𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐅𝐄 || 𝐉𝐉𝐊

chapter thirty-eight

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...

"Because it has always been you," he said simply, his voice carrying a weight that made my heart skip a beat.

I stared at him, completely thrown by his response. His words were full of a history I didn't understand, a depth I couldn't yet grasp.

Ethan Seo, the man who was trying to ruin everything I had with Jungkook, was looking at me as if I was the only thing that ever mattered.

The air between us was thickened with unspoken words and unresolved emotions. I stood frozen, my heart pounding in my chest as his eyes met mine-dark and clouded with something I couldn't quite place.

There was a rawness there, a depth of feeling that made me wonder if, somehow, I had hurt him. But how could I? When had I?

Why was he looking at me with those...broken emotions?

"You still have 10 hours left," he said, breaking the silence. His words pulled me back from the storm of my own thoughts, but I still couldn't shake the unease.

"If this is all you had to say, then we're done talking." His voice was cold, detached, as he turned his attention back to the laptop on the table.

My fists clenched at my sides. I felt helpless-like no matter what I said, it wouldn't matter.

He wasn't going to let this go.

"We-" I started, my voice trembling, but he cut me off before I could even begin.

"There's no more discussion to be had," he said firmly, eyes still fixed on the screen. "The only thing now left is a choice."

He paused, and it felt like the longest moment of my life. Then he finally added, "And that choice is gonna be yours."

His words echoed in my mind, leaving me feeling more lost than before. This situation, this man, was pushing me to the brink. I'd faced challenges before, but nothing like this. This was tearing me apart, breaking me piece by piece.

Leaving me with no hope at all...

Without another word, I turned and walked out of the room, each step felt heavier than the last, my heart sank deeper with every breath.

How was I going to...fix this?

[End of y/n's pov]

...

-#meanwhile:[Ethan's pov]:

As I watched her leave from the corner of my eyes, I slowly leaned back in my chair. My expression stern as I shifted my eyes towards the window, looking at the heights I had reached, how everyone was beneath me but despite that I still felt inferior.

There was nothing that I couldn't have if I wanted but still I couldn't shake off this unexplainable feeling that was gwaning at me, that ache in my chest which still remained as sharp and clear as before.

After a moment, I reached for the drawer beside me, pulling it open with deliberate slowness. Inside laid an old photograph-the one that I look at almost everyday.

I picked it up, my fingers brushing over its surface, tracing the lines of the faces in the picture. A bitter-sweet smile tugged at the corners of my lips as memories stirred, flooding my mind.

For a long moment, I stared at it, feeling the weight of everything unspoken. Then, with a quiet sigh, I placed the photograph back in the drawer, shutting it softly.