DESTINED LOVE

Chapter 60

Jin held Taehyung tighter, one hand cradling the back of his head, feeling him tremble in his arms. No one spoke. The house was silent except for the broken, raw sounds of Taehyung’s sobs — the kind of grief that doesn’t have language, only pain.

Namjoon sank onto the armrest beside them, burying his face in his hands. Yoongi was crying openly now, clutching jimin’s sleeve as if it was the only thing keeping him upright. Even Mr. Kim looked away, his jaw clenched and eyes red, unable to witness the ruin in his son’s face.

Taehyung could hardly breathe. He pulled back just enough to look at Jin, his vision blurred with tears. “H-hyung… I didn’t know… I didn’t know he was—” He choked, voice dissolving into a hoarse wail. “I wasn’t here for him. I wasn’t here for them…”

“You didn’t know,” Jin whispered, brushing the wet hair off Taehyung’s forehead. “You couldn’t have known.”

“But I should have—I should have seen—” His fingers dug into the paper, crumpling it against his chest like if he just held it tightly enough, maybe he could bring them back. “I pushed him away when he needed me the most. I said those things—God—what have I done?”

Hobi stepped forward, his own face pale and stricken. “Tae, listen to me—this isn’t the end. He’s alive. They’re both alive. You still have time to fix this.”

“How?” Taehyung looked up, eyes swollen and wild. “He left because of me. Because he thought he wasn’t enough. Because I made him feel unloved.” His voice cracked, the last word nearly silent. “And he was carrying our baby, and he was alone…”

Yoongi swallowed, his voice rough. “Then you go to him, Taehyung. You find him, and you show him he was never alone. That he’s still your little moon.”

Jin’s hand covered his mouth as more tears fell, his shoulders shaking. Namjoon held him, but his own eyes were wet too.

Taehyung looked around at all of them — the people who loved them both, who were breaking right alongside him. He closed his eyes, breathing in raggedly.

“I’ll bring him home,” he whispered, voice hoarse but steady. “No matter what it takes. I’ll bring them both home.”

“What was the reason for your outburst yesterday, Taehyung?” Mr. Kim finally asked, his voice low and tight. He’d been silent for so long, watching his son fall apart without a word.

Taehyung couldn’t answer. He just sat there, staring down at the crumpled letter in his hands, tears sliding down his cheeks.

Hobi swallowed hard, glancing at Taehyung before speaking. “Someone’s been blackmailing him for weeks,” he said quietly. “The accident Jungkook had… it wasn’t really an accident. It was that person’s plan. They were threatening to kill Jungkook if Taehyung didn’t divorce him.”

A strangled sound escaped Jin’s throat. Yoongi’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “What…?” Namjoon whispered, voice cracking.

Hobi went on, his own voice unsteady. “Yesterday, we finally got a location — the first real lead. That’s why Taehyung was so desperate to leave. The psycho gave him a deadline, and it ended today. He thought… he thought if he didn’t go, Jungkook would be in danger.”

The room fell into stunned, suffocating silence.

Mr. Kim’s hand trembled where it rested on his knee. “And you carried that alone?” he asked, his voice hoarse as he looked at Taehyung. “All this time, you didn’t tell anyone?”

Taehyung slowly lifted his head, his eyes red and empty. “I thought… if I could just end it… he’d be safe. I thought I could fix it before he ever had to know.” His voice broke, raw and ragged. “I didn’t mean to hurt him. I just wanted to protect him.”