A Bond Not Meant To Be - Markhyuck

Chapter 8: "I'm sorry"

At the hospital, Haechan's condition had worsened.

His brothers surrounded his bed, their faces pale with fear as they watched Haechan's shallow breathing and the soft beeping of the machines monitoring his vitals. The doctors had done everything they could, but the rejection bond was something they couldn't fix with medicine or treatment.

"He's slipping away,"

Taeyong whispered, his voice hoarse. He sat by Haechan's bedside, holding his hand, his own tears barely held back. Jaehyun stood behind him, a steadying presence, though his eyes too were filled with sorrow.

Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung stood by, watching helplessly. They had never seen Haechan look so fragile, so close to the edge. The weight of the situation was crushing them, and there was nothing they could do but wait.

"Do you think... do you think he'll wake up?"

Jisung asked, his voice trembling.

None of them answered. The silence in the room was deafening.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Mark stumbled into the room, breathless and wild-eyed. He scanned the room, his gaze finally landing on Haechan lying motionless in the hospital bed.

"Haechan!"

Mark's voice cracked as he rushed to the bedside, his heart dropping at the sight before him.

The pale skin, the weak rise and fall of Haechan's chest-it was worse than he had imagined.

Jeno, who had been standing closest to the door, took a step forward, his expression dark with anger.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

All of his brothers gathered to prevent Mark from seeing Haechan -each wearing expressions that were a mix of worry, anger, and protectiveness. Mark had seen them plenty of times before, but never like this. Their normally warm smiles were nowhere to be found. Instead, their eyes narrowed when they spotted him approaching.

Mark didn't have time to deal with this. He needed to see Haechan, to make things right. Without a second thought, he tried to push past them toward the bed.

But before he could reach it, Jeno stepped in front of him, blocking his path. His tall frame and stern expression sent a clear message: Stop.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Jeno's voice was low, firm, and laced with a warning.

"I need to see him,"

Mark said, desperation creeping into his voice.

"I have to talk to him."

Jisung, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, shook his head, his face hardening.

"You think now is a good time, Mark? After everything?"

Mark's heart sank, but he didn't back down.

"I didn't know-I didn't realize what I was doing. I didn't know it would affect him like this."

Jaemin, who had been standing silently beside Taeyong, finally spoke, his voice cold.

"You didn't know? That's your excuse? You've been his closest friend for years. You should've known better."

Mark swallowed hard, feeling the weight of their accusations. They were right. He should've known better. He should've seen the signs, should've recognized that Haechan's playful affection wasn't just that. It had been more-so much more.

"I didn't mean to reject him,"

Mark said quietly, his eyes pleading with them.

"I swear, I didn't mean for this to happen. If I had known-"

Jeno cut him off with a sharp glare.

"If you had known, what? You would've spared him? You would've taken his feelings seriously? It's a little late for that, don't you think?"

Jaemin stepped closer to Mark, his voice tight with barely contained anger.

"Do you have any idea what Haechan has been through because of you? How much pain he's in?"

Mark's throat tightened. Of course he didn't. He hadn't even known Haechan was his mate. He hadn't known what the rejection had done to him. But none of that mattered now. What mattered was Haechan, lying in that hospital bed because of him.

"I'm sorry," Mark whispered, his voice breaking. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? You think 'sorry' is going to fix this? You broke him, Mark. You-"

"I didn't realize... I didn't know how much I-"

"You knew!" Renjun interrupted, his voice rising in anger.

"You saw how he was suffering, and you did nothing! You rejected him like he meant nothing to you!"

"I didn't know!"

Mark shouted back, tears streaming down his face.

"I didn't know what I was doing! I thought... I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn't want to hurt him, but I ended up hurting him even more."

The room fell silent, the weight of Mark's words settling over them all.

Jeno grabbed Mark's shirt with trembling hands, his grip tight with anger and despair. His eyes, filled with unshed tears, locked onto Mark's, a storm of emotion swirling within them. His voice, thick with hurt, wavered as he spoke, barely holding himself together.

"You... you broke him,"

Jeno choked out, his words raw and accusing, each syllable laced with a pain that cut deeper than anything Mark had ever heard before.

"He loves you so, so much, Mark."

The tears that Jeno had been fighting to hold back finally broke free, spilling down his face in silent agony. His body shook with the weight of the emotion he had been carrying for too long, each tear a testament to the love Haechan had given-love that Mark had shattered without even realizing.

"Jeno, that's enough."

Taeyong's voice was firm, though the anger still simmered beneath the surface. He looked at Mark, his gaze hard, but there was something else there too-something like exhaustion.

"We get it, you didn't know. But that doesn't change the fact that Haechan's in there because of you."

Mark's chest felt tight, his breathing shallow. He could feel the weight of their anger, their judgment pressing down on him. But nothing they could say could be worse than what he was already feeling.

"I just want to see him,"

Mark said softly, his eyes pleading.

"Please."

There was a long, tense silence as the brothers exchanged glances. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Taeyong sighed and stepped aside, though his expression remained cold.

"You've got five minutes," he muttered, "and don't make it worse."

Mark barely heard him, his attention focused entirely on Haechan. He reached out, his hands trembling as he gently cupped Haechan's face. The coldness of his skin sent a jolt of panic through Mark's body.

"Please, Haechan... please wake up,"

Mark whispered, his voice breaking.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry Haechan. I didn't mean it. I didn't know... I didn't know it would come to this."

Mark's hands trembled as he held onto Haechan's limp form, his heart shattering with every passing second.

"Please," he whispered again, his voice barely audible.

"Please come back to me."

But there was no response. Haechan lay still, his breathing slow and shallow, his body teetering on the edge of life and death.

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i still don't know how the ending will turn out :,)
would you prefer a sad or happy ending?