sin | taelice

14. | broken

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chapter fourteen

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The sun had barely risen when Lisa opened her eyes.

Her head ached slightly from the lack of sleep, and the events from the night before came crashing down on her like a wave she couldn't escape from. She blinked against the light peeking through the curtains, pulling the blanket tighter around her as if it could protect her from the guilt creeping into her chest.

Taehyung.

She saw him again—drunk, lost, broken.

And worse... she let herself feel something. Again.

Lisa turned her head toward the window. The world outside looked calm, like nothing had happened. But inside her? Everything felt completely wrecked.

Jackson was still asleep next to her. His breathing was even, one arm draped lazily over her waist. He had come home tired, trusting, and clueless—and yet here she was, awake, restless, tangled in thoughts of a man who wasn't supposed to matter.

She sat up slowly, careful not to wake him, and slipped out of bed. Every step she took away from the bedroom felt like a quiet act of betrayal, no matter how innocent it looked from the outside.

Lisa entered the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water, and leaned against the counter. Her fingers trembled slightly as she lifted the glass to her lips.

"God..." she muttered under her breath. "What the hell am I doing?"

She hated this version of herself. The one who snuck out at midnight. The one who checked her phone not for her boyfriend's message, but for Taehyung's. The one who kissed a man that wasn't hers—and felt something she couldn't even begin to understand.

She thought it was just a mistake. A one-time slip. But last night... seeing him vulnerable, broken, and whispering her name like it meant something—like she meant something—shook her in ways she never expected.

And now?

Now she was stuck.

Between the man who always stayed... and the man she couldn't seem to walk away from.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard movement behind her.

"Lisa?" Jackson's voice was groggy as he entered the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. His hair was messy, his shirt wrinkled from sleep. He gave her a small smile. "You're up early."

Lisa smiled weakly and nodded. "I couldn't sleep."

He walked over and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek before leaning against the counter beside her.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked, scanning her face like he could tell something was off.

Lisa forced a smile. "Yeah. Just tired."

Jackson didn't push it. He just reached for a glass and poured himself water too.

But as he sipped, his eyes lingered on her face a little longer—like he was trying to solve a puzzle without all the pieces. Something had changed. He could feel it, even if she wasn't saying anything.

Lisa noticed the way he looked at her, and it made her chest tighten even more.

He trusts me. He believes I'm still his.

And I'm not even sure I am.

The silence between them was almost unbearable.

"I was thinking..." Jackson spoke again. "What if we finally push through with that vacation next weekend? Just the two of us. Out of the city. Away from all the stress. What do you think?"