Forgotten Love (Kim Taehyung ff)

13.The Goodbye

Chapter 13: The Goodbye
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Harin’s POV

The decision to place Taehyung in long-term care felt like a betrayal. Every part of me screamed to hold on, to keep fighting, to stay by his side. But I couldn’t ignore the reality any longer—his condition had worsened beyond what I could manage alone. He no longer recognized our home, me, or Sera. Every day was a struggle, filled with moments of confusion, frustration, and heartbreak.

It wasn’t just about me anymore; it was about Sera too. I couldn’t be the mother she needed while also trying to care for a husband who no longer knew us. And though it shattered me to admit it, I knew this was what Taehyung would have wanted. He had written it in the letter, his wish for me to let him go when the time came. The time had come, and it was the hardest thing I had ever faced.

I held Sera’s tiny hand as we made our way to the care facility for the last time as a family. The day was warm, the sun shining down as if mocking the storm inside me. Sera skipped beside me, blissfully unaware of the weight of the moment, her bright eyes filled with innocence.

We entered Taehyung’s room, and there he was, sitting by the window, staring out at the garden. He looked calm, at peace in a way I hadn’t seen in months. But his expression was distant, his gaze unfocused, as if he were a million miles away.

“Daddy!” Sera called out, her little voice filled with joy as she ran to him.

Taehyung turned slowly, his eyes meeting hers. He smiled politely, the way you might smile at a stranger’s child, and my heart broke all over again.

“Hi there,” he said softly, his voice gentle but unfamiliar, as if he were speaking to someone else entirely.

Sera hesitated, her small face scrunching up in confusion. “Daddy, it’s me, Sera,” she said, her voice filled with an innocent hope that tore at my heart.

Taehyung’s smile faltered, his brows knitting together. “Sera,” he repeated slowly, as if tasting the name on his tongue. He looked up at me, his eyes searching mine, but there was no recognition, no spark of the man I once knew. “I’m sorry, do I know you?” he asked, his voice filled with a quiet, painful confusion.

I forced a smile, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill. “Yes, Tae. We’re your family,” I said gently. I reached out, taking his hand in mine, feeling the familiar warmth of his skin against my own. “I’m Harin. I’m your wife.”

He stared at me, his eyes filling with something that looked like regret, or maybe sadness. But it was fleeting, gone in an instant as he pulled his hand away, turning back to the window without another word.

I felt the tears spill over, hot and unrelenting, but I kept my voice steady for Sera’s sake. I knelt beside Taehyung, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. He didn’t flinch, didn’t move. He just sat there, lost in a world where I couldn’t follow.

“I love you,” I whispered, my lips brushing against his skin. “I’ll always love you.”

He didn’t respond. He didn’t even look at me.

With a shaky breath, I stood up, pulling Sera into my arms. She clung to me, her tiny arms wrapping around my neck as she looked back at her father, confusion clouding her innocent eyes.

“Mama, why doesn’t Daddy talk to us?” she asked softly, her voice filled with a sadness that no child should have to feel.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing a smile as I kissed her cheek. “Daddy’s not feeling well, sweetie,” I said quietly. “He needs to stay here so the doctors can help him get better.”

Sera nodded, her little face serious as she looked back at him. “I’ll pray for Daddy to get better soon so he can come home and play with me,” she said, her voice filled with a pure, untainted hope.

The words broke me. The innocence in her voice, the belief that her prayers could bring her father back to her, was almost too much to bear. I held her tightly, whispering a soft, “Me too, baby. Me too.”

As we turned to leave, I glanced back at Taehyung one last time. He was still staring out the window, lost in a world where I no longer existed. And as much as it hurt, I knew this was goodbye. The man I had loved, the man who had filled my life with so much joy and laughter, was gone.

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The days that followed felt empty, like I was moving through a fog. Our home was quiet without him. I found myself reaching for him in the mornings, expecting to feel his warmth beside me, only to be met with the cold, empty space of the bed.

Every corner of our home was filled with memories—his laughter echoing in the hallway, the way he would wrap his arms around me while I cooked, pressing soft kisses to my neck and making me laugh. I could almost see him there, standing by the stove, pretending to help but really just teasing me, his boxy smile lighting up the room.

I found myself avoiding the studio. It had become a place of too many memories, a shrine to a life we had once shared. But every time I walked past it, I felt the pull, the ache of what had been lost.

One morning, as I stood in the kitchen making breakfast, I turned, half-expecting to see him there, waiting to wrap his arms around me in that familiar way. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut, and I sank to the floor, the tears coming in a wave that I couldn’t stop.

Sera wandered in, her little feet padding softly on the floor. She looked at me, her eyes wide with concern. “Mama, are you crying?”

I wiped my tears quickly, forcing a smile. “No, sweetie. Mama just got a little sad, that’s all.”

She came over, hugging me tightly. “It’s okay, Mama. I prayed for Daddy last night. He’ll get better soon, and then he can come home.”

I bit my lip, nodding as I held her close, feeling the weight of her hope settle over me like a heavy blanket. “Yes, baby,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I hope so too.”

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Jimin visited often, his presence a comfort in a way that words couldn’t explain. He would hold me as I cried, his own eyes filled with a pain that mirrored my own.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” I whispered one night, my head resting on his shoulder. “We were supposed to grow old together. We were supposed to watch Sera grow up. He wasn’t supposed to forget us.”

Jimin’s hand rubbed soothing circles on my back, his voice choked with emotion as he replied, “I know, Harin. I know. But you did everything you could. You loved him with everything you had. He knew that.”

I nodded, tears streaming down my face as I clung to him, the grief overwhelming. “I just wanted more time,” I whispered. “I just wanted more time with him.”

Jimin pulled me into a tighter hug, his own tears mixing with mine as he held me. “So did I.”

We sat there in the quiet, holding onto each other as the weight of our shared loss pressed down on us, the reality of the goodbye settling into our hearts.

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The days turned into weeks, and slowly, painfully, I began to adjust to a life without him. I found strength in Sera, in her innocent laughter, in the way she would wrap her tiny arms around my neck and whisper that she loved me.

And though the pain never truly went away, I found comfort in the memories, in the love we had shared, knowing that, in some way, he would always be a part of me. He was gone, but his love remained, woven into the fabric of my life, a quiet, enduring presence that would never fade.

And as I held Sera close, I knew that, no matter what, we would carry his memory with us, keep him alive in the stories we told, in the love we shared.

Because even in the goodbye, even in the pain, our love would endure.

Forever.
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Next chapter will be the last one...hope you guys are enjoying the story 💖