The sun had dipped below the horizon by the time I made my way home from the park. The echoes of children's laughter still rang in my ears, but their warmth didn't quite reach my heart. It had been a welcome distraction, being around Lily and talking to Jackson, but the moment I stepped through the front door, the heavy silence swallowed me whole once again.

The house no longer felt like home. It was just walls and furniture now—cold, lifeless, and void of the love that once filled its spaces. I slipped off my shoes, sighing as I glanced toward the hallway that led to the guest room. The door was slightly ajar, signaling that Taehyung was already home, but as expected, he remained unseen, locked away in his own solitude.

A bitter pang of resentment stirred within me. How could he be like this? How could he not care? Not once in the past week had he spoken to me—not a word, not even a glance unless it was that cold, piercing stare that made my skin prickle. It was as if I were nothing to him now, as if I were just an afterthought in the life we built together.

Was he blaming me? Did he really believe I was the only one at fault?

Anger curled in my chest, simmering beneath the layers of heartbreak and exhaustion. I wasn't the only one who let things fester. He was just as much a part of this mess, yet he walked around like he was the one who had been wronged, while I was the one left to pick up the shattered pieces alone.

I took a deep breath, shaking off the frustration. It wasn't worth it—not anymore. I had spent too long drowning in pain, and I needed to find my own way out of this darkness.

That's why I had gone to the park.

Because even if I couldn't have my own children, that didn't mean I had to shut myself away from them completely. There was still something pure and hopeful about their world, something I longed to hold onto.

I stepped into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water, letting my mind drift back to my time with Lily. She had been a ball of energy, her little arms wrapping around my waist the moment she spotted me.

"Jo! Jo! I knew it was you!" she had squealed, her big brown eyes gleaming with excitement.

I had laughed, crouching down to meet her at eye level. "Oh yeah? What gave it away?"

"Your face, duh!" she giggled before tugging at my hand. "Come play with me! We're playing pretend pirates today."

Behind her, Jackson had chuckled, his hands stuffed into his pockets. "Looks like you've been caught again."

I rolled my eyes at him and he just smirked before our attentions were grabbed by his beautiful daughter.

Lily had taken center stage, rambling about her latest adventures at school. She told me about her best friend's new puppy, the art project she was working on, and how she wanted to be an astronaut-princess when she grew up.

"And then I'll fly to space and have a castle on the moon!" she declared proudly, throwing her arms in the air.

"Ambitious," Jackson mused. "Think you can handle all that responsibility?"

Lily grinned, puffing out her chest. "Of course! And Auntie Jo can come visit me!"

I had chuckled, ruffling her hair. "I'd love that, Lilybug."

After a long time, I had been feeling light the past week with them. Even if it was just for a little while.

But now, standing alone in my dimly lit kitchen, that lightness was gone. I let out a weary sigh, setting down my glass and rubbing my temples.

Maybe this was how it was meant to be now—fleeting moments of solace before the loneliness crept back in.

Unexpectedly, the guest room door creaked open.

I froze.

Taehyung stepped out, his gaze instantly colliding with mine. He looked just as startled as I felt, his body stiffening at the sight of me. For a second, we just stood there, staring—two strangers caught in the same space, bound by a past that now felt too heavy to carry.

Then, without a word, he looked away. He moved past me, his footsteps echoing in the suffocating silence, his presence brushing by as if I wasn't even there. As if I didn't exist.

And that—

That was it. The last damn straw.

"You're really going to pretend I'm not standing right here?" My voice sliced through the air, sharp, edged with all the bitterness I had swallowed for days.

Taehyung stopped mid-step, his back still to me. "I'm not pretending anything," he said, his voice void of any emotion.

A bitter laugh clawed its way out of my throat. "Right. You're just walking past me like I'm nothing. Like I'm not your wife. Like we didn't just burn our entire lives to the fucking ground."

His jaw clenched. I saw it in the way his shoulders tensed before he turned, his dark eyes unreadable. "What do you want me to say, Jo?" His voice was low, restrained, like he was holding everything in by a thread. "That I'm fine? That I'm okay with how everything turned out? Because I'm not."

"Then say that!" I snapped, stepping forward. "Say something! Anything! Just stop acting like I never fucking mattered to you."

Taehyung let out a sharp breath, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "What do you want from me?"

"I don't know!" My voice cracked, and I hated how vulnerable I sounded. How broken. "I don't fucking know, Tae! I just—" I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I don't understand how you can act like this. Like you don't even care."

His eyes darkened. "You think I don't care?"

I scoffed, shaking my head. "You don't even look at me anymore."

Silence. Thick. Suffocating.

Then, finally, he spoke. His voice was quiet, but it cut through the tension like a blade.

"Because if I do, I'll break."

The air was sucked out of my lungs. I stared at him, my heart pounding, my hands trembling. His expression flickered—just for a second—something raw, something painful. But before I could reach for him, before I could grab onto whatever fragile thread still tethered us together, he exhaled, shaking his head.

And then he turned.

Walked away.

And with every step he took, the distance between us stretched further and further, until I wasn't sure if there was anything left to salvage.

I stood there, alone in the hallway, my fingers curling into fists, my chest caving in with the weight of everything we had lost.

I wasn't sure if we'd ever come back from this.

And for the first time, I wasn't sure if I wanted to.