Mina’s POV
The sound of the door creaking open made my heart skip a beat. My fingers froze around the glass, and I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t. I knew it was him. I could feel his presence, the weight of his gaze behind me, but I wasn’t ready to face him.
Not after everything. Not after he’d torn me apart and left me with nothing but these divorce papers and shattered memories.
I stared down at the water, my reflection distorted by the ripples as my hand trembled slightly. The house was so quiet, and the silence between us was suffocating, louder than any words could be.
He stepped into the room, his movements slow, hesitant. It felt like he was waiting for something, for me to say something. But I couldn’t. My throat felt tight, and my chest still ached from last night’s panic attack. I was barely holding myself together.
“Mina…” His voice was soft, quieter than usual. It wasn’t the cold, indifferent tone from before. But it still hit me hard, making my heart clench painfully.
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. The effort it took to just stand there was already draining what little strength I had left. I heard him sigh, a deep, frustrated sound, but he didn’t come any closer.
For a moment, I wondered if he was going to leave, if this would be another one of those moments where he walked out and left me to pick up the pieces. But he didn’t move.
Instead, I felt him take a step forward, the floor creaking slightly beneath his weight. My breath hitched, and for the first time, I dared to glance over my shoulder. His eyes met mine, and the expression on his face was unreadable.
“Mina, I—” He stopped, the words catching in his throat. He looked down, running a hand through his hair, frustration clear in the way he moved. “I didn’t know it was your birthday.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and almost painful to hear. I blinked, feeling a sting in my eyes, but I refused to let any more tears fall.
“I’m sorry,” he added, his voice strained.
Sorry? I wanted to laugh, but the sound that escaped me was more like a hollow exhale, void of any real emotion. Sorry for what? For not knowing? For handing me divorce papers on my birthday? For breaking every promise he ever made to me?
I shook my head slightly, biting the inside of my cheek to keep myself from saying something I’d regret. What was the point? He didn’t love me. He never would again.
“I don’t want your apology, Taehyung,” I finally whispered, my voice low and almost as empty as I felt. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
He frowned, his face filled with confusion and regret.
“Mina, I—”
“You don’t get it, do you?” I interrupted, my frustration bubbling to the surface. “I’ll sign the divorce papers. I’ll sign them the moment this arrangement is over.”
His expression shifted from shock to something unreadable, and I saw the guilt flicker in his eyes.
“Mina, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Hurt me?” I scoffed, my voice rising.
“You think you’re the only one suffering in this marriage? That this was just an inconvenience for you?"
He stepped closer, his face tight with tension.
"It's not like that. I didn’t ask for this marriage either."
"And you think I did?" I snapped, feeling the emotions I’d been holding in for so long finally break free.
"You weren’t the only one forced into this. I was abused, pushed into marrying you. But what was your reason, Taehyung? What stopped you from fighting for the person you love?"
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His silence was all the answer I needed.
“If you love Sora so much, why didn’t you fight for her?” I continued, my voice shaking with hurt and anger.
“Why did you let yourself get trapped in a marriage with someone you don’t even care about?”
“I was trying to protect my family!” he shot back, his voice sharp now. “Do you think I wanted any of this? I was angry—at my father, at the situation—”
“And you took it out on me.” I cut him off again, my chest tightening with every word.
"You threw the divorce papers in my face, told me everything between us was temporary. If I had known you were in love with someone else, I would’ve never married you. Never.”
His shoulders slumped, and for a moment, he looked lost, like he didn’t know what to say.
“Mina…” He took a step forward, his voice softer. “I didn’t mean for it to get this bad. I just—”
"You didn’t mean for it?" I laughed bitterly, shaking my head.
“What did you think would happen? That you’d be miserable, and I’d be fine? That I’d just sit here quietly while you tear me apart?”
His eyes flashed with guilt.
“I know I’ve hurt you, and I know I’ve been unfair, but—”
“You don’t know, Taehyung. You don’t know what this has done to me.”
His face tightened, frustration mixing with guilt.
“I know you’ve suffered, but don’t act like I’m the only one at fault here. This whole marriage—this wasn’t my choice either.”
I felt a lump form in my throat, but I didn’t let the tears fall. Not this time.
“Do you know what this marriage has done to me? Do you even care?” My voice cracked as I looked at him, the pain too raw to hide. “I used to dream of this day—of seeing you again, of things going back to how they used to be. But now…”
I hesitated, my voice trembling as I spoke.
“Now, I wish I had died in that accident with my mother.”
I saw the shock in his eyes, the way his face turned pale. His lips parted, but no sound came out. My words hung in the air like a weight too heavy to lift.
“Mina, don’t say that.” His voice was barely a whisper, filled with disbelief. “You don’t mean that.”
“Yes, I do.” My voice was cold, broken. “I waited for you, Taehyung. I waited for so long to see you again. I wanted to tell you how much I missed you, how much I loved you… but it was all a lie, wasn’t it?”
He shook his head, stepping closer, but I took a step back.
“No, Mina, it wasn’t a lie. I…” He trailed off, looking at me with an expression I couldn’t read. “I never wanted this.”
“You’re not the same person anymore,” I said quietly, my heart breaking all over again. “And neither am I.”
We stood in silence, the weight of everything between us pressing down. He looked like he wanted to say something, but I didn’t care anymore. There was nothing he could say to take away the pain.
“I wish I never met you again.”
The words left my mouth before I could stop them, but I didn’t regret them. They were true.
He flinched, as if the words physically hurt him, but I didn’t care.
I gave him a sad, broken smile.
“You’ll be free soon, Taehyung. Just bear with me a little longer. I promise… I’ll do my best not to show my face in front of you.”
And with that, I walked past him, leaving him standing in the kitchen, broken and lost in the wake of everything I had said.
YOU ARE READING
When Love Forgets
Fanfiction"I left Daegu with nothing but broken promises and a heart full of memories. My mother was gone, taken from me by a tragic accident, and Taehyung-my childhood love, my best friend-was lost too, his memories stolen by the crash. I tried to find him...
