Don't Forget | ✔

Seven

“Was it hard?” Arya asked her colleague at lunch. 

“What?” Arya’s colleague countered with her mouth full of food.

“Letting go of your boyfriend. You both have been together so many years.” The colleague swallowed the food and nodded.

“It hurt," Ji Ah admitted. "But not as hard as staying in a relationship where you don’t come first.” 

Where you don’t come first. Those words hit Arya in the gut. She was never the first choice in Taehyung’s life. Not even second. In Arya’s world, Taehyung occupied more space than anybody else. 

Arya’s phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. It was Jungkook calling.

“Hey, Arya. I’m at the reception. I got what you wanted.”

Arya stood up from the chair and walking towards the elevator as she replied.

“I’ll be there in a minute, Jungkook.” 

Arya found Jungkook standing at the reception a minute later. He smiled upon seeing her and pulled her into a warm hug.

“How are you?” Jungkook asked, and in Arya’s hesitance, he found his answer. Jungkook pulled away and looked at her face, sighing.

“You deserve someone who values you and that’s not Taehyung. When will you realize that?” 

Arya looked down at her feet. Her mind and heart were at war. She was trying to walk away and stay at the same time.

“Did you get it?” Arya asked, changing the subject. Jungkook, sighing again, gave the bag to Arya. She opened it and found a new frame of Mia, the one she broke in Taehyung’s room. 

“He still keeps it in his room. If I were you, I would have dumped him a long time ago.” 

Arya caressed the glass surface of the frame. Jungkook didn't love Taehyung as much as she did. Letting go was easy. Holding on was hell. Every second of the day, she found herself tempted to take the easy way.

“Thanks for this.” She smiled at Jungkook, through her tears, who held nothing but pity in his eyes.

“If you need someone, you know I’m always here.”

When Arya reached home that evening, she pulled out her drawers and took out a document. She opened it and the title stated ‘Divorce Agreement’. 

Through her blurry vision, she saw Taehyung’s sign on the papers. Just her sign and everything would end before it even started.

Arya dreamt so much about love ever since she was a pre-teen. It wasn’t the prince charming kind of romance that she wanted, but the one that would make her heart flutter and keep it unbroken. 

Taehyung did that with just his smile and she got attached instantly. Arya learned that broken hearts were inevitable and Taehyung was the last person she should trust to take care of her heart, but she left it at his feet, foolishly. She hoped he would cradle it someday and not prick it with thorns. 

Arya could be anything in the world, but she yearned to be his’. She stayed to heal and fix Taehyung’s broken heart, but she didn’t realize she, herself, was broken.

She put the papers on the desk and clutched the pen in her hand. Just a sign. How hard could it be? But, her hand wouldn’t move.

There was a knock on her door and it opened, revealing Taehyung’s father. 

“Arya, I made dinner-“ He stopped mid-sentence, noticing Arya’s teary eyes. 

“Are you crying?” Arya quickly wiped her tears away. Taehyung’s father sat beside her, noticing the divorce papers in front of her. 

“Do you think I’m doing the right thing?” Arya asked with a hoarse voice. Taehyung’s dad patted her hair.

“I’m afraid I can’t answer you.” 

Arya nodded, looking back at the paper. Tears formed in her eyes again.

“I thought I could help him get over Mia. It was stupid of me.” Arya wiped another tear that fell down her cheek.

“Taehyung and I aren’t any different, dad. He’s in love with someone he can’t have, and I’m in love with someone who would never love me back. I realize it now. This marriage brought us both a lot of pain. When he sees me every day, he doesn’t see me, dad. He sees Mia. No wonder he avoids me like the plague.” 

Taehyung’s dad wrapped his arms around his daughter’s shoulder, attempting to comfort her.

“I was the selfish one. He hurt because of me. I’ll release myself from him. I just have to accept that he is the hero in my story while I am the villain in his’.”

“I want you to know, no matter the decision you make, you’ll always be my daughter.” Arya looked at Taehyung’s dad gratefully before pointing the pen at the signature column.

She was reluctant, very reluctant. She wasn’t scared about giving up. She was scared about how she would live without Taehyung thereafter.

"Are you the new cleaner?"

"My one and only, Mia."

"I hope you know this is all for grandma."

"Why do you stay?"

"You did this intentionally, didn't you?"

"Why did you have to come into my life?!"

"You deserve someone who values you."

"So that you know your place."

"Not as hard as holding onto a relationship where you don't come first."

"Mia is the woman I love and will always be."

So many expectations, so much love, and even more pain. In the end, Arya found herself signing it all away. She dropped the pen on the table as she stared at her sign.

"I won't call this giving up. I'm just giving him what he wants."

Arya clutched the documents and the new photo frame of Mia to her chest and walked to Taehyung's room the next day. She would hand him the documents and say goodbye before she packed up her things and leave. It should be easy, yet, her heart felt so heavy.

Arya took a deep breath and was about to knock on his door when she heard voices from inside. Taehyung must have had someone over. Arya turned away not wanting to disturb but when she heard her name, she couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"This is wrong, Taehyung." Arya recognized Jungkook's soft voice.

"Think about how hurt Arya would be."

"Do you want me to ignore my daughter for her?" Arya's face paled. Daughter?

"Your relationship with Arya is damaged as it is. If she comes to know the child belongs to you and Mia, she might leave you for good."

"If that happens, I would be the most relieved person."