THE WORLD SHE PAINTED RED |KTH(18+)

CH-76.1|HOME~

The kiss ended, but the storm inside her raged on. Her breath came in harsh pulls, her lips trembling, his forehead pressed to hers like he was afraid to let go. And she couldn't either. God, she couldn't. Her fingers still gripped his vest, knuckles white, as if the thought of losing him even in this moment would tear her apart.

 For a few seconds, there was only silence—thick, charged, and fragile. Then her chest heaved, and the words clawed their way out of her throat like they'd been waiting for years.

And then, suddenly, the dam broke.

"I can't..." she whispered, her voice trembling, barely audible.

Taehyung's grip on her waist tightened just a fraction, his dark eyes searching her face. "Can't what, Bella?" His voice was raw, like gravel dragged across silk.

Her breath broke. Her fingers fisted in his vest as the truth finally tore out, shattering every wall she had built. Her breath hitched, her throat choking on the words. She pulled back just enough to look at him, tears streaming unchecked down her cheeks, her chest heaving violently.

"I can't even think about losing you." The words were jagged, ripped straight from her soul. Her body shook as tears welled, blurring him into something almost unreal. "Do you hear me, Taehyung? It kills me. It kills the shit out of me!"

Taehyung froze. Every muscle locked as her voice—her confession—poured over him like fire.

She shoved at his chest weakly, not to push him away, but because her emotions were burning her alive.
"And you know what?!" Her voice cracked like lightning across the dark sky. "I hate it! I hate feeling this powerless, this damn weak—like my entire life depends on whether you breathe or not!"

Her lips trembled as tears streamed unchecked. "Do you have any idea what it's like to live every day with this fear sitting in my chest? Knowing you... knowing us—it's like loving a storm and praying it won't destroy you!"

Her tears fell harder now, soaking her cheeks as her voice cracked into a whisper that felt louder than any scream.
"My mind keeps saying walk away, keep the distance, remember who you are, and what I am... but my heart—" She slammed her fist lightly against her own chest, her body shaking. "My heart never fucking listens, Taehyung. Never."

Her sob tore through the air, breaking like glass. "I told myself to fight it. Every damn day, I told myself to stay away, to be just your partner, to keep this professional—because that's safe, that's what would keep you alive. But..." Her voice faltered, her breath shuddering violently as her hands slid up to his face, cupping his jaw like she was terrified he'd disappear.

"But my heart doesn't listen. It never does. And I hate that, Tae. I hate that no matter how hard I try, I can't stop loving you. I can't."

The words hit him like a bullet straight through the soul.

For a second, Taehyung couldn't breathe. His entire body stilled, the storm outside nothing compared to the one detonating inside him. She loves me. The truth pulsed like lightning through his veins, setting every nerve on fire. She loves me—after all the walls, all the distance, after the hell I've dragged her into—she still loves me.

Something fierce and unstoppable rose inside him, a wild mix of reverence and desperation that nearly dropped him to his knees. He wanted to roar with relief, to curse the universe for making her hurt this way, to promise her every damn star in the sky if it meant taking away that fear in her voice.

But all he could do was hold her, tighter, because his hands were shaking, his heart tearing open with a love so violent it scared him.

Her eyes locked on his now, fierce even through the blur of tears. "Do you know how much I wanted to hate you? For walking into my life, for tearing me apart like this? God, I wanted to. But I can't. I can't hate you, Taehyung... I can't hate the only man who makes me feel alive."