Love In The Shadows Of Guilt

Jaehyun's POV

I opened the door and walked into the house. As usual, the silence hit me first. This house, it always feels so... empty. The walls seemed to echo with a quiet sadness, and for a moment, it felt like everything in here was as hollow as I was. But I couldn't let that affect me tonight. I had to keep my mood up.

I replayed everything that happened today in my mind. All the work we did, all the cleaning... it was exhausting, honestly. But, there was something about doing it with her that made it all feel so much lighter. Even though I was physically drained, there was a strange sense of satisfaction. More than that, though, every moment with her felt different. More... real.

I smiled to myself as I made my way toward my room. I didn't know why, but every time I thought of her, I couldn't stop myself from grinning like a fool. Was I... happy?

Just as I was about to enter my room, I heard a voice call out to me. "Who was the girl earlier?"

I froze. That voice. My father.

I turned around to face him, finding him standing in the hallway, his eyes narrowed, an unreadable expression on his face.

"What's the deal with her? Why were you out so late with her?" His voice was cold, and as he stood up from his chair, his footsteps echoed down the hallway.

I felt a twinge of irritation, something I rarely let show. "Why does it matter to you?" I couldn't help myself from saying it.

His eyes flashed with anger. "You know who I am, don't you? You're still under my roof, still under my responsibility. Don't you dare talk back to me." His voice rose, the words sharp as a knife.

I stared at him for a moment, my own temper bubbling to the surface. "Responsibility?" I scoffed. "Since when have you ever had any responsibility toward me?" The words slipped out before I could stop them, my voice cutting through the tense air.

I saw his fists tighten, and I knew I had crossed a line. But honestly, how much longer could I keep pretending everything was fine? How long could I stay quiet about the resentment building inside me?

I turned on my heel and started walking to my room, but I could hear him still talking behind me. "Don't you walk away from me. I'm not done!"

I slammed the door shut behind me, the sound ringing in the quiet house. I leaned against the door for a moment, trying to calm my racing heart.

I had just been happy a second ago. A real, genuine smile had crept up on my face, something I hadn't felt in a while. But the moment I stepped back into this house, all that happiness was gone, replaced by the familiar weight of anger and frustration. How could one person drain the life out of me so effortlessly?

I walked over to my bed and collapsed onto it, staring at the ceiling. The silence of the room enveloped me once again, but this time, it didn't feel as empty. It felt... suffocating.

I thought back to the bakery, to her. I thought about how she smiled, how she talked, how she just... made everything feel less gray. I let out a deep breath, trying to push the frustration aside. Maybe tomorrow would be better. Maybe I would see her again and get to feel that strange warmth again.

But for now, in the stillness of my room, all I could do was lie there and wonder how much longer I could stay in this house, under the control of a man who never cared enough to actually show it.

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