Taehyung

"Maya," my hand strokes her bare back as I plant a kiss on the top of her head. "There's something that I have to tell you," my words hang in the air for a while before Maya lifts her head, resting her hands on my chest.

"I have to tell you something too, but that can wait. I've actually been waiting to hear from you. Something big has been troubling you, isn't it?" She speaks in a calm and unhurried voice, but it feels to me as if she just saw the demons dancing within me.

"Jang-Mi wants a divorce," my voice comes out as a hoarse whisper.

Maya's eyes go wide before she stirs in bed and sits up, and I do the same.

"What do you mean? What led up to this?" She asks as she fastens the bedsheet around her chest, and her question pulls the last strings that were keeping my emotions together.

"A few days ago, I got caught when I left my phone at home by mistake"

"We got caught," she corrects me very calmly, making my eyes land on her, and I nod in agreement.

"She read our chats, and worse still, she even saw the videos that we shared the other day," my head lowers in shame.

"Shit!" Maya's eyes widen, and she sounds shocked. "But honestly, were you expecting to never get caught? I had a nagging feeling that she always knew you were upto something," She adds, making my blood freeze.

I absently nod my head a few times.

"She said that too, and she left the house with Areum. Yesterday, she asked me to meet her at the attorney's office for a divorce through mediation," my voice lowers with each word I speak.

"Oh," Maya nibbles on her lower lip, nodding. "How did it go?" She asks, knowing fully well that it isn't the end of my rant.

"I didn't agree to the terms of separation..."

"Okay," she nods in understanding.

"She wants to have custody over Areum after our separation, and I don't approve of that"

"Why is that so?" Maya tilts her head to one side and casts me a look, the meaning of which I'm unable to decipher.

"What do you mean why? I can't be without my daughter," I fight back, using my words to stop my tears from falling.

"She's Jang-Mi's daughter too, Taehyung. And Jang-Mi has spent all her life as a mother to just raise Areum into whoever she is today. How do you think she can survive without her daughter? And what are you looking for? Full custody over Areum?" Maya crosses her arms under her chest as she fires her attack on me.

"But, Maya, she can't support her financially. It will not work right. No!" I shake my head, pushing all my hair out of my forehead using both my hands. "I won't ever give up on Areum, and I at least want shared custody"

Maya exhales before she begins speaking,
"Taehyung, you need to understand that financial support isn't everything. Absolutely not. You probably wouldn't even know where you have been lacking as a husband unless you ask her that. And about the divorce, I cannot decide anything for you, and I cannot tell you who Areum should live with. It is up to you both to make a decision," she says quite coolly, and I'm surprised and speechless because yet again, she has spoken the naked truth.

She's right. She doesn't get to decide about Areum's custody.

I remain silent while contemplating how to handle the whole situation, and Maya speaks up again.

"Can I ask you something, Taehyung?"

My eyes flicker to look at her as I nod silently.

Maya lets out a long breath with her eyes closed, and then she opens them to look at me.

"I've really been holding back from asking this because I know fully well that Areum's custody will be the issue, and I didn't want to be the one to push you for divorce, only because you were so scared of losing Areum when that actually happens. I know you feel that your marriage died long ago, and that you're actually moving on while still being married, but do you think you would be okay with divorcing Jang-Mi?"

Now this was a question that I didn't expect from her.

"What do you mean, Maya?" My eyebrows knit together as I ask her for clarification on the question that she just threw at me.

"Taehyung, I asked you if you are really ready for the divorce or if you're accepting it out of anger and guilt of being caught," Maya's questions have always been brutally bold, and this one makes my tongue tied for a while because communicating so openly has never been my forte.

I know for a fact that I did feel a heavy veil of guilt falling over me when I got caught. I did feel extremely angry too when Jang-Mi accused me of cheating and kept speaking hate words about Maya.

But did I choose divorce? She did. I didn't.

If Areum's custody was shared with me, would I have readily accepted the divorce?

It doesn't take me long to answer this question within my mind.

"Yes, I'm ready for it. I did feel shocked because she decided it without even discussing it with me. But, I am just not okay with her having full custody over Areum," I state firmly, verbalizing my answer in a tone that suddenly oozes confidence.

"Taehyung, as a mother, it is understandable that Jang-Mi doesn't want to give up on Areum. If I were her, I wouldn't give up on my child too, no matter who comes my way. Especially when there's another woman involved," Maya says holding our gazes.

"She doesn't trust anyone, Maya. She's possessive about Areum, and she has trust issues, and she wouldn't ever trust anyone with Areum," I reason with her.

"Being paranoid and having trust issues are side effects of being a mother, and if I were a mother, I would be the exact same too. I will be possessive over my children," she nods a few times as if agreeing to her own statement.

"Why do you keep saying if you were her? You are not her, and you never will be. You're different, and you're full of love"

"You can't just say that. Jang-Mi loved you too, at some point. What if one day when I become a mother, I too show the side effects of motherhood? What if I stop making money? What if I don't want to have sex anymore? Would you still love me as you do now? Or will we end up the same way? What does it make us then?" The sheets around her body fall, but she ties them back in place with her eyes on me.

I hate being answerable, yet I brought this all upon myself, and now is the moment where I have to make myself clear and set things in place with Maya.

Another dreaded moment that I knew was coming my way some day has finally arrived to slap me across my face left and right.

Taking her hands in mine, I speak softly,
"Maya, I don't ever want to have this conversation again. Please. I know I've not been a great person. I understand that I've made mistakes too, but it wasn't just me. I'm giving this as a promise from the bottom of my heart. I will always love you no matter how you change in the future, and I know we all will change with time. I can fully understand that it's hard for you to trust me after I've practically cheated on my wife and walked out of a marriage, but that doesn't mean that I will keep doing it again and again. I'm not such a bad person," the tears that overflowed my eyes drip down as I speak.

"Taehyung," Maya's hands leave mine and hold my face, lifting it up to make our eyes meet. "You aren't a bad person, and I'm sorry for asking you such a thing. It was just a fleeting thought that crossed my mind sometimes, and I'm sorry if I hurt you by asking something like this. I won't ever do it again. I promise. If you're genuinely learning from your experiences and mistakes, that's all that matters," she closes her eyes and places her lips on mine in a gentle kiss.

"I love you, Maya," I speak against her lips before they collide again in a more intense kiss.

"I love you more," Maya pulls herself closer to me, locking her arms tighter around my neck, her lips meeting mine once again.

Pulling away for breath, she brings our foreheads together, her hand softly caressing the spot below my ear and gliding along the side of my neck.

"Do you think Jang-Mi will trust me?" Her question makes me frown in doubt.

"Why does she have to trust you?" I raise my eyebrows at her.

"To be a part of Areum's life," Maya's voice is filled with doubt.

"She doesn't trust anyone, not even me when it comes to Areum. Why else do you think sh-"

"I am going to meet Jang-Mi," she says confidently, and my jaw drops upon hearing this.

"Maya, you can't do it. She will hurt you with her words. I can't let you meet her when I know what would happen," I flat-out reject her idea, fearing a violent fight between the two women.

"I didn't ask for your permission to meet her, Taehyung. I said I am going to meet her. I want to get to know her and let her know me," I have no idea what demon has possessed her, but her idea definitely sounds bad to me.

Jang-Mi might insult her and abuse her verbally, just like she did the other day, and I just can't let that happen to her.

But as the whole world knows, women are complicated and confusing, and right now, I am in no mood to figure out Maya's reasons because once her mind is made up, no superpower can change it.

If she decides to put her bottom for a vacation inside the alligator's jaw, who am I to stop her?

"You're going to regret it terribly," I warn her, my fingers pushing some strands of her hair behind her ears as I search her eyes for any signs of doubt.

"We'll see," there she goes again, even more confidently.

I can't save her anymore. I need to prepare myself to console her later.

A helpless sigh leaves my lips, my shoulders visibly dropping in defeat, my mind and body devoid of any energy.

"You wanted to tell me something too, didn't you? What's it?" I ask, hoping to discuss something other than my impending divorce and take my mind off it, tugging her closer to me, letting my fingertips move along her upper arm and towards her shoulder.

"I don't know if it's the right time and situation to tell you this. Maybe it can wait?" She chews her lower lip before she runs her tongue over it, her eyes glued to mine, as if she's scanning my face for any signs of doubt or worry.

"No, tell me now. Whatever it is," I demand in a stiff tone, also sensing a sudden rise in my heart-rate.

Maya takes a deep breath, swallowing thickly and briefly closing her eyes before opening them once again, and suddenly I could feel my heart rising to my throat.

She is making me nervous.

"I'm late this month," her voice is soft and measured, and this is the exact moment where I don't know how to react or what to say.

I don't even know if this was the news that I was expecting to hear from her.

Snappity-snap!
🥴

Maya and Jang-Mi... who's excited about their meeting?

Published on : 05/24/2022