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I leaned back against the headboard, letting my head fall against the wall as a soft sigh escaped my lips. Ivy's voice played in my head like a melody I couldn't escape. "I want you, Taehyung. Just you. No one else." Those words... they hit me harder than I'd ever admit.
How could someone be so honest? So vulnerable? I could still see the way her eyes had locked onto mine, full of hope, fear, and something else-something deeper. It made me feel things I hadn't felt in years. That someone would want me, not for my name, my status, or my looks, but just... me.
Being the only one for someone... God, it was overwhelming. It was terrifying. But it was also the most beautiful thing I'd ever experienced. She saw me, not the mask I wore, not the version of me everyone else expected. She saw me.
But then there was the other thing she said. "I know I'm not beautiful, but-" Her voice cracked, and so did my heart. How could she say that? How could she, of all people, not see what I see? Doesn't she know she's the most stunning person I've ever met?
I clenched my fists, frustration bubbling inside me. What made her think so little of herself? Her smile, her laugh, the way she lit up the room without even trying-didn't she notice? Or was she so used to being told otherwise that she started to believe it?
And then her father. She had said something about her father. My jaw tightened at the memory. What kind of father lets his daughter feel like this? The thought hit too close to home. Was her father like mine? Cold, critical, always finding faults? If so... no wonder she doubted herself.
I ran a hand through my hair, feeling a familiar pang in my chest. I hated that she might have gone through the same loneliness I had. That she might have spent years questioning her worth because of someone who should've built her up.
I can't stand it. The idea of her feeling even an ounce of the rejection I've felt... it makes me want to scream. She's nothing like how she sees herself. To me, she's perfect-not because of how she looks, though God knows she's beautiful, but because of how she makes me feel.
A soft knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. I blinked, staring at the door as the sound came again. "Coming," I said, forcing myself to sit up.
The door opened, and a servant stepped in, bowing slightly. "Sir, Mr. and Mrs. Merchant have arrived with their daughter. They're waiting for you downstairs."
I let out a frustrated sigh, the tension in my chest flaring again. Not again. My thoughts of Ivy were already slipping away, replaced by the exhaustion of dealing with these people .
"Fine," I muttered, standing and brushing off my shirt. As I made my way downstairs, I heard the faint hum of voices from the living room, growing louder with each step.
"Oh, Taehyung, how are you, my son?" Mrs. Merchant's voice rang out the moment I entered. She was seated beside her husband, her smile overly sweet.
"I'm good, Aunty," I replied, offering a polite nod to her and Mr. Merchant. I wanted to leave, to excuse myself and escape back to the sanctuary of my room, but before I could take another step, a cold, stern voice stopped me in my tracks.
