The next day, Erin was chilling at her study table, puffing away on a cigarette. The room was kind of dim, just lit by a desk lamp giving off this cozy, warm vibe. She’d just lit up, letting the cigarette glow for a sec before taking a drag. She sucked her cheeks in, holding the smoke for a moment before letting it drift up.

Her mind drifted back to when she was 19. Back then, she had this mega crush on a dude she barely knew. He was just some guy she’d see at the park, running around and having a blast with his friends. Nothing special, just a guy who had a way of catching her eye.

She’d hang around the park, sneaking peeks at him while he was playing and laughing. It was like she was obsessed with this dude she’d only seen in passing. She'd daydream about him, imagining all sorts of scenarios where they’d meet and fall for each other. It was a total fantasy, but it was what got her through the days.

As she blew out another puff of smoke, Erin thought about how that crush had morphed into this crazy, complicated story. It was wild how those old feelings had twisted and turned over the years. She shook her head, letting go of the past as she crushed out the cigarette and got back to her day.

"It's always have been you Taehyung,"

Erin took a drag from her cigarette, staring off into the distance. Her mind wandered back to when Taehyung was 15. She remembered him at the park, shooting hoops with his friends.

“Man, he was something,” she murmured to herself. “Such a cute teenager, always with that confident grin.”

She could almost hear the echoes of their laughter from back then. “I remember when he’d just dominate the court.” She chuckled, thinking about how his youthful energy had made her heart race.

“Oh, I couldn’t help but watch him,” she admitted, blowing out a puff of smoke. “He had this way of making everything look effortless. Such a charmer, even at that age.”

Those memories, with Taehyung just being his teenage self, made her smile, reminding her of the crazy crush she’d had.
Until that crush grew into something unexpected... love—

————————————————————
[8 years ago]

Erin remembered the time she finally worked up the guts to approach Taehyung. “Hey, mind if I join you guys?” she’d asked, trying to sound cool.

Taehyung grinned. “Sure, we could use another player. It’s just me and two others right now.”

She felt a rush of excitement. “Awesome! I love basketball.”

Erin gave a fake name, saying she was “Alias” to keep things under wraps. She didn’t want anyone digging into her personal stuff or raising any suspicions.

As they played, Taehyung was friendly and easygoing. “You’re pretty good,” he said, giving her a high-five.

“Thanks! I’ve been practicing,” she replied, her heart fluttering.

Over time, their basketball games became a regular thing. The more they played, the closer they got. Every game, every laugh, just drew her in deeper.

Meanwhile, Taehyung was too into the game to notice. He didn’t catch on to how Erin was totally mooning over him with every play.  That's the reason, when Taehyung spotted the photo in Erin’s closet, it hit him with a major nostalgia trip. Erin freaked out, hoping he wouldn’t dig any deeper—

Erin scribbled in her diary, “Man, Taehyung—my darling always drives me wild. Every time I see him, my heart’s doing somersaults.”

One day, she was caught up in her writing when Taehyung popped in. “Hey, what’s that you’re writing?”

Erin froze, barely managing to mumble, “Oh, just some stuff. Nothing important.”

Taehyung shrugged, not catching on. “Alright, cool. Just curious.”

As he left, Erin sighed and thought, "If only you knew it’s all about you." She’d never find the guts to spill it in person, so the diary was her only way to let her feelings out.

Remember the diary?

Erin kept it where she wrote about this dude she was head over heels for. Turns out, that dude was Taehyung. She poured her heart out in those pages, but she was too chicken to say it to his face. So, she put all her feels into her diary, hoping those pages would do the talking for her.

————————————————————
[Present]

Erin stared at her cigarette, lost in thought. She exhaled sharply, the smoke curling up like her fading memories of Taehyung. Each drag seemed to burn away her heartache and frustration.

[Memories,]

Her dad, grumbling, broke the silence. “Erin, we’re moving for our jobs. It’s not negotiable.”

She looked up, her eyes flashing with frustration. “But Dad, I don’t want to leave korea. It’s not fair.”
Somewhere in her eyes, she spoke another word, "Especially not my darling, my Tae."

Her mom, arms crossed, added coldly, “Life isn’t about what’s fair. We’re making sacrifices for a better future.”

Erin’s jaw clenched. “I know, but it’s not just about you guys. This is my life, too!”

Her dad shook his head. “You’re being selfish. We’re doing what’s best for the family.”

Her mom’s voice was stern. “And you need to show some appreciation for that. We’re not doing this for fun.”

Erin slumped in her seat, eyes glazed. She crossed her arms, staring at the floor. When her dad spoke, she barely looked up, muttering, “This is so messed up.”

She fidgeted with her cigarette, puffing hard, as if the smoke could block out her frustration. “I don’t wanna leave Korea,” she grumbled, eyes rolling.

Her mom’s words just made her sigh louder, her shoulders stiffening. “Yeah, sure, whatever,” she snapped, clearly over it. She kept glancing out the window, lost in thoughts of what she was leaving behind.

As the plane rumbled down the runway, Erin’s heart felt like it was sinking with the weight of her disappointment. She stared out the window, watching Korea disappear beneath the clouds. Every bump and jolt seemed to echo the turmoil inside her.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through one picture
of her and Taehyung, each one a painful reminder of the laughter and moments they shared. Her thumb hovered over a photo of them at the park, his smile so genuine. A lump formed in her throat as she tried to hold back tears.

Her dad broke the silence, glancing over and asking, “You gonna be okay?”

Erin barely shifted and hid her phone, her voice tinged with frustration. “Yeah, just peachy.”

Her mom tried to be supportive, though her tone was somewhat dismissive. “Try to be positive. It’s a fresh start.”

Erin scoffed, turning her eyes back to the window. “A fresh start? More like a fresh mess.”

She sighed deeply, feeling the distance between her and Taehyung growing with every mile. “I can’t believe I’m not gonna see Korea (him) for ages,” she mumbled, her voice trembling. “This really sucks.”

Her dad, trying to sound reassuring, said, “You’ll get used to it.”

Erin grumbled under her breath, “Yeah, sure, if ‘getting used to it’ means being miserable all the time.”
——————————————————

[Present]

Erin crushed the cigarette under her heel, staring at the ground with a bitter smirk. “Oh, thanks, Mom and Dad,” she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Really appreciate you dragging me away from Tae. Can’t wait to thank you in person for this amazing ‘fresh start.’”

She kicked at the ground, her eyes hard. “Best decision ever, right? Leaving behind everything that actually mattered to me.” Her tone was laced with hurt, each word a sharp jab at the parents she felt had betrayed her. My darling, My Taehyung.

"And what about when you actually pressurized me to go for teaching profesion, where at one place I wanted to be a writer,"
She chuckled bitterly remembering those past incidents.

———————————————————

[7 years ago]

Erin’s frustration boiled over as her parents scolded her for not pursuing a career in teaching. “First, you yank me out of Korea, and now this?” she snapped. “Seriously? I want to be a writer, not stuck in some dead-end teaching gig.”

Her dad’s face reddened. “You think you can just chase some fantasy? You’re gonna be a chemistry professor, end of story!”

Her mom chimed in, “We didn’t go through all this just for you to sulk and follow some pipe dream. Our rep’s on the line here!”

When Erin pushed back, trying to explain her passion for writing, her dad’s anger erupted. He grabbed her arm roughly. “You think we’re joking? This is your future, not a damn hobby!”

Her mom joined in, pushing her toward the door. “Get your head out of the clouds. You’re going to teach chemistry, and you’ll like it, or else!”

The physical force and harsh words left Erin reeling, feeling her dreams crushed under the weight of their expectations.

———————————————

[Present]

"Yeah maybe this job pays me high, but I can't enjoy as much as I likes writing, but they never understood."

Erin's tears streamed uncontrollably, hot and stinging as they traced down her cheeks. Her face contorted with a mix of anger and heartbreak, each sob shaking her entire body. Her breaths came in ragged gasps, her shoulders trembling as she tried to muffle her cries against her hands. The weight of her parents' demands and the crushing blow to her dreams left her feeling utterly defeated, her tears a raw testament to her shattered hopes and the pain of feeling so utterly trapped.

Soon, it got snapped into something that triggered her more.
"And Antoine....I can never forgive him." She spoke with gritted teeth.

———————————————————
Thank youuuuu
-I hope this make you realise some Erin's past. Please read next to know more about her past married life with Antoine.
*warning:- assualt and abuse ahead*
-Jiya!