Life is full of choices; everyone has options, and the only thing that is everyone's responsibility is the weight of the choice they will carry.

You knew yours; you accepted it.

But Taehyung wasn't given a choice, neither when he was shot nor when he was forced to choose another veterinarian for his horses. The problematic instance you caused between him and Namjoon led to several consequences, the most important of which was betrayal.

Namjoon wasn't lying down playing dead when you got married and wanted to have your name changed. In fact, he took your stance and the position you stood in very heavily, thought of it as perchidy. However, what topped it all and filled the bucket to the brim was the way Taehyung preferred to believe a stranger instead of him.

He had devoted his youth to the Kims. He shuttled back and forth between the old and the younger, pleasing both, only to be ridiculed in front of witnesses for something he felt he had nothing to do with.

For him, you were the first to stab, the first to threaten.

The chance for retribution was so tempting to be left out when the deputy, Mr. Choi approached him. He would have refused, and to his credit, he had thought really hard before agreeing to spy on Taehyung's schedule and give information about it.

As he stood in front of Miss Baek for more than twenty minutes, talking about the weather and the fine dust while playing with his car keys and having pointless discussions that he would never have opened with the elderly lady, he had wondered if he was really willing to take the deputy's offer seriously and give his friend a taste of the poison he had received. On reflection, he thought that he would even be elected the new heir if he tried, and when greed blinded his vision, he no longer saw why he should refuse.

Taehyung was lost in thoughts when you questioned him for the umpteenth time, unable to answer you. Only when you had regained your strength thanks to Seokjin's care and Jungkook's home-cooked meals did you begin to ask what had happened.

"It's none of your business." That was the only answer he gave you every time.

There was a calmness to be found in your mundane tasks, something akin to a soft caress you never experienced, like a peaceful slumber after a long, tiring day.

You missed that, Taehyung too.

But none of you could appreciate it when you had the chance. Surfing the waves of thought and ranting about events robbed you of the serenity that lay in something as simple as a routine.

His phone never stopped receiving calls from his father and Katarina while Jungkook was working on his rehabilitation. He had no more excuses left to provide and found himself near spilling the truth.

But there was no logic to it. He knew. Telling what he had experienced would also mean admitting what he had done. That couldn't be a choice he would opt for, even under the threat of a knife.

"She saved your life; she gave you her blood, for God's sake; we spent hours by your side to make sure you would live to see the next day; we deserve answers; we deserve to know what to protect you from." Seokjin exploded.

"I don't need your protection."

Seokjin always thought Taehyung was a spoiled brat who needed a few slaps in the face to set him straight. He would say that growing up with money and everything within reach was the reason Taehyung never appreciated anything done for him, and had he shared that thought with you, you would have agreed with him.

And if he had shared his thoughts with Taehyung, he probably would have spit in his face and cursed his duplicity. See, Taehyung and Seokjin grew up in a similar environment, shared similar habits, for that matter. Seokjin was Taehyung's neighbor and close friend with whom he spent his childhood despite the age difference. But Taehyung would say that age wasn't the only difference between them, but also the lifestyle and the blessings the former grew up in, which Taehyung couldn't enjoy.

You would agree that Seokjin did indeed deviate from your husband's nature. You didn't spend that much time with him to have a say, but the few days you spent in the cabin were enough to make you wonder how the two Poles reunited.

"Stop trying, he's ungrateful." You criticized with a scrunched nose.

Taehyung was still having trouble standing upright; he held the left side of his waist as he gazed at the window, admiring the greenery outside the confines of the humble space. It had been almost an hour since you reopened this argument again, and he wished he could silence your hyperactive mouth in any possible way. Your words, however, stirred him as they had intended, and as he moved with steady steps toward your seated figure, he wondered how he could punish Jungkook for dragging you into this.

"Can't you keep your thoughts to yourself, woman?" He hissed, grabbing your wrist tightly as he yanked you up from your seat and pulled you over to him, pressing your chest flat against his, making you worry about his wound.

You stared into his eyes, deep in thoughts and invaded by several question marks. How can a man be like the tides, sometimes high and sometimes low? The way he looked at you right now contradicted his gentle voice when he had just woken up; it was nowhere near the way he gently stroked your cheek, questioning the reason for your pale face.

"What brought you here, Yunjae? What did they do to you?"

They?

He couldn't move otherwise, he would have checked every single part of your body just to make sure you were safe, even though you were the one who should have inquired about his condition and checked his wound.

"That's the first time you've mentioned my name," you chuckled, fatigue playing a part in making your voice sound weak, "glad you still remember it."

You were checking his IV drip when he grasped your wrist, his strength missing from everything he's been through, "I thought you'd like it better if I kept your name out of my mouth. If that answers your question, would you answer mine?" he continued to press on your skin, pulling you to sit at his side, "what happened to you? Are you okay?"

"I should ask you that, don't you think?" You raised an eyebrow, sneakily determined to pull your hand out of his. "But I'm fine, and if that answers your question, I'll wait for your answers."

But you lost that Taehyung the moment the anesthesia wore off, and your questions became louder and more intrusive. You became a source of unrest even for yourself, so you weren't particularly shocked when he snapped in a moment of anger.

You went overboard.

Seokjin was between the two of you in seconds, interfering and trying to soothe the ignition. Jungkook had just returned from the porch after his cigarette break, and the sight was alarming enough that he entered the house without taking off his shoes.

"What the fuck are you doing, for God's sake; are you insane? Roared Jungkook.

"Take her away, Jungkook, before I do something that will show you what crazy really means."

Taehyung wasn't kidding; he, in fact, was closer to insanity than you can imagine. Jungkook knew he wasn't acting on impulse; God only knew that Seokjin also had an idea that wasn't entirely clear in that regard, but he was trying to push him to the extreme because he thought it would help Taehyung's future revenge plans to include you in their secret.

Jungkook took Taehyung's hand away from your wrist and held it in his before you jerked it away and, keeping your gaze buried in Taehyung's form, you began: "I'm not a bag of starch to grab me when needed and throw away when it's useless, and you can't to order people around to get me and dispose of me when you feel like it, Taehyung."

"You don't have to follow that order, Jungkook," you said as you gathered your things, your eyes never retreated from glaring at your husband, who returned similar looks, "I know the way out," and with that, you reached for the door and slammed it behind you.

"THAT WOULD BE KIM FOR YOU", Taehyung shouted, but you paid no attention to his nonsense.

"You're crazy," Jungkook described, stroking his hair in frustration, "the bullet your father gifted you lodged in your brain without a doubt."

Seokjin's shock was evident in his widened eyes and slack jaw but still went unnoticed. He wasn't as innocent as you might have thought; he actually knew all about Taehyung's agenda with the deputy and, thus, how you ended up in Taehyung's life as his infamous wife. He even knew about the ongoing complications with Namjoon and firmly believed that he was behind the attack, but he could never phatom that old Kim had something to do with it.

"What does he mean by that, Taehyung?"

"keep your fucking trap shut, Jungkook. I'm warning you." He glared at the man in front of him while ignoring the other's question.

Taehyung looked dejected; one by one, he was losing the people who surrounded him, helped him. He moved laboriously to the window and took out his cigarettes from the nightstand to light one before Seokjin quickly waylaid him and took the white stick away, "Won't you explain what he means?"

"Tell him why so quiet," Jungkook urged, marching toward the two men with arrogant strides, "You want me to do that instead ?"

Taehyung was seeing red, the confrontation was robbing him of the last bits of his patience, so he figured he could find an outlet to relieve it as he clung to Jungkook's collar and buried his eyes into the man whom he outreached himself to protect, "You really don't know your limits; such a piece of shit; do you think because I defended you and covered for your actions that I would think twice before burying you alive?"

Jungkook was unaware that Taehyung's stitches were coming undone by the exertion he pulled off, nor that you were still standing outside listening to the conversation taking place with a palm covering your mouth to hide your gasps.

"Why? Are you afraid to tell him that we saved you from your father? That he disowned you and pacted with Namjoon when he figured you were an obstacle, a blot on his career?"

Seokjin's condition was no different from Taehyung's. Both looked at Jungkook with widened eyes; only their jaws were different. One's jaw dropped in shock, while the other gripped tightly in anger.

"Isn't this your fault?" Taehyung croaked in a voice loud enough to encourage the blood to flow toward his wound and seep through his shirt, "Don't you owe me for everything I lost for you?"

"Oh, don't blame me for your infidelity," Jungkook replied mockingly, "he found the perfect woman for you, and what did you do? You went around showing off your dick. He brought you the perfect woman who would render your position solid against any attack. Couldn't you be a bit grateful? You have a flaw, Taehyung," Jungkook pointed his index finger against Taehyung's chest in an accusatory manner, "and so do I, but guess what? I bow and execute to keep my vices hidden," Jungkook approached Taehyung in a calmer manner, intending to make his words heard, "Your father chose her with intent; you can't play behind his back and expect him not to punish you; after all, you know him better than anyone else in this room. This time it was a mere threat, a warning, what do you think follows a warning, huh?"

Taehyung wished that discussion didn't take place as he thought about it while looking at the glass wall that adorned his office with a magnificent view. It hurt him to feel exposed and let down in front of his friends, and that was another motive to seek his vengeance that became, with each laugh his father offered, more paramount.

Namjoon was a vessel, he didn't care much about him; what infuriated him was that his father gave him up just to ensure that his career remained clean and free of the sort of stain that would set him back.

And your fury didn't disappear even though more than a month had passed since you overheard your husband and his friends' discussion. You were still blaming your family for selling you so cheaply to a family that didn't care about their blood bounds; to danger; to a man who didn't respect your efforts and the length of your sacrifices for him; instead, he went around talking about how he would die rather than give up his romantic life.

Your pride was hurt; funny, because your husband's was too.