Blades of the Heart: Bound by betrayal...

Chapter 7: Shattered Illusions

"In shared pain, they found purpose, their fury a tether stronger than forgiveness."

Akayas POV

The air in the abandoned warehouse felt heavier tonight, oppressive and thick with the weight of what she was about to reveal. Akaya stood alone in the shadows, her eyes tracing the outline of the cracked, crumbling walls as she waited for Jungkook to arrive. She could feel the nervous energy coiled tight in her chest, a pressure that threatened to choke her with each shallow breath.

This was it—the moment she had been waiting for, the moment that might finally make him understand who his father truly was. But tonight would be different. Tonight, she wasn't just bringing him the truth about her mother's murder; she was about to rip open another wound, one he didn't even know he had. One that would change everything.

She glanced down at the folder in her hands, her fingers trembling. The papers inside were damning, irrefutable proof of what she had suspected for so long. But knowing the truth and revealing it to someone else were two very different things. She had seen what Jungkook was capable of—the strength of his loyalty, the rage that simmered just beneath the surface. And tonight, she was about to set it all on fire.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the empty building, and she straightened, forcing herself to lock away the fear that clawed at her insides. She had no choice. This had to be done.

Jungkook emerged from the shadows like a storm, his expression already dark with suspicion and barely controlled anger. His presence filled the room, all tension and tightly coiled fury, and for a moment, she wondered if he had already guessed why she had called him here. If some part of him already knew that she was about to tear apart the foundations of his world.

"You better have a good reason for this," he said, his voice cold and biting, every word a challenge.

Akaya met his gaze without flinching, refusing to be intimidated. "I do," she said evenly, holding the folder up for him to see. "This time, it's not just about my mother, Jungkook. It's about yours."

His eyes narrowed, the confusion clear, but there was something else there, too—a flash of vulnerability that cut through his hard exterior. She pressed on before he could interrupt, her voice turning colder and sharper.

"Your father," she said, enunciating each word slowly, "didn't just have my mother killed. He's the reason your mother is dead, too."

The silence that followed her words was deafening. For a moment, Jungkook looked as if he hadn't heard her at all—like he couldn't possibly process what she had just said. Then his face twisted into a mask of fury and disbelief.

"No," he said, the denial immediate and fierce. "You're lying. My mother died because of the gang she was involved with, because of—"

"Hiroshi," Akaya interrupted, her voice rising. "Your father made it look like it was a random gang hit, but it was him. It was always him."

Jungkook's face went white, the color draining from his cheeks as the full weight of her words hit him. "Shut up," he hissed, his fists clenching at his sides, his whole body vibrating with barely contained rage. "Don't you dare lie about her. She had nothing to do with him."

Akaya swallowed, her own anger rising to meet his. She had expected this, expected him to lash out. But she couldn't back down now. "I have proof," she said, and before he could stop her, she threw the folder to the ground between them, its contents spilling out like a flood. Photographs, handwritten notes, old police reports—each one a piece of the puzzle she had painstakingly put together.