Shadows Of Stardom

Chapter 61

I took a deep breath, the water filling my lungs, a burning sensation growing stronger with each moment. My body fought back, instinctively craving air, but I held on, resolute in my decision. This was my choice, my ultimate act of defiance.

The darkness was closing in, like a velvet curtain falling over my vision. It was a welcome relief from the torment, from the endless cycle of fear and despair. The faces of my brothers—Jisoo, Rose, and Lisa—flashed before me. Had I made the right choice? Was I causing them sadness once again?

My limbs felt heavy, as if weighed down by lead. My body was beginning to shut down, yielding to the inevitable. A wave of dizziness washed over me, accompanied by a deep sense of detachment. I felt like I was floating, drifting away from the world, leaving behind the pain, suffering, hatred, and judgment.

This was the only way out. The only escape from the prison of my own mind. The only path to true freedom.

I sank deeper, allowing the water to completely envelop me in its cold, dark embrace. The world faded away, replaced by a silent, black void. My thoughts became sluggish and incoherent, drifting into nothingness.

Then, just as I was about to slip away entirely, just as the darkness was about to claim me, I felt it—a hand, strong and desperate, gripping my arm.

A surge of panic coursed through me, momentarily breaking through the numbness. I struggled, instinctively resisting the intrusion, wanting to sink back into oblivion. But the hand held on tightly, refusing to let go. It was pulling me back from the edge, back into the world of pain and suffering that I so desperately wanted to escape.

My eyes fluttered open, and there he was.
...............

TAEHYUNG'S POV

The air was thick and oppressive, a suffocating shroud woven from fear and regret. It clung to me, a constant reminder of how close I had come to losing her, to losing everything. The image of Jennie in that bathtub, lifeless and pale, replayed behind my eyelids like a grim film reel. Each frame was burned into my memory, a painful mark on the darkest part of my soul.

The thought of Jennie alone, drowning in her own despair, was unbearable.

The nurse, her face lined with a fatigue that mirrored my own, had just finished changing Jennie, gently tucking her under the covers. She offered me a small, pitying smile and whispered, "She's resting now, but keep a close watch."

Resting. As if sleep could erase the horrors she had faced. As if a few hours of oblivion could heal a shattered spirit.

Chanyeol and San were in the kitchen, their faces pale and drawn. The air was thick with unspoken blame, directed inward, at themselves, at me. Chanyeol, bless him, was trying to make coffee, the clatter of ceramic mugs a jarring contrast to the silence that enveloped the house. San, usually so composed, looked completely broken, his shoulders slumped and his eyes vacant.

Their pain mirrored my own. I could see their guilt, their helplessness, their desperate wish to turn back time and erase the nightmare that had become their reality. It was a heavy burden, one that threatened to crush us all.

"If we had been even a second late, we would have lost her," San said, his voice barely above a whisper, a tear escaping down his cheek.

Chanyeol slammed a mug onto the counter, the sound reverberating through the room. "I feel so useless… more than ever. I failed as her brother. No wonder she wanted to leave our lives." He pushed the mug away, untouched.