Saved || A Jungkook fanfic

21.

I'm such a goddamn idiot.

I had cursed myself over and over again the entire drive here. Yet, despite every instinct screaming at me to turn around, to go home, to forget this ever happened—I stayed.

Now I stood frozen at the top of the worn-out steps, legs bouncing anxiously as I battled between fight or flight.

I should have known hearing Namjoon out would lead me here. This was exactly why I had wanted to avoid him. Because the second I let him speak, the second I let his words sink into my chest, guilt started clawing its way up my throat.

Guilt for leaving Taehyung behind.

Guilt for walking away from the man I once loved because I couldn't keep putting myself through his chaos.

I couldn't watch him destroy himself anymore.

So I left.

And yet, here I was.

A heavy sigh slipped past my lips as I hesitantly raised my fist to knock, heart hammering against my ribs at the mere thought of being back here—at the doorstep I once walked through freely, the home I once called my own.

I hesitated. My fingers curled inward, then fell back to my side. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I was a fool for coming here.

As I turned on my heel to leave, the door swung open.

"Tch. Can I help you?"

My stomach twisted.

It wasn't Taehyung.

It was her.

She was beautiful. That much was undeniable. A striking woman with sharp, cat-like features, perfectly plump lips coated in a glossy sheen, and high cheekbones that made her look like she belonged on a magazine cover. Her blonde hair was obviously dyed—too bright, too artificial—but the sleek waves cascaded effortlessly over her bare shoulders.

And she was standing in Taehyung's doorway. Wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt that barely reached mid-thigh.

I swallowed hard.

She stared at me like I was something foul, something insignificant. A slow, knowing smirk curled at the corner of her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest, head tilting in feigned curiosity.

"I said—can I help you?" Her voice was sweet, yet dripping with condescension, her sharp eyes raking over me, sizing me up.

I felt the ground shift beneath my feet.

What was I supposed to do?

I had finally decided to give Taehyung a chance—to hear him out, to let him explain himself. But he wasn't alone. He was here, at home, with the same woman he had betrayed me with.

A storm of emotions churned violently inside me. Hate. Disgust. Sorrow. And, if I was being honest with myself—an ugly, gut-wrenching twinge of jealousy.

What does she have that I didn't give?

Was it the sex? The excitement? The thrill of sneaking around?

I clenched my jaw, nails digging into my palms.

"Hey, what's going on—"

His voice reached me before he did.

Then, as if the universe was intent on testing my limits, Taehyung stepped into view.

And I wished he hadn't.

I wished he had stayed inside, stayed hidden behind the walls of his shitty decisions so I wouldn't have to see him like this—bare-chested, messy-haired, looking at me with wide eyes that held something dangerously close to regret.