GOLDEN HEADLINES

79: Lost Letter

"CAN I CALL YOU BABY?"

Days turned into weeks, and there was still no news of Jungkook or Daisy. Alessia's once-bright eyes had dulled with exhaustion and despair.

Every night, she sat by the window, clutching Jungkook's badge close to her chest as if it could summon him back to her. Her tears soaked its surface, but she didn't care.

It was all she had left of him.

"I love you, Jungkook," she whispered into the silence, her voice trembling. "Come back to me. Please..."

Her body shook with emotion as she let her heart pour out.

"I'll forgive you, I swear! I'll listen to everything—you can explain everything. I'll never shout at you again, I promise. Just come back to me, baby. Please..."

Her cries echoed in the emptiness, her voice breaking with every word. "You can't leave me like this, Jungkook. You can't. I need you"

The weight of her losses pressing down on her.

She had no one left.

Her best friend was gone, her kind neighbor was no longer around, her mother was taken from her, and the cruel revelation that her father was the one responsible haunted her.

Jungkook had been her anchor, her reason to hope—and now he was gone, too. She felt utterly helpless, adrift in a sea of despair.

+

The sharp chime of the doorbell startled Alessia awake. She blinked, momentarily disoriented, as the morning light streamed through the curtains.

Her body ached from sleeping on the floor, and the dried streaks of tears on her cheeks served as a stark reminder of the night before.

Rising slowly, she made her way to the door, her movements sluggish and mechanical. She opened it to find Lana and Dane standing on the threshold.

"Alessia," Lana said softly, her voice heavy with concern.

Alessia looked at them blankly, her face pale and devoid of emotion. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes swollen and red.

Lana stepped forward, her brows furrowing as she took in Alessia's state. "You look like you haven't eaten or slept properly," she said gently.

"I'm fine," Alessia replied, her voice flat and unconvincing.

"No, you're not," Dane said firmly. "You can't keep doing this to yourself."

Alessia didn't respond, her gaze fixed on the ground. She didn't have the energy to argue, nor did she have any words to offer.

Lana hesitated before pulling an envelope from her bag. Her hand trembled slightly as she held it out.

"We came to give you this," she said, her tone hesitant.

Alessia's eyes flickered to the envelope, her brows knitting together in confusion. "What is it?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

Lana took a deep breath, her expression pained. "Jungkook wrote this before... before he left that day," she said carefully.

Alessia's lips parted, but no sound came out. She stared at the envelope as if it were a bomb.

"Remember ? That morning, I called him," Lana continued, her voice steady but tinged with sadness.

"Daisy went missing while I was making her breakfast. He left you to search for her. And before walking into danger, he gave me this. He said... he said he didn't know what would happen, but he wanted you to know the truth."