Threads of fate

Jungkook had just poured out every ounce of his pain, every secret he had buried, and every sacrifice he had made. His voice was raw, his eyes swollen with unshed tears as he stood before Jin, waiting-begging-for him to understand. But instead of the relief he had hoped for, all he saw was the deep hurt in Jin's eyes, a hurt that made his chest tighten painfully.

Jin inhaled shakily, his fists clenching at his sides as he forced himself to stay calm. His voice, when he finally spoke, was quiet but laced with undeniable pain.

“You said you were protecting me… but in doing so, you broke me piece by piece."

Jungkook's breath hitched. His vision blurred, and his heart felt like it had been ripped apart. No... no, that's not what I wanted...

Jin took a step back, shaking his head, his emotions conflicting inside him. He could see Jungkook breaking in front of him, but right now, he couldn't bring himself to comfort him. Not yet. Not when his own heart was in pieces.

"I can't forget this, Jungkook. I need time to process everything."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Jungkook's legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor, his hands gripping his chest as a painful sob tore through him. His world was slipping through his fingers again, and this time, he didn't know if he would ever get Jin back.

"Jin, please... please forgive me!" he cried out, his voice echoing through the empty hallways. But Jin didn't stop. He didn't turn back, even though he could hear Jungkook's anguished cries behind him.

Jin didn't look back, not because he didn't care, but because he knew that if he did, his resolve would break. He needed space, needed to clear his mind, needed to figure out if he could ever truly move past everything Jungkook had told him.

When Jin entered the Kim family villa, he felt suffocated. The house was quiet, almost too quiet, and his thoughts were screaming at him. His mind was an endless loop of everything Jungkook had confessed-the blackmail, the threats, the pain, the lies, the sacrifices. He wanted to believe Jungkook, but trust wasn't something that could be rebuilt in a single night.

His feet moved on their own, leading him straight to his children's room-the only place where he knew he could find some peace.

The moment he stepped inside, he felt some of the weight on his chest ease. The soft glow of the nightlight illuminated the tiny faces of his sleeping children, their peaceful breathing the only sound in the room. He knelt beside their beds, his fingers gently brushing away strands of hair from their foreheads.

"You two are the only thing keeping me together right now," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Looking at them, he felt a sense of calm he hadn't felt since he left Jungkook. They were his everything-his reason to stay strong, his reason to keep moving forward.

For the first time in hours, his heart stopped aching just a little. He pressed a soft kiss to their foreheads before standing up, his body suddenly feeling heavier than before.

Jin walked to his room, closing the door behind him as he leaned against it, his head resting back against the wood. He felt exhausted-not physically, but mentally and emotionally drained. His thoughts were a mess, tangled and painful, refusing to let him rest.

He wanted to believe Jungkook. He wanted to trust him.

But could he?

Jungkook had suffered, yes. He had been blackmailed, forced to push Jin away, driven to near madness just to protect him. But in doing so, he had also broken Jin in the worst possible way.