"I love you, giant. Thank you for everything..."
Chanyeol kept running as the tears kept falling down his face, mixing with the rain that came pouring from the sky. He ran as fast and as far as his legs would take him, not caring where he was going, before finally falling to his knees in the middle of a park. The thought of losing Baekhyun never left his mind and he would be continually haunted by the memories of making his husband sign the divorce papers and vanishing the very next second.
He was never able to move on.
The guilt of not being there for Baekhyun and prioritizing everything else over him and the regret of not spending more time with him plagued Chanyeol's soul and replaced a once happy man with the miserable fuck he is now. Months have passed and the feelings were as strong as ever, not allowing him to go to work without being punished with the pain of what his work had caused. It also caused a strain in his relationship with Kyungsoo, who he can't even look at properly without thinking of the pain on Baekhyun's face that fully enveloped his mind.
After several minutes, Chanyeol got himself up from his kneeling position and took in his surroundings. Everything he saw reminded him of Baekhyun and he couldn't help but cry and cry until his tears ran dry and he had no choice but to go "home".
The next day came and it was the first time in a while that Chanyeol wasn't haunted by nightmares of his memories. As he opened his eyes, he remembered that he had slept on the couch as he'd done a few times before, unable to sleep
in the same bed with Kyungsoo without a wave of guilt and regret washing over him. As he sat up, he saw the time and realized that Kyungsoo had left for work. Moving over to the bedroom, he caught sight of Baekhyun's book, ripped in half and thrown across the room. He picked it up, as tears started to fall down his cheeks, and re-read the author's note, laughing at how he was doing exactly what he had told his husband not to do for so many years. It was then that
Chanyeol realized that this isn't a movie, this is real life, and he was able to end it how he wanted it to end, the way they wanted it to end.
Rummaging through his closet, he washed up and got changed, and before he left his apartment for the last time, he turned off his phone and left it on the kitchen counter along with a note for Kyungsoo and his engagement ring to him. He took in the apartment that caused all of this to happen one last time before slipping on the wedding ring that belonged to him and Baekhyun, nodding to himself and grabbing his jacket. He closed the door and left the city.
'I can't do this anymore, Kyungsoo. Truthfully, I called off the divorce that day as well. I'm sorry. Goodbye.'
"Have the divorce papers been finalized yet?"
"No, Mr. Park, they haven't. There has been debate on whether or not to continue with the file since your husband has passed away."
"Can you just call it off then? That will make it easier right?" "Yes, sir, but are you sure this what you want?"
"Yes I'm sure. And I would like to continue to keep our home. I will pay all the bills."
Chanyeol arrived at his and Baekhyun's old estate late in the afternoon, and inhaled before heading inside. The interior was largely unchanged from the last time he was there, but a noticeable silence and somber mood engulfed the entire house. Not even the sun's rays through the windows on the pastel blue walls of the living room could brighten it back up. There was one other difference in the house. Someone had set up a shrine to honor Baekhyun in the living room and catching sight of one of the photos on the shrine caused Chanyeol's eyes to fill with tears as he tried to fight off the thought of crying in front of his husband with every fiber of his being, but to no avail. Tears continued to stream down his face as he picked up the photo of him and Baekhyun during their wedding. Both men smiling happily, fully and honestly in their matching white suits in front of a beautiful fountain with Baekhyun wrapped in Chanyeol's arms. Chanyeol was never able to smile properly ever since the day he left Baekhyun for the last time; most of his smiles being fake and forced out of acting like everything was just fine.
