Chapter 16: Nothing but a liar

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Ella freely roamed the empty streets of Seoul.

Evening had just dawned on the city. After a long tiring day at work, all Ella wanted to do was crash onto her bed and sleep endlessly.

The over piling assignments had drained all the life out of her. Her absence from work really started to take its toll on her. But she didn't complain as much.

Work kept her busy. It shifted her focus to the present. 

In a way, Ella was grateful for the constant deadlines and nerve wracking pressure. 

Over the weeks, her mental health fluctuated drastically. There were times where she smiled till her cheeks hurt and there were times she'd curl into a ball and weep for the whole day.

The unpredictability tortured her. She was tired of getting her spirits up every time she felt better, only for it to come crashing down the next day.

Why was it so hard to get over everything? She just wanted to start anew.

Right?

Another question filled her brain as she analyzed it thoroughly. Was she ready to move on? Was she ready to forgive Jimin and give up the past? Was she ready to accept him as a part of her past?

She didn't know. She hadn't opened that door of her life in a long time and she was scared to. 

She was scared to fall down again. So she ignored everything.

Ignorance is bliss, after all.

But one thing Ella didn't know was that life wasn't going to wait forever for her.

As Ella walked on the pavement, her eyes caught a peculiar sight. It seemed like a couple. The pair remained stuck together with their hands entwined. Their lips molded with each other and their eyes closed in bliss.

She almost smiled at the happy couple. Almost.

Until she realized, on a closer look, that the black haired man was Jimin himself. And in his arms was the man she had found in their bedroom.

What was his name again? Hyungsoo?

Ella stood fixed in her spot. At that moment, her vision became compromised. All the color seemed to be replaced by red. She could only see red.

Her insides flamed as she boiled with anger. Her fists clenched shut as she continued to watch the man who had betrayed her.

The nerve he had to do this. 

Disbelief etched her features as she began to breathe rapidly. If people looked closer, they would be able to see the fumes that rushed out of her ears.

With no warning, Jimin's eyes unknowingly found hers. They widened in recognition as he took in her perplexed state. He knew right then he had royally messed up. He slowly mouthed her name. He was ready to run to her and beg her again.

But Ella never gave him a chance. She ran away again.

She moved faster than sound and didn't stop until she reached her shared apartment. Her heart drummed alarmingly against her chest. She was somewhere in between crumbling down and punching someone in the face.

A loud sob of helplessness left her throat. It wasn't fair. She wasn't ready to see him like that again. Now her fear of sinking down gnawed at her stomach.

She hastily entered the apartment and shut the door quickly. Her staggered breathing and beating pulse forced her to stop and collect herself. But everything was so god damn hard all the time.

"Ella, are you okay?" Taehyung spoke from the corner. His voice jolted her as she stood up straight. Her mind in conflict of whether she should tell him the truth.

"I saw Jimin", she let out shakily. 

"Oh. Ok, just sit down. You're shaking."

Taehyung attempted to gently grab her hand but she pulled away. She needed to be alone. 

"I just need to be alone right now."

Taehyung didn't want to debate as he was well aware of how she coped up with things like these. But this incident had become so repetitive, it was getting boring.

"Maybe you should go talk to him."

Ella scrunched her eyebrows in irritation as she turned around to face him.

"Why should I go talk to him? He doesn't deserve anything."

"I know, Ella. But you said it yourself that it could act like some closure. You have to learn to forgive him. Maybe he didn't mean to hurt you."

Ella chuckled bitterly. All the rage she had kept bottled up was finally surfacing. Now vexation had completely consumed her. Ella blanked for a minute as she began to look for a fight. She didn't care if she was being hostile to the wrong person. Just for once, Ella needed to be angry.

"You know you're such a hypocrite. You tell me all this about forgiving Jimin, but you're still stuck in the same shithole that Sue put you in."

Taehyung seemed taken back for a minute. Her words felt like venom.

"That is different, Ella."

"How? How is that different? She dumped you for another person as well, didn't she? Who knows, maybe she even cheated on you."

Calm down, Taehyung. She's just saying things out of anger.

"Why aren't you saying anything now? It's because I'm right. You're just as much as a coward. It's been two years and you're still scared of how she's going to treat you. You can't accept the fact that she doesn't love you anymore."

"Ella, it's not li-"

"And don't come advising me like you've got all your problems sorted out. We're one and the same, Taehyung."

"Watch what you sa-"

"Then why?! Why haven't you gone and seen Su-"

"Because she's fucking dead!"

Ella felt like she had been slapped in the face. Taehyung fumed as he sat down on the sofa. He looked up at her as he watched all the color drain out of her face.

"What?" she let out sternly.

"That's right. Sue is dead. She killed herself two years ago. There's your answer. Happy now?" he spat out angrily.

Ella scoffed loudly as her eyes reflected pain.

"You lied to me."

Taehyung remained silent.

"You made me think she was a horrible person. You made me feel like we had gone through the same thing. Why did you lie?!"

Taehyung was so close to bursting.

"Because I wanted to paint her out as a bad person. I wanted to believe she was a bad person. It was the easiest way to cope with her death."

Ella's eyes glistened as she shook her head. Her face wore an incredulous expression.

"What does it matter that I lied anyway?"

"It does matter. I thought we both had partners who fell out of love with us. It made me think that there was nothing wrong with me. It made me think that Jimin was the one who was completely at fault. It made me feel like I wasn't alone."

Taehyung looked at her with hooded eyes, confusion written all over his face.

Ella's voice cracked.

"Don't you get the difference? Sue loved you till her last breath. You have that security. But Jimin doesn't love me anymore. And he never will."

Unable to handle all the information, Ella rushed out of the apartment as she slammed the door in the process.

The cold silence hit his ear like a glass piercing through his skin.

His mind in jumble. His heart in pieces. His hope shattered.

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A/N:

Did you guys understand Ella's reasoning?? 

Thanks for reading❤