A year later, Jungkook POV
I swirl the golden liquid in my glass, feeling the condensation of the ice wetting my fingertips, & my mind can't help but wander back to her.
If only we hadn't met that night..
I down the drink in one gulp, hoping the slow burn of the alcohol will clear my head a little.
But it doesn't. My thoughts keep coming back to her, especially now that I'm back at the place where we first met.
Vegas.
Apparently what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas.
"One more whiskey please." I call out to the bartender.
My fingers tap repeatedly on the smooth wooden bar table as I recall the moment when I last saw her.

Flashback
"That's it. You're officially divorced now." My lawyer shook my hand & took the papers from the table.
I smiled faintly at him & turned to Y/n.
She looked gaunt, dark heavy bags bulging under her blank eyes, face devoid of any expression. But she still kept her shoulders up & back straight, refusing to let the world know about the monstrous chaos inside her heart & mind.
She rose from her seat & walked towards the exit without so much as a glance at me. Understandable, because my unexpected appearance had basically turned her world upside down.
But I still desperately held on to her. I wanted to be the one to comfort her, her shoulder to cry on.
"Y/n, can we talk?" I abruptly stood up & called out to her right before she stepped out of the room.
She stopped for a moment & I noticed her white knuckles as she gripped the door handle tightly.
"No. There's nothing to talk about anymore between us." She finally managed to say before she walked out of the room & out of my life without turning back.

Present
She was never mine, but I felt a great sense of loss when she left.
Jin left too. Our friendship was unsalvageable. I never see nor hear from him again after that disastrous night at Seoyeon's apartment. But I heard Jin's family & Seoyeon are still fighting over the child's custody.
How did we end up like this?
I sigh heavily & swallow the whole content of my glass in one go.
God, I miss her.
I leave the hotel bar & am about to ride the elevator up to my room when a familiar voice catches my attention.
I turn around & search for the owner of that voice. Then, I see her.
She looks thinner & more mature with her new short bob, but it's unmistakably her.

Y/n POV
"Y/n ah, I need to go to the restroom. Wait for me here." My boss says as she rises from her seat, leaving me sitting alone in the hotel lobby.
"Oh ok." I reply & direct my vision back to my tablet.
I try to continue reviewing the documents, but I can't seem to focus as persistent uneasiness reverberates throughout my whole body.
I can't believe I'm back here again.
All the awful memories come back to me in waves, clenching my heart, suffocating me.
Stop. Just forget about it. They're out of your life already.
It's been a year, but I still can't forget that awful day when my once peaceful life crumbled into a pile of unrecognizable ruins. The pain still feels so real, haunting me, giving me bone-chilling nightmares that wake me up in cold sweats in the middle of the night.
Giving up on reading, I take off my glasses & pinch my nose bridge to get rid of the fatigue that's slowly building in my head.
I open my eyes & scan the busy hotel lobby. It seems like a long time ago when I ran frantically through this lobby after I spent the night with Jungkook.
I turn my face towards the elevator & that's when I see him, standing frozen with his mouth gaping as he stares at me wide-eyed.
Jungkook.
I quickly lower my head & avert my gaze. My heart pounds inside my chest as chills travel down my spine. It feels as if I've seen a ghost from my past that I wish to never meet again.
After a few seconds, I hesitantly lift my gaze to steal a glance, but he's not there anymore.
Relief washes over me. I must've been mistaken.
"Y/n ah, our rooms should be ready. Could you please check with the receptionist?" My boss plops down beside me all of a sudden.
"Ah, yes sure." I readily nod & get up.
I turn towards the elevator one more time & no one's there.
My mind must have played tricks on me. You need to let go Y/n ah. Stop torturing yourself.
I suck in a deep breath & let it out slowly before stepping towards the receptionist.

Jungkook POV
I watch her talking to the receptionist from behind the wall. Every inch of my being longs to go to her, talk to her, touch her, just be near her.
But the short second our eyes met, I knew that it would be impossible.
The panic, fright, & sorrow in her eyes were so vivid and I wish to never see that again.
She must be grieving still.
So I decided to hide myself & watch her from a distance. How I wish that I hadn't seen her, because not being able to reach out to her when she's so near hurts more than not seeing her.
Time to let go Jungkook ah. There's just too much hurt in between you that it will take much more than time to heal the wounds.
I huff heavily & turn to see her one last time.
Goodbye Y/n ah. This time forever.
Then, I clench my fists & walk away.
Something that I should've done back then when I first saw her.

-Fin-