FORCED MARRIAGE WITH BROTHER IN LAW

chapter 34

The dining table was filled with plates of food Y/N had carefully prepared, yet the air in the room was anything but warm. Laughter and conversation flowed between the BTS members, but she could feel the heavy weight of one particular gaze burning into her.

Thv.

He hadn’t said a word since Neha and Paras left. He hadn’t defended her, hadn’t even looked her way during the whole exchange. But now, his silence was suffocating.

Y/N kept her head down, serving the food without meeting his eyes. She knew what was coming.

It was only when everyone was settled, plates filled, that Thv finally spoke.

"You're getting bold." His voice was quiet, but the underlying edge was sharp enough to make her stomach twist.

The laughter at the table died instantly. Everyone felt the change in the air.

Y/N swallowed, gripping the serving spoon tighter. "I didn’t—"

"You didn’t what?" Thv leaned back in his chair, his eyes dark, calculating. "Didn’t enjoy watching them defend you like some helpless girl?"

Her breath hitched. That wasn’t what happened. She didn’t ask for anyone to stand up for her. But she knew better than to argue.

"They were out of line," Jin interjected, his voice firm.

Thv’s jaw tightened. "And you think she’s not?" He looked directly at Y/N now. "You think you’re not?"

Her fingers curled into fists. She had done nothing wrong. But that didn’t matter, did it? Not to him.

"You let them humiliate me," Thv continued, his tone eerily calm. "Do you even realize what you’ve done?"

She finally lifted her gaze to him, eyes searching his face. "Humiliate him? How?*

"You let them make it seem like you’re important." His words cut like ice. "Like you mean something."

Her heart clenched painfully. The fragile hope from before—the foolish belief that maybe, just maybe, she had a place here—shattered completely.

She had been reminded before.

But now, she felt it.

She was nothing.

A shadow in his life. A convenience. An obligation.

Never anything more.

She forced herself to nod, lowering her gaze again. "I'm sorry."

It was all she could say.

Thv exhaled sharply, shaking his head before picking up his chopsticks. "Eat." His tone was final, dismissive.

Like the conversation—and her existence—no longer mattered.

Y/N sat down, but the food before her tasted like nothing.

Because the truth had never been clearer.

She was here.

But she didn’t belong.

The house was quieter than before, the tension thick in the air. Y/N had barely touched her food, her appetite long gone after Thv’s cold words. But just as she thought the worst was over, his next action shattered any illusion of peace.

"Call them back."

The words felt like a slap.

Jin, who had been quietly watching, frowned. "What?"

Thv didn’t look at him. His sharp gaze was fixed on Y/N. "Neha. Kittu. Paras. Call them back."

A heavy silence fell over the table.

Jungkook put down his chopsticks, his jaw tightening. "Why?" His voice was laced with disbelief. "They disrespected Y/N."

Thv leaned back, unaffected. "They’re right."

Y/N's hands curled into fists under the table.

"They should be here," Thv continued, as if the decision was final. "Not her."

The words were cruel. Deliberate. Designed to cut.

Jimin exhaled harshly, exchanging glances with Namjoon. "Are you even listening to yourself?"

"They shouldn’t have left," Thv said simply. "Call them."

"No." The defiance in Jin’s voice was firm.

Thv’s expression darkened. "I wasn’t asking."

Before Y/N could process anything, he pulled out his phone and dialed. The ringing tone filled the silence, every second making her chest tighten.

Then—

"Hello?" Neha’s voice came through, smug and expectant.

"Come back," Thv said, his tone void of emotion. "All of you."

There was a brief pause before Neha laughed softly. "Oh? Realized we were right, then?"

Y/N clenched her jaw, staring at the table.

"We’ll be there soon," Neha added before ending the call.

The weight in Y/N’s chest grew heavier.

Jungkook pushed his chair back abruptly. "I’m leaving."

Jin stood up as well. "Me too."

The others didn’t say a word, but one by one, they followed.

Y/N looked up just in time to see them heading toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Thv asked, his voice dangerously low.

Jin turned, expression unreadable. "Somewhere she’s actually wanted."

The words hung in the air as the door shut behind them.

And Y/N?

She sat there, feeling the walls close in, knowing that soon Neha, Kittu, and Paras would walk through that door.

And she’d be reminded, once again, that she didn’t belong.

Then, Jungkook leaned forward, his voice calm but firm. "Come with us, Y/N."

She froze.

Thv’s jaw tightened. "She’s not going anywhere."

Jin scoffed. "Why not? You don’t want her here. You never did."

Y/N lowered her gaze, her fingers digging into her lap. They weren’t wrong. From the moment she had stepped into this house as his wife, Thv had made it painfully clear—she was nothing but an inconvenience. A reminder of the woman who was supposed to stand beside him.

"I don’t need to explain myself to any of you," Thv said flatly. "She stays."

Jimin’s eyes narrowed. "Why? So you can keep treating her like she’s a burden?"

Thv’s grip tightened around his glass. "She’s my wife."

The word felt hollow.

Namjoon sighed. "A wife you don’t even acknowledge unless it’s to remind her she wasn’t meant to be here."

A sharp silence followed.

Y/N swallowed hard, looking at Thv, hoping—foolishly—for an answer. Something. Anything.

But he didn’t look at her.

"She stays," he repeated. His voice was final. Unyielding.

The BTS members exchanged glances, frustration clear on their faces.

Jungkook’s jaw clenched. "Fine." He stood up. "But remember this, hyung. One day, when she stops waiting for you to care, you’ll regret it."

With that, the rest of them stood, filing out one by one, leaving Y/N alone in the suffocating silence.

She should have left.

She should have walked away.

But instead, she sat there, bound by an unspoken truth—

She was still his wife.

Even if he wished she wasn’t.