The room felt like it had frozen in time, the gravity of her confession pulling everyone deeper into its orbit.
Jungkook's lips parted, his breath shallow as if bracing himself for what came next.
As the door creaked open, a tall, familiar figure stepped into the room, casting a long shadow on the floor." Vince".
The name escaped Ria's lips in a faint whisper, a fragile breath of air that trembled in the silence. Her body moved instinctively, trying to get up, to reach him, but before she could make another move, Vince was at her side. His arms encircled her tightly, pulling her close in a protective, warm embrace.
"Vince..." Ria's voice cracked, the weight of her grief finally escaping in the form of broken sobs. "Dad..." The word slipped from her lips like a prayer, like a final farewell to a man she'd never truly had the chance to say goodbye to.
Vince tightened his hold on her, his own eyes wet with sorrow. "I know, Ria. I know..." His voice was a balm, gentle but steady, as if trying to ease the storm within her.
But as Ria wept, the emptiness in her heart was undeniable. She wasn't just mourning the loss of a father, she was mourning the years stolen from her—the years she could've spent with him.
The chance to hear his voice again, to feel his presence beside her, to apologize for everything that had gone wrong. She needed him, more than she could put into words.
"I didn't get to say goodbye. I never told him... how much I loved him. How much I needed him. He was taken from me, Vince. And I didn't even know... I didn't even know he was slipping away. All I've done is forget. Forget what he did for me, forget the past, forget who I was supposed to be for him. And now... now he's gone. And I'm here, unfit to be his daughter, not strong enough to get justice for his death."
She pulled away from Vince slightly, her tear-filled eyes searching his face,Vince's hand gently cupped her face, his thumb brushing away a tear that had fallen .
He leaned forward, his voice soft but firm as if to remind her of something she had lost sight of.
"Ria, listen to me," he said, each word carefully chosen.
"You didn't fail him. You loved him with everything you had. And sometimes, the world... the world doesn't give us the chance to say goodbye the way we wish to. But you have to understand, you can't carry this weight alone. He wouldn't want you to. He wants you to live, to be the person he raised you to be. And as for justice... don't carry that burden. We will make sure it's done. Not just for him, but for you too."
Jungkook, standing silently beside the bed, watched the two of them, his heart aching. And now, with their father's death hanging over them, he couldn't help but feel the weight of his own grief crashing into him again.
He stepped forward, his hands shaking as he joined them in the embrace. Vince opened his arms to him as well, and Jungkook let himself be enveloped in the safety of the man's presence. For a moment, he let go—let himself be vulnerable in the arms of someone who understood the depth of their loss.
As the three of them, intertwined in the quiet chaos of grief, Ria's voice broke through the air again, fragile but steady.
YOU ARE READING
Darkness Between Us
Fanfiction"I thought I was content-proud of my achievements. But deep down, there was a void. An emptiness that no amount of success could fill. The loneliness was my only constant companion. My conversations were superficial, my connections fleeting. I was s...
