.

But how could I? How could I be close to him for such a selfish purpose? The thought of it sickened me. And last night… the way he raised his voice, the look in his eyes. For the first time, I was truly hurt. Not just by his words, but by the fact that I felt the tiniest glimmer of care when he saw the bruise. He was angry, but I could tell he was worried, too.

Still, I couldn’t let him know the truth. The hell I was living in was mine to bear. I couldn't burden him with it, especially when he already seemed so far away.

It was evening now, and I tried to lose myself in a book. The words blurred together, offering no escape from my thoughts. I sat up when there was a knock on the door, expecting Jia.

“Come in,” I said absentmindedly.

But when the door opened, it wasn’t Jia. My heart jumped into my throat as I looked up to see Taehyung standing there.

His hands were tucked into his pockets, his figure tall and imposing, yet there was something softer in his expression tonight. He looked effortlessly handsome, as always, but tonight… there was something different.

I quickly stood, smoothing out my clothes, unsure of what to say. He didn’t speak right away. He just looked at me. His gaze lingered on my face, tracing the bruise, and then down to my hands, clenched nervously at my sides.

Finally, he broke the silence.

“How are you doing?” His voice was calm, almost gentle.

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his question.

“I’m fine,” I whispered, not meeting his eyes.

There was a pause before he spoke again.

“I… I don’t want you to think of me as a bad person.”

His voice was hesitant, as though he wasn’t sure how to put his thoughts into words.

“Last night, I didn’t mean to raise my voice like that. I was just… frustrated.”

I looked up at him, surprised by his words.

“Frustrated?” I echoed softly.

He nodded, shifting slightly.

“When I saw those pictures, you in the streets… it made me worry. You looked… lost. And I didn’t know where you were, what you were doing. I’m supposed to protect you, even if…”

His voice trailed off, as though he couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

“I didn’t want anyone to take advantage of you.”

His words hit me harder than I expected. I hadn’t realized he cared. Not like this.

“I’m sorry, Mina,” he said, his voice lowering.

“For last night. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I stared at him, my heart beating wildly.

“I… I never thought of you as a bad person, Taehyung.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. “I know you didn’t mean it.”

He held my gaze for a long moment, and I thought I saw a flicker of something in his eyes—something warm, something real. But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. He nodded once, then turned to leave.

“Thank you,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure if he heard me.

As the door closed behind him, I sat back down, my heart still racing. For the first time in a long while, I felt a flicker of hope, small but real. Maybe… just maybe, things could change between us.