"Sometimes, the love we want isn't the love we deserve." - startup

_

All of this was a lie?

Grabbing her cell phone, she quickly dialed her sister, Mary.

"Hello," Mary said, groggily, her voice heavy with sleep.

"It was all a lie, wasn't it? That's what you tried to warn me about?" Y/n's voice was trembling, her breath hitching with every word.

"Y/n?" Mary's voice was now alert, concern evident.

"Don't try to spare my feelings. I heard him. I heard Jungkook." The tears were falling now, and she swiped them away, wanting to not cry, to at least appear strong. Her vision blurred as she tried to keep her composure.

"Oh, honey." Mary's voice softened, filled with pity.

"Don't do that. I'm twenty years old. You don't need to treat me with kid gloves. Just tell me the truth," she said, her voice breaking. "Did you know?"

Mary sighed on the other end. "I knew he wasn't all that he'd seemed. I first met him at a party. He wasn't a nice guy then, and he isn't one now. I did try to warn you."

"But I didn't listen. Have you ever ... slept with him?" Y/n's voice was barely a whisper, fear and disgust mingling in her tone.

"No. Like I said, I like my men to be less mean. Jungkook, he's not a nice guy, but he seemed to make you happy and you wouldn't listen. I wasn't going to take that away from you."

Y/n sniffled, her heart aching. "I made a big mistake."

"Did he fuck you?" Mary's blunt question was a harsh jolt.

"Mary!" Y/n's eyes widened in shock.

"Come on, you've been prudish for a long time. It doesn't get you anywhere. You've got to wake up and realize the world is all about sex and fucking. You're being delusional if you think it is anything else. I'm trying to help you," Mary said, her tone pragmatic.

"Yes." Y/n's voice was small, defeated.

"Then an annulment is out of the question. You're going to have to divorce him."Y/n put a hand to her chest, hating the very word. She didn't want to get an annulment or end her marriage. Not after less than twenty-four hours. Even after hearing all she had, she still loved him. Jungkook had lied about his feelings, but she hadn't. Hers was real, which made the pain of his betrayal even worse.

She sniffled. "I've got to leave. He's with someone in his office. Can you come and pick me up? Please? I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you."

"You're my sister. I love you. Of course, I'll come and pick you up. Be ready in half an hour. I'll be there." Mary's voice was filled with resolve, a promise of support.

Hanging up the phone, Y/n rushed toward the closet. She found her bag there. All of her clothes had already been taken out of it. While she'd been waiting for Jungkook to appear, she'd felt so happy seeing her clothes beside his. Now, each item felt like a mockery of her naivety.

She couldn't believe how stupid she'd been. Her hands trembled as she hastily grabbed her clothes and stuffed them into the bag. Removing her robe, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt. Her parents had been wealthy, but she'd always been the down-to-earth sister who hadn't been drawn into the latest fashion trends. Much to her parents' amusement, she loved to sew and create. She didn't do fashion, but she did make her own clothes. Jungkook had said it was a charming hobby.

Now, she couldn't believe a word he'd ever said. He'd told her he loved her, how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. The three kids he wanted? It had all been lies. Manipulations to get her to be with him, not because he had to have her, but to take her inheritance and what came with her small fortune.

Throwing the bag to the bed, she grabbed most of her clothes, and as she was stuffing the last few items, Jungkook walked into the bedroom.

He'd rolled down his sleeves, hiding the ink he'd told her was a dare he'd been given in college to get. Probably lies too. The man she'd glimpsed wasn't her Jungkook, and never would be."What is going on? Are you excited about our honeymoon already?" he asked, a fake cheerfulness in his voice. His smile was forced, his eyes calculating.

He took a step toward her, and she moved back, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and anger.Jungkook paused, confusion flashing across his face. "Y/n, what is going on? I don't understand. You were perfectly content when I left you to get a drink."

She stared at him, her expression a mix of heartbreak and fury. His voice was once again soft, and he spoke a little slower as well. Did he think she was so stupid she wouldn't catch on? "Drop the act," she said, her voice cold.

"Pardon me?" His eyes narrowed, suspicion creeping into his tone.

"I was the easiest sister. Not the slut, or the one who'd question your motives. I was the easy target for you to get what you want." She stared at him, and she saw the moment he realized she knew. His jaw tightened, and his eyes darkened.

He took another step toward her. "Don't."

"Y/n, what you heard, it was all lies. You don't know the truth." His voice was smooth, but there was a hint of desperation in his eyes.

"No, this right now, this is the lie. What you're doing now, drop it. Drop the act. You don't love me. You never have." She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "You know, my parents warned me about men like you who'll want to use me for what I've got. I never thought it would happen to me. I'm ... me. I don't stand out in a crowd. I don't..." She shook her head and went to her bag.

"You don't understand what was going on. I had to say those things because I don't want anyone to know the truth. Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Jungkook's voice was low, dangerous.

Y/n stood up and looked at him. He'd taken a step closer toward her. "I'm leaving. Mary's coming to pick me up."

"You're my wife. You're not leaving." His voice was commanding, but she saw a flicker of uncertainty.

"I am. I'm going. This was all a mistake. A stupid ... mistake." She couldn't bring herself to hurl insults at him. Her voice was steady, but her eyes were filled with pain.

He grabbed her arms, and she gasped as he pressed her against the wall. "So you know the truth of what I really want. It doesn't mean I can't give you a good life. I didn't need your money, Y/n. I needed your position." His grip was firm, his eyes boring into hers.

"And I wanted nothing but what you promised me. I want the man you pretended to be, but he doesn't exist. You do. I don't want him." Her voice was filled with conviction, but her heart was breaking.

"I'm not going to let you go." His voice was low, almost a whisper, filled with a desperate edge."Yes, you are because if you don't, I'll make sure every single newspaper knows about what happened tonight, and how you lied and manipulated to be married to me."

"You mistake me for a man who gives a fuck, Y/n. You want to play this game we will. I will break that story, and change it so it looks like I was so desperate for you, I had no choice but to make you marry me." His voice was harsh, but she saw the fear in his eyes.

She hated him in that moment, and loved him at the same time. She had never been so confused and hurt in all of her life. "I loved you," she said, letting the tears come back."Y/n, don't cry." His voice softened, but it only made her cry harder.

"And you promised to love me too, but it was all a lie. I was warned not to trust you, and I told them they were all wrong. You made me look like a fool." She sobbed, and he still held her hands above her head. "You don't want to be with me, and I don't want to be with you. Let me go."

"No."

"I won't divorce you," she said. She would agree to anything to be out of the house and away from him. "I'll stay married and you can live your own life. We can be completely separate in all things. I don't have to be with you. You can have the place on the board, and I can live alone, without you."

"What if you're pregnant?" he asked, his voice softening, a spark of something unreadable in his eyes.

She felt a spark of hope as he considered her offer. "I doubt I am."

"And if you are?"

"I'll take care of it. I'll love our child no matter what. You'll never have to worry about her or him." She didn't want to be pregnant. "Just let me go. You don't want me, not really. Let me go."Seconds passed, and he finally let her go, stepping away from her. His face was a mask of frustration and resignation.

She didn't linger as she grabbed her bags and ran downstairs, her heart pounding. Rushing out of the house, she found Mary waiting for her. Her sister's eyes were filled with worry and determination.

Shoving her bag into the backseat, she climbed into the passenger seat "Get me away from here," she said, her voice breaking.

When they were outside the gate, Y/n allowed herself the time to cry. Pressing her hands to her face, she sobbed for everything she had hoped her fairy tale ending could be. Mary reached over, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, her face etched with sadness.

"It's going to be okay, Y/n," Mary said softly, her voice filled with conviction. "We'll get through this together."

But as the tears flowed and her heart broke, Y/n couldn't see how anything could ever be okay again.

__________________________