Twisted Devotion | taekook

chapter. 3

The words swirled around them like a cloud of poisonous fumes, heavy and suffocating. I want a divorce. Taehyung’s world stopped, freezing in that moment, the meaning of Jungkook's words hovering between them like an insurmountable barrier. In theory, Taehyung understood their weight. Divorce meant an end. An irreversible fracture. But in practice, the thought of separating from Jungkook was simply unimaginable. It was an impossibility that only happened to other people, never to them.

Jungkook’s wedding ring, tucked deep in his pocket, burned a hole through the fabric as if it were physically rejecting the very idea of their marriage ending. The image of him sliding that ring onto younger's finger replayed in his mind, the promise they made to each other echoing in his ears like a cruel joke.

“I can’t believe I married someone who likes mint chocolate chip,” Taehyung had teased not so long ago, his voice light as Jungkook devoured a bowl of his favorite ice cream, the green flecks stark against the white cream.

Jungkook had smiled at him, that same mischievous, heart-stopping smile. “You know you’re basically eating toothpaste, right?” Taehyung had added, his stomach flipping at the sight of Jungkook's joy, his eyes twinkling with the kind of warmth that always made Taehyung feel like home.

“Delicious toothpaste.” Jungkook’s smile had widened, his laugh infectious. They had been married for exactly one week, two days, and twelve hours, and Taehyung still couldn’t believe Jungkook was his. “You knew about my taste in dessert before our wedding, so you can’t complain now. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me and my mint chocolate forever.”

Forever.

Taehyung had clung to that word like a lifeline. Before Jungkook, he had never believed in such a concept. Forever didn’t exist—people, places, relationships…they all had an expiration date. But Jungkook had changed everything. For the first time in his life, Taehyung had allowed himself to believe that maybe someone would stay, that maybe this love would last.

His hand had sought out Jungkook's in that moment, their fingers naturally intertwining as if they were always meant to be linked. “Promise?” he had whispered, his voice barely audible over the explosions from the action movie playing on the screen.

Jungkook had smiled softly, his eyes full of love. “I promise.”

That promise, that memory of warmth and joy, shattered with the sound of a door slamming somewhere in the distance, snapping Taehyung back to the cold reality in front of him. The buzzing in his ears intensified, drowning out everything except the thundering of his own heart. This can’t be happening, he thought, struggling to breathe, to comprehend the enormity of what Jungkook was saying.

“You don’t mean that,” Taehyung finally managed, his voice rough, barely above a whisper. He could see the pain in Jungkook's eyes, the unshed tears glistening, but what hurt more was the look of quiet determination on his face. Jungkook wasn’t angry, wasn’t yelling—he was simply done.

Goodlord, why his tie felt too tight around his neck?

Taehyung's breath came out in shallow gasps as if there was an iron grip around his throat, suffocating him. His fingers reached up instinctively to loosen a tie that wasn’t there, only to find the damp collar of his shirt clinging to his skin. It didn’t matter. The sensation of being strangled, of something pressing against his chest, remained.

“You never told me,” Taehyung murmured, his voice cracking under the weight of his disbelief. He let his hand fall limply to his side, staring at Jungkook, wondering where everything had gone wrong. “You never said anything about feeling this way…until now.”