Bound By Shadows (SVT FF)

(7) Her Baby

Yuri sat on her bed, tears streaming down her face as memories of that fateful day replayed in her mind.

Flashback

8 Months after SVT Disappearance

Yuri had come to the hospital for a routine check-up, with Namjoon and Jin by her side. They dropped her off at the examination room, then went to speak with the doctor.

When her check-up was finished, a nurse guided her to the doctor’s office. Just as she reached for the door handle, voices drifted through the gap, and she stopped, hearing the conversation inside.

The doctor spoke in a calm tone, though his words were devastating. "Yuri’s health has been improving these last two months, and physically she’s recovering well… but there’s more."

Jin’s voice sounded worried. "But doctor, what else?"

The doctor sighed. "Jin, as you know… Yuri was two weeks pregnant. She lost the baby. And… there’s a high probability she may never be able to conceive again. This will be a painful reality for her, so you need to support her as much as possible.”

Yuri’s heart stopped. She clutched her chest, feeling as though the world had dropped out from under her... She was pregnant? But then she heard Namjoon’s voice, his tone flat and unfeeling.

“Well, maybe it’s better this way,” Namjoon said quietly. “She’s been through enough. Raising a child would’ve been… too much for her.”
And…" he paused, his tone turning even colder, "without the father around, it’s better that there’s no child at all. At least this way, she won’t have to suffer alone or be reminded of everything that went wrong."

Yuri felt as though the ground was crumbling beneath her. Every word Namjoon spoke hit her like a physical blow, his indifference making the pain that much worse. The brother she had always leaned on, the one she trusted more than anyone, was now saying that her baby’s loss was almost a relief. That her child’s life was disposable—something to be dismissed, forgotten.

She couldn’t hold back the tears. Her hands trembled as she clutched the doorknob, barely able to hold herself up against the wall for support. The weight of betrayal washed over her, leaving her hollow and broken.

Jin shook his head, his gaze hardening as he looked at Namjoon. “Namjoon, this is your sister’s child we’re talking about. You don’t just decide what’s ‘better’ for her without even thinking about what she’s lost.”

Namjoon rolled his eyes, his voice turning icy. “Hyung, think about it. This so-called ‘father’ would’ve only used the child as leverage against us. He was already plotting to get close to her for power and control. That’s why… that’s why it had to be done.”

Yuri’s breath hitched, her vision blurring with tears. It had to be done. Those words twisted in her mind, mingling with the cold tone of her brother’s voice. Namjoon’s anger at her child’s father sounded more like a confession than anything else.

Jin looked startled, whispering urgently, “Namjoon, you really shouldn’t say things like that out loud. If she hears—”

Namjoon cut him off, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. “What difference does it make now, hyung? I did what I had to do. Now, at least she’s free from him… and that child. Better she’s spared the misery of being a mother of his child.”

The words echoed painfully in Yuri’s mind. I did what I had to do. It was too much for her to bear. Her entire body shook as she processed what she thought was a confession—that her own brother had played a part in the death of her unborn child, all because he hated the father.