note: All the ID'S file names,address names, mentioned are fictional

Y/N.

"They wanted children," I whispered. "But when they found out Ian was crippled... they just discarded them like broken toys." My throat knotted with the truth. "Their birth mother, she must have gone through hell, trying to protect them with every ounce of her soul. And they still.." I broke off, my voice split into a sob. "How could they do that? If they couldn't raise them, then why did they even go for donors? Why did they keep everything so goddamn confidential?"

Tears spilled down my cheeks.

"At least if I knew, if we could, we could find the donors. I would have looked for them, I would have found them!"

My voice uproared. "Why... why did they even create these two innocent lives if all they wanted was to discard them just because one was born different? "

"Y/N," Jimin spoke quietly "It's your mother."

"What?" I gasped and looked up at him.

He pointed to the bottom corner of the document. A line of small print.

Reference: Rey Parker

I stared. And blinked. "No... no, that can't..."

"What if she wanted human subjects," Jimin said gently. "Two human beings to test her research. And what if she used the Jeons to get them?"

My skin went numb.

"She could have manipulated them. Triggered their desire for children. Convinced them to go through with the surrogacy... just so she could snatch them the moment they were born."

I swallowed hard.

"Look... it says the reference was approved by only Mrs. Jeon Ha-un. Not Mr. Jeon." He moved his index finger along the line.

Jimin nodded. "What if your mother played her? Convinced her. Made it look like a miracle solution. And then, once they were born."

" She was behind their back and because Ian was different, Mr. Jeon kicked them out. and she never got a chance to experiment with their head...or may be their Eomma.." I paused. " thats the reason their Eomma took them from this hell and stormed to the cabin. " I finished.

"And as for finding the donors?" Jimin's voice dropped gentle, like he already knew what it would do to me. "You can't, Y/N. Sometimes... sometimes they don't even know who the real donors are."

I blinked, confused. My breath hitched in my throat.

"Because in some cases," he continued slowly, "they get the egg and sperm directly from a cryopreservation lab, where samples are kept anonymous, unclaimed... meant for research, not for life."

His words sliced me like a scythe.

I froze. The file in my hands blurred behind my tears. My fingers trembled against the pages.

"what?" My words came out almost inaudible.

"You heard me." He looked down. "No names. No identity. No family tree to trace. Just numbers. Just samples, stored in metal tanks, frozen until someone like her decides to play god."

The words echoed in my skull.

No roots. No past. No one to claim them.

A deep and hollow ache split opened in my chest.

"They were just... created?" I choked. "From nothing? Like they were projects?"

I buried my face in my palms as the sobs broke uncontrollably. My shoulders trembled, and hiccups tore through me as I cried harder and harder than I ever had. The pain in my chest felt unbearable, as if it had split open under the pressure of everything I had just learned.

My Jungkook...

The agony he must have endured, knowing the truth. That the people who were supposed to love him, raise him, protect him... had discarded him the moment he didn't fit their perfect mold. Thrown away like trash.

And then to find out they weren't even real parents to begin with. That he and Ian were just, just lab rats. Products of a twisted experiment.

I sobbed harder.

How did he survive that kind of betrayal? How did he still loved me so fiercely, when the world gave him nothing but reasons to shut down?

"Y/N... hey. Stop crying. There is nothing we can do, Y/N..." Jimin's voice broke through the storm inside me as his hand found my shoulder. His palm brushed gently against my shoulder, but I could barely feel it.

"I just..." my voice cracked. "I just want to find the donors, Jimin. The real parents. I want to bring them back for Ian. At least... at least he could have someone...someone who belongs to him."

Jimin exhaled sharply, the frustration in his face flickered into closer to heartbreak. "Y/N, that's... that's damn near impossible. The donors are kept confidential. It's not like they signed up to be actual parents, they could have just been samples from a cryo lab. You hear me? Samples. For God's sake, Y/N."

I looked at him. My eyes stinging with tears. I knew he wasn't trying to hurt me but he was trying to protect me. But my heart was spiraling.

"Listen," he continued, "Why are we here? To find out if the other Jungkook is alive or not. That's it. Nothing more."

His eyes stared at me. He was terrified. Not for himself, but for me.

"You start poking into donor records, digging into confidential medical data..Y/N, you could end up right back in danger. And I am not letting that happen again."

He removed his hand from my shoulder. "We are going to the police station. If he is dead, you are heading back to Freya. I will go get Ian. If he is alive, you are still going back to Freya. I will take care of everything else. You understand me?"

I said nothing.

"Y/N." He voice became stiffened. "You are not following me. As for the donor info, I will check the Bliss Fertility Center myself. But you stay out of it. "

"Jimin," I panted, my heart thudded in my ears. "What if Paxton knows something about the donors... what if he knows who they are..."

"For fuck's sake, Y/N!" Jimin slammed his palm against the steering wheel, his jaw clenched. "You are not going anywhere. I knew you would come up with this,I fucking knew it! But it's not happening."

He turned to look at me. His eyes blazed with rage.

"I made a promise. To Jungkook. My best friend. Your husband. He asked me,no.." He paused and added." he trusted me to protect you if he wasn't around. And I am going to keep my word. You hear me? I am not letting you walk into danger again and again like your life means nothing!"

I swallowed hard. Tears pierced my eyes.. My lips trembled, but I didn't speak.

He exhaled sharply and gripped the wheel.

"And you know what? Why the hell are you even coming with me to the police station? You already know the truth, what happened ten years ago. You want closure? You have it. So why? Why do you still want to go?" He shook his head. "You should be with Freya right now, not chasing ghosts."

He reached to turn the wheel, but I grabbed his wrist. My voice ruptured. "Jimin... please. I am begging you. I just... I just want to know what happened to the other Jungkook. I swear, after that, I will do whatever you say. I will go to Freya, I will stay put. Please, just... give me this."

He looked at me for a long moment, his anger split into a concern.

But deep down, I knew.

No matter what I promised him, I wasn't done yet.

Even if I had to follow him in the dark, even if I had to lie, I would do it.

Because I had to know.

He stared at me for a long, heavy second. His jaw was stiff. I didn't blink. I held his gaze with every last shred of desperation I had left in me.

And finally, he gave me a slow and leisure nod.

Then, without a word, he turned his face forward and gripped the wheel tighter. The engine growled beneath us as he revved it.

The silence between us said everything.

He didn't trust this.

-------------

Jimin's presence was a shield beside me. It was solid. But inside me, everything was unravelling and battling.

He approached the front desk with his NIA badge held out. Without a hesitation he just threw his feet in a rushed pace.

"Park Jimin, NIA."

The officer behind the desk snapped upright as though a jolt of electricity had passed through him. He scanned the badge and bowed slightly. His eyes were wide. No questions. No delay. That was the weight of authority and fear.

"Yes, sir."

"A suspect in the Jeon family homicide was brought here ten years ago. Jeon Jungkook. I need full access, case files, witness statements, medical and psychiatric reports, holding logs. Everything. I want it now."

His voice was like a knife. It was sharp and exact and sliced through the tensed air.

The officer stumbled back and shouted instructions to the others. Papers rustled, keys clanged, filing drawers screeched open. Officers rushed like ants , as if a fire has started.

I stood frozen. Just outside the desk .My fingers curled into a trembling fist and clutched the side of my dress. My chest ached with pressure I couldn't sort out.

What if this was it? What if we were walking into a room full of ghosts?

The room buzzed with faint whispers of the past. The dull hum of the overhead light. The shuffle of hurried boots. The station stained of unresolved stories and one of them was mine.

Jimin turned to me, finally. Our eyes met.

That was when I saw it. His countenance softened. It depicted in the breath he let out slowly through his nose. His chin dipped, just slightly. A silent promise. "We are going to find something. I have got you."

I swallowed, hard. My vision blurred.

I gave him the smallest nod, even though my legs were trembling.

Please... let there be something. Let there be hope. Let the other Jungkook still exist and alive.

An older officer, grey-haired, shoulders sunken with the weight of decades ,stepped forward from the back room, cradling a thick, dust-sheathed file in his trembling hands. His badge was worn, his eyes even tired. He looked like a man who hadn't slept peacefully since the day that file was stamped closed.

He held it out to Jimin, his fingers trembled.

"Agent Park," he murmured, voice hushed like he feared it might echo too loud to other officers. "Before you go through this... may I have a word?"

Jimin's brows twitched. He glanced at me for a second. I stepped closer. Wherever he was going, I was going too.

We followed the man through the narrow hallway, lined with cabinets . The fluorescent lights above flickered once. The officer hesitated. Then he laid the file on the metal desk and opened it with a soft sigh, like unsealing a wound.

"That poor child..." he murmured. "He was brought in bleeding. Confused. Kept saying he wasn't who they claimed he was. And then... he just shut down. Withdrawn. Wouldn't talk for days. And when he did..." He shook his head. "He never made it out. They said he was unstable. Case was closed. I..I thought maybe..."

He swallowed the rest. "I think..."

But Jimin wasn't buying it. His voice cut like ice. "I want to see the interrogation video."

The man looked at him, guilt swam in his eyes. Then he nodded.

We were led into a small media room, grey and silent. The walls seemed to enclose us in the moment the screen lit up. The officer inserted the drive and the video began to play. It was grainy. The timestamp read Ten Years Ago. February 4,2016.

And then the screen blinked once and I saw him.

The other Jungkook.

Sitting there. Pale. Bloodied. Hands trembling on the table. His face half shadowed, his eyes concealed in fear and lost like a caged animal.

I gasped.

A sob punched its way out of my throat as soon as the screen flickered to life. Tears spilled down my cheeks, uninvited and unstoppable.

It was him.

The other Jungkook.

But not the boy I remembered. Not the one I thought I had known ten years ago before the massacre night. No... this boy on the screen was almost unrecognizable.

His hair had been buzzed short, uneven like someone had hacked it off in a rush. His lips were swollen, cracked and bruised, one side already dark purple. His face was smeared with dirt and dried blood. His cheekbone looked slightly caved in and hollow.

He wasn't sitting straight. His spine curved forward unnaturally like something heavy, something invisible but devastating was lingering right on his back.

His arms trembled on the table. His fingernails were stuffed in dried grime. His clothes, hung off his bones, so filthy and tattered they looked like they belonged in a garbage.

He didn't lift his head.

He didn't move.

He just sat there, broken, like a cruel phantom still trapped in his body.

"Oh my god..." I whispered, and covered my mouth. "What did they do to him..."

A wedge of me shattered.

He looked like a child who had been beaten down by the world and then forgotten. A boy who was once filled with love, my Jungkook's brother, and now he sat there like a discarded secret, ruined and humiliated.

Jimin stood still beside me.

I just stood there immovable and watching, weeping, wishing I could crawl through the screen and pull him into my arms.

And then another man stepped into frame ,tall and rigid in uniform. He placed a folder on the desk, leaned down, and spoke to Jungkook with a voice that made my soul rake out.

Jimin gasped. "That's Maxwell."

My head snapped to him. "What?"

He pointed. "That's Detective Maxwell. He was the officer in charge of this case?" His voice dropped into a disbelieving whisper. "This... this means..."

I completed the thought for him, the words trembling on my lips.

"This means he worked with Paxson. He helped him. They framed him. They framed the other Jungkook perfectly..."

My heart was raced.I turned back to the screen. The boy on it, Jungkook ,wasn't confessing. He was begging. "Please... please... you have to believe me. I didn't... I didn't hurt them. I didn't do this. I am not who you think I am..."

He looked so small. So scared. And no one had listened. No one. Not even the world.

And then, something struck me.

My chest tightened as the realization slammed into me like a crashing wave. I turned to Jimin, panic pooled in my eyes.

"Jimin," I breathed. "What if... what if Maxwell lied to Jake Carpenter?"

He narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

I stepped closer. "What if ...to protect Paxson, Maxwell told Jake that my Jungkook was the one who had the other Jungkook sent to the asylum? What if that's why Jake is after us... why he is been holding a grudge all these years?"

Jimin's jaw clenched. Hard.

I continued, my voice cracking, "What if something horrible happened to the other Jungkook... and Maxwell knows it? What if something went wrong and instead of facing the fallout, he pinned it all on Jungkook just to cover up the mess? And Jake believed it. And now he wants revenge... not just on Jungkook, but on me too,for choosing him."

Silence.

And then my eyes switched to the officer. I noticed it.

The old officer.

He was still standing nearby, but suddenly... his chest was rising faster than before. His fingers fidgeted near the buttons of his uniform. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

His breath shortened. The moment I spoke Jake Carpenter's name.

"You said Maxwell and Jake weren't even on good terms, right?" I turned to Jimin. "They hadn't spoken in years."

Jimin nodded slowly. His brows furrowed as he tried to follow my spiraling thoughts.

"And what if..." I swallowed hard, "What if Maxwell used that to his advantage? What if he convinced Jake that my Jungkook was the one who sent the other Jungkook to the asylum? What if he made it seem like my Jungkook was the reason Jake's friend ended up broken and abandoned?"

Jimin's eyes darkened.

But the thing was I don't exactly remember Jake ,ten years ago. And never saw him around the other Jungkook.

My breathing quickened as the pieces fell into place like shattered glass rearranging itself in slow motion. "Think about it. Jake lost his friend, the other Jungkook. He hated Maxwell, for some unknown reason. Or may be what if Jake found out that Maxwell was the reason the other Jungkook died?. But what if Maxwell twisted the story? What if he told Jake it was all my Jungkook's doing, just so Jake would talk to him again? Just so Jake would forgive him?"

I glanced at the officer again. His eyes were wide.

"And maybe Jake. maybe Jake believed it," I continued, my voice cracked. "Maybe he thought confronting Jungkook would somehow fix things. Or punish the one who destroyed his friend? "

I felt sick.

"They all used each other," I choked out, a tear slipping down my cheek. "Maxwell used Jake. Jake used my Jungkook. And all this time, none of them ever cared about the other Jungkook, what happened to him, how he suffered or how my Jungkook suffered."

Jimin's lips pressed into a thin line. "That would explain everything," he muttered.

And then we both turned to the officer again, who stood frozen and as pale as a sheet. Because he knew something. And we weren't leaving without the truth.

"Jimin, wait..." I whispered, my breath caught in my throat as a fragment of memory flickered back. I turned to him, my voice shaking. "I... I remember something."

He looked at me, his brows furrowed.

get your hands off me

you disgust me.Your hands. They are disgusting.

why did you kill my mother?

no Y/N! Listen to me . stay away from that motherfucker.

My mind suddenly, recalled the day I met the other Jungkook at Prison. "One day... I came here. To this exact police station. I think it was after the Jeons were killed. I..I came to see him. The other Jungkook."

I swallowed hard, the guilt clawed at my chest.

"He... he talked to me. I remember his face. The way he looked at me, so broken and desperate. He begged me, Jimin. He begged me not to leave with Paxson."

Tears gathered again in my eyes. "And I just stood there. I looked at him like he was filth. Like he was nothing." My chin wobbled. "I felt disgusted. I rejected him. Every word he said... I shut him down."

My knees trembled, and my breath grew heavier.

"After that, I vaguely remember Paxson barging into the station. He walked in like he owned the place... and then he kicked him. He kicked the other Jungkook right there, like he was some animal."

Pain clutched my chest as the memory burned through me. "I just stood there. I didn't even scream."

Jimin's face was frozen. His eyes locked on mine with a quiet kind of horror.

"Do you remember," I started, taking a gulp down. "when you told me everything that happened ten years ago? When I was lying in that hospital bed after nearly drowning... because that asshole..my Jungkook, lied about marrying Freya?"

Jimin's jaw clenched. Probably by the mention of Freya. He nodded.

"You said Jungkook was in the asylum for six months, "I pressed on. My finger stabbed the edge of the screen where the interrogation video still played. " This is the other Jungkook. And this video, this must have been taken after he was discharged from the asylum."

Jimin's eyes widened slightly. I kept going. "I remember him looking exactly like this, bruised and broken at the station. He begged me not to go with Paxson. And I didn't believe him. I turned away. But now..." I took a moment to breathe.

I turned sharply to Jimin. "When did you say you met my Jungkook at juvenile prison?"

"March 10th or 11th," he replied hesitantly, trying to piece it all together.

"Exactly six months after the murders at the Jeon residence," I whispered, almost breathless. "Which means something happened to the other Jungkook at the end of February. Something bad. And that's when my Jungkook stepped in. He took his place. He assumed his identity and that's the Jungkook you met."

Jimin blinked at me.

Then realization hit him like lightning. "Brilliant, Y/N."

I turned to the officer behind the desk, whose hands were visibly trembling now.

"Check the surveillance footage," I barked at him. "Check the footage from the juvenile prison. I want everything, visitor logs, arrival times, anything, right after the date this interrogation video was filmed."

Jimin stepped forward beside me. "Now!"he roared.

The officer swallowed hard. "Y..Y..Yes, sir."

Because we were finally cracking the truth wide open. And we were done playing polite.

"Miss," the officer muttered, and shifted nervously. "there is... there is no footage of the police station from that day."

My eyes widened. "What?"

He avoided my stare. "The files... they were either erased or never archived properly."

"You are kidding me," Jimin growled. "You are telling me the interrogation of a seventeen year old boy accused of a double homicide wasn't recorded or logged?"

"I am.. I am just telling you what's in the system," the officer stammered. Jimin slammed his hands on the desk, his voice hoisted like thunder. "Get me the footage. Or I swear to God I will sue this whole damn precinct and report you directly to NIA oversight."

The man flinched visibly, and sweat ruptured on his forehead. "I want everything," Jimin snapped. 'Bodycam files. External CCTV. Dashcams. Hell, pull satellite coverage if you have to, but don't you dare tell me there is nothing. "

I stepped forward. "He was just a kid," I said softly, almost choked on the words. "You let them destroy him. You watched it happen. And now you are gonna help us uncover the truth."

The officer hesitated. After a long moment, He nodded slowly. "There... there might be something in the old archives. It will take time to retrieve, but I will try."

Jimin leaned in closer. "You have got one hour. Don't make me count it out loud."

The atmosphere inside the record room was thick with dust and secrets lived far longer than the truth ever dared to breathe. I stood behind Jimin, my fingernails digging into my own skin as I curled my fingers into fist. My heart felt like it was beating in the back of my throat.

The officer then with trembling fingers ,rushed back with a small hard drive in hand. "This... this is from the external archive storage," he muttered, barely meeting Jimin's eyes. "I didn't know we had a backup. We never store things this long unless... unless someone requested it."

"Play it,".Jimin snapped.

The officer nodded and inserted the drive into the old system. Static dangled across the screen for a few seconds. My heart stopped. Then came the timestamp.

My eyes widened, and my breath caught in my throat as the video crackled to life.

There he was..my Jungkook.

Wild. Unhinged. Grief streaked all over his face. He gripped the officer by the collar and slammed his face onto the table so hard the desk wobbled. "Fucking release him! "he roared, his voice tore through the speakers, like the pain inside him had finally taken shape.

The officer coughed, blood spilled from his nose. But he had the audacity to laugh, a mocking, wheezing sound that made my stomach twist.

"No... you can't see him now. And never," he snarled.

My Jungkook didn't hesitate. He lifted the officer by the shirt and threw him to the floor. And then, he unleashed the hell.

One punch.

Two.

Three.

Each one landed with a sickening thud. His knuckles cracked against bone and blood splattered on the white tiles.

"Let him go!" My Jungkook bellowed. "You sick morons! He has got nothing to do with this! I planned it,I planned everything! I only wanted to save her! I wanted to save my Y/N.

His voice fragmented into rage, love, guilt.

Then came the swarm. Five officers rushed him at once.

One came from behind, but Jungkook spun around and drove his elbow into the man's throat and sent him collapsing to gasp for air. Another lunged from the right with a baton, Jungkook ducked, grabbed his wrist, and flung him over his shoulder, slammed him into a wall so hard the plaster cracked.

I gasped gazing at the way he fights them. Attractive. Alluring. My Man.

The third tried tackling him, but Jungkook planted his foot, grounded himself, and kneed the guy straight in the ribs. The man groaned and crumpled to the floor. The fourth cop landed a blow to Jungkook's cheek, but it only fueled him. Jungkook turned with blaze in his eyes and unloaded a brutal uppercut that knocked the officer's head back with a snap. He dropped unconscious.

The last officer pulled out cuffs and tried to lock his wrists, but Jungkook headbutted him, blood poured from both their foreheads now, and kicked his legs out from under him.

Bodies littered the floor, groaning, coughing, some completely out cold.

He didn't stop.

He turned back toward the holding cell, panting like a wounded animal

And then, he kicked the cell door.

Once.

Twice.

The metal lock snapped and the door flung open. He stepped into the cell and dropped to his knees. My heart shattered watching it. His arms reached out, not with violence now, but with a broken gentleness I recognized too well.

"Jungkook" he whispered . "I am here. You are getting out. You are not alone."

I covered my mouth. I couldn't stop crying.

That was my Jungkook, who tried to save the other Jungkook, his brother. Not the monster the world wanted to make him.

"No... no... don't hurt me... I didn't hurt my parents..." the other Jungkook sobbed, and crawled backward on the cold concrete floor. His body trembled in fear. His voice was shattered.

My Jungkook, stepped forward with caution, his eyes already glistened with tears. "Hey, hey... it's okay. It's me," he whispered, lowering himself to the ground. His hands trembled as he reached out and gently took the broken boy into his arms.

The other Jungkook clung to him.

"Hyung..." he choked out between sobs. "Why... why did you do this? why did you send me with those monsters? They tortured me..used me.."

Jungkook's breath hitched violently. He blinked fast, trying to process what he just heard, what it meant.

"What... no. No, God." His grip on the boy tightening. "Don't call me that. Don't fucking call me like that. Don't call me Hyung while you are barely breathing... I didn't know... I didn't know they did this to you..."

The other Jungkook was crying so hard he could barely speak. "Y/N... is she okay? Hyung... is she... safe? Y/N, what did they do to her..."

Jungkook swallowed a sob. His head dropped. "I don't know," he whispered. "I don't know where she is..." His voice trembled into silence before breaking again. "I tried..I tried to get to her. But Paxson got to her first... before I could..."

He broke. His body shook as he cried, not for himself, but for the girl he loved,me, for the pain he couldn't stop, for the brother he didn't ask for but wanted to protect.

"You have to help her" the other Jungkook cried through his own shattered voice. "Hyung, please..."

"I will," Jungkook whispered, brushing his hair back gently. "But you have to come with me now, okay? "

And then,

my heart dropped.

I watched helplessly from behind the screen as Paxson's shadow crept into frame like a vulture circling its prey. Jungkook didn't see him. He was too focused on his broken reflection. The other Jungkook was still breathing hard, clinging to the only person who had shown him warmth.

Then.

Paxson slammed his boot into my Jungkook's back, and flew him crashing forward, his body folded in pain with a strangled cry.The other Jungkook collapsed beside him and cried out.

"Well, well..."Paxson's voice oozed sadistic amusement. "Looks like the brothers are having a sweet little reunion." His grin curled like venom as he barked, "Clark! Hold them!"

Clark stepped forward immediately. He grabbed the other Jungkook by the arm and yanked him away, his nails dug into skin as he screamed in protest. Two of Paxson's men rushed to Jungkook, dragged him by his shoulders and forced him to his knees. His hands balled into fists. He fought. He thrashed. But they held him down.

The other Jungkook screamed as he was pinned down with his arms outstretched and legs locked beneath the weight of Paxson's men. They were side by side, on the floor, and bound.

I sat paralyzed. My hand was over my mouth as tears streamed endlessly down my cheeks as I watched him endure.

"Alright, Clark! Thrash his face, thrash his body, thrash his limbs". Let this asshole watch it happen," Paxson growled.

And then he turned to my Jungkook. Paxson slammed a fist straight into his face. The brutal impact snapped Jungkook's head sideways, blood spurted from his lip as he collapsed to his side with a grunt of pain.

"No, NO!" I shrieked, my breath trembled as I watched in horror from the video screen. Clark stepped forward. In his grip was a thick, solid police baton, designed to incapacitate and to break. And with a dagger eyed glare, he brought it down and crashed hard on the other Jungkook.

The sound resonated like a bone against concrete.

"STOP IT!" my Jungkook screamed, trying to push himself up ,but the men still had him in a hold on his knees. The other Jungkook cried out in pure agony, his legs jerking violently under the pain. Clark didn't stop. Another strike landed on the other Jungkook's knees. Then his arms. Then his ribs.

"Oh my God..." I whispered. I couldn't look away. My stomach twisted violently.

Clark kept going. The strikes were ruthless.

"She was my everything, My Rey was everything! You killed her! You fucking killed her!" Paxson roared, leaning over my Jungkook, spit flew from his mouth as he grabbed him by the hair. "I will leave you NOTHING in this world to embrace, not love, not hope, not even pain when I am done with you! I know you are trying to save this kid just because your girl wanted to save him. Not for you, but for her. Because she thought if she could save him, you would have a brother. And you are doing it, not because you care, but because you don't want your girl carrying the guilt... or living with the pain." He crashed another punch to his face." And guess what? I messed with her head, some twisted gene therapy crap. So don't even bother, she won't remember you, not your name, not your fucking face. "

"what the fuck did you do to her?" He bellowed.

"on his chest, Clark!" Paxson bellowed, completely unhinged and ignored Jungkook's bellows. "Break his arms! Thrash his fucking face!"

And Clark obeyed.

With one clean swing, the baton cracked across the other Jungkook's cheek. A spray of blood hit the floor. His head lolled to the side.

Another hit.

And another.

His cries turned into gurgled with lifeless sounds.

"No.." I sobbed, and buried my face into my hands, but the image was burned into my mind.

And my Jungkook? He was still trying to stand. Still trying to fight. Still trying to protect him.

Clark relentlessly thrashed the baton on the other Jungkook. Blood spurted out of the other Jungkook's mouth and trailed down his chin and dripped to the filthy floor. His body twisted with each blow, and yet, he didn't fight back. He couldn't. He just kept looking up with his swollen eyes barely open, searching for my Jungkook like he was the only anchor left for him.

The baton slammed straight into his eye. A terrifying sound followed, like bone and flesh surrendering beneath steel. He shrieked that clawed through my ears and shredded my chest.

Another blow, to his nose. I heard it break. A clean, horrific snap followed by a flood of blood gushed from both nostrils. Then his lips, split open from a swing that knocked his face sideways. He choked, coughed blood, and still they didn't let up.

The men laughed.

"Please, stop. Dont do it." My Jungkook wailed and begged them.

They took turns ,kicking the other Jungkook one after another. Their boots slammed into his ribs, his stomach, his chest. Each impact made his body jerk and fold, like he was a punching bag. One kick landed square on his sternum, and he gasped, like the wind had been ripped from his lungs.

He couldn't even scream anymore. Just a trembling whisper left him. "H..hyung..."

And my Jungkook. He snapped. He tried to push himself forward. He roared. His veins popped at his neck,but they held him down harder. One man pressed a knee into his spine while another yanked his arms behind him.

But Paxson just stood there with folded arms and a smirk.

And I stood there, in front of the screen, sobbing. My knees teetered. The room spun. My heart was splintering, piece by agonizing piece.

"Y/N, you don't have to watch this. Just listen to me..." Jimin's voice sliced as he stepped in front of the monitor. "Please."

"Move," I snapped.

"No," he said, firmly. "You don't need to see what they did to him. You don't need to carry that kind of pain."

My fists clenched. "He carried it alone, Jimin. "

"I am begging you." His eyes welled up with something between fear and frustration. "This..this will haunt you forever."

"It already does!" I snapped, and shoved at his chest, but he didn't budge.

"You think watching him get slaughtered will bring you peace?" he shouted. ""That it will fix something?"

"I don't want peace!" I screamed back. "I want the truth!"

Jimin gritted his teeth, still blocking me and his hands gripped my shoulders. "You are not strong enough for this."

My gaze turned as a glare. "Don't tell me what I am strong enough for. I survived losing my Jungkook. I can survive watching what they did to him."

The truth, I DONT WANT TO STAY ALIVE WITHOUT MY JUNGKOOK. It kills me. But I have to live with the pain, I DESERVE THE PAIN.

And then I shoved past him.

The screen flashed with flickers of blood. I didn't flinch. I didn't blink. I just stared, tears streaming down, while Jimin stood behind me, silent, broken, watching me break too.

They didn't stop.

The batons crashed against his face over and over, relentless and merciless. Blood splattered across the floor, the walls, the uniforms of the men who didn't seem to care they were beating a boy to death.

"Stop, please, stop!" My Jungkook's voice was hoarse and rupturing in the footage. His arms were pinned behind his back as he thrashed violently, trying to break free. My heart shattered.

But they didn't listen.

They never listened.

"Clark, he is not moving..." Paxson chuckled darkly, the sound curled my stomach. He stepped forward and nudged the other Jungkook's side with his boot like he was nothing.

A twisted grin stretched across Paxson's face. "Looks like he is not alive anymore." He kicked him in the abdomen. His body jerked slightly with the impact, but there was no sound, no movement. Nothing.

They finally let go of my Jungkook. He collapsed to the floor, barely able to keep himself upright as he scrambled on all fours toward the lifeless boy lying in the middle of the blood soaked room.

He was crying. Sobbing.

He gathered the other Jungkook in his arms, his hands trembled as he cradled the broken body to his chest.

"Jungkook..." he whispered. "No. No, no, no..."His cries echoed around the room as he held him tighter. "Please... Please, wake up..."But the other Jungkook in his arms didn't move. His head lolled back . His mouth was slightly open. Eyes swollen shut.

I gripped my chest. The screen blurred through my tears.

"No! Jungkook! behind you!" I screamed instinctively, as if I could somehow warn him through a ten year old video. "No!"

In the footage, Paxson calmly extended his hand to Clark. Clark placed the baton into it. And then, without warning, Paxson brought it down hard onto my Jungkook's head. My Jungkook slumped forward instantly. His arms went immobile , his body folded over the other Jungkook he had been holding.

Unconscious.

"What do we do with this one?" Clark asked, pointing at my Jungkook like he was just... an object.

Paxson brushed the blood off his coat sleeve and checked his watch. "Dump him somewhere. I don't care. A bridge, a dumpster, I don't give a fuck."

"And him?" Clark nudged the other Jungkook's limp body with his foot.

Paxson gave him a long look. "Well... you know what to do. Arrange a funeral for him," Paxson's voice echoed through the speaker . So damn casual, like he was talking about tossing out old furniture instead of a human life.

"They killed him like he was nothing. And my Jungkook... he had to watch it happen. He held him while he died..." I mumbled weakly.

"You guys done?" Maxwell's voice sliced through the room like a blade. Paxson turned with a twisted grin. "Oh, Max, my buddy! Got rid of them. Finally." He chuckled darkly. "This wouldn't have been possible if you hadn't helped us."

Maxwell walked in slowly. "Told you... all you had to do was bait the little shit, and his brother would show up here looking for him. One shot, two kills." He raised his hand for a high five.

Paxson smacked it lazily. "Damn right."

Then Maxwell's eyes was a narrow slit. "So... what about the girl? Y/N?" he asked, eager to know what Paxson had inside his head . Paxson let out a laugh and glanced down at my Jungkook's limp body. "Already handled. I gave her that gene therapy. She won't remember a damn thing. Not even this sucker," he drove his boot into Jungkook's ribs with a thud.

My stomach twisted.

"And I am going to ruin her," Paxson added. "For letting my Rey die.":

Maxwell stepped in closer. "Or... how about you get paid for that revenge?"

Paxson arched a brow. "What do you mean?"

Maxwell's lips curled into a grin. "I know a guy..Enzo. He has been looking for the girl. He will pay more than Clark and Roy combined."

Paxson tilted his head. "Enzo?" he repeated.

At that moment, Maxwell glanced back toward Clark, who was still hammering the other Jungkook with the baton, making sure there was no life left in him. " Clark, that's enough, Clean up the mess." Paxson gestured him.

"Enzo doesn't ask questions. He just wants her. And you? You will be swimming in cash." Maxwell leaned in closer.

"Enzo?" I whispered. My lips barely moved, but my mind screamed. "Maxwell knows , Enzo? he was the one escorted Paxson to sell me to him?"

I wasn't a girl to them. I was a deal. A fucking bargain chip for revenge.

My vision blurred as I saw Paxson's smirk grew. He folded his arms "Double, huh?"

Maxwell grinned, then leaned in to whisper something into Paxson's ear. I couldn't hear it. The whisper was too low to hear through the footage. But I saw Paxson pause. Still. His jaw clenched. His eyes darkened. And then, he laughed.

"Deal," he said, lifting his hand and slapped Maxwell's back. "You always come through, don't you, Max?"

"And what about this one?" Paxson asked, nudging my Jungkook's limp body with his boot again like he was nothing but a sack of waste.

Maxwell shrugged. "Toss him somewhere public. Somewhere crowded. Make it look like gang violence. They will find him. He will survive, maybe. But it won't matter, he will forget everything anyway."

Maxwell tilted his head. "Then we take his girl, and you can use her."

I choked.

Jimin's hand gripped mine before I could fall again.

The video cut to black.

Jimin slammed his fist on the desk. "You fucking morons! Do you have any idea what will happen if I hand this footage to the NIA? I will burn this whole goddamn station to the ground!" he barked, and grabbed the officer by the collar and shoved him against the wall.

"Jimin, stop..." I stumbled back, and shook my head. "There is no point. The other Jungkook is dead... and mine..my Jungkook... he went through all of it. All of it!" I sobbed out, broken.

But Jimin wasn't done. His face was contorted with rage.

"Where the fuck is Maxwell?!" he shouted to the officer. "Tell me right now or start packing. You are walking with me straight into the NIA headquarters."

The officer's lips trembled. "S-sir... Mr. Maxwell..." he stammered. "He left the job. He..he hasn't been seen since..."

"Since what?" Jimin snapped.

The officer swallowed hard, his eyes moved to the sides like someone might be listening. "Since... since his son Jake Carpenter died."

The room froze. I blinked. My knees went weak.

"What did you just say?" Jimin breathed.

"His son," the officer repeated, "Jake. Jake Carpenter. He died ten years ago, sir. After that, Maxwell resigned. Vanished."

My breath hitched. "Jimin..." I turned to him slowly, with wide eyes. "If Jake died ten years ago... then who is the one holding Ian captive? Who is the man pretending to be Jake Carpenter?"

The officer's lips quivered. He looked like he was about to pass out. "I..I know the truth," he whispered. "But please... promise me. Promise me you won't let anyone know it was me who told you..."

Jimin stepped closer. His eyes blazed with frustration. "Talk."

The man nodded shakily, then whispered. "Maxwell adopted a boy... about fifteen years old. After Jake died. He never told anyone. He renamed him Jake Carpenter... so people wouldn't know the real Jake was gone. Everyone just assumed the kid was Jake. Even the department believed it. He covered the death. Sealed the file."

The man took a shaky breath. "Ten years ago, Maxwell's biological son Jake Carpenter, found about the murder of this boy in the prison." He pointed the footage, and meant he was talking about the other Jungkook killed in the prison by the officers." Jake threatened to expose him. He said he would tell the higher ups that Maxwell had framed a murder inside the police station, all under the guise of investigating the Jeons' homicide. Maxwell panicked. He didn't know what to do. And in the heat of the argument, blinded by fear, guilt, and anger, he lashed out. He killed that poor kid... Jake didn't even see it coming. " The officer trembled." He declared that Jake took his own life due to bullying at school. No one outside the family ever saw the body. There was no official funeral. It was all kept very quiet. And... soon after that, Maxwell, he adopted a boy. Some kid from a juvenile facility, I think. Maybe younger. Around seventeen."

I stared at him. My pulse hammered in my ears.

"He changed that boy's name," the officer continued. "He gave him Jake's identity. Enrolled him in school under that name. Made him become Jake Carpenter. And since Maxwell was still respected around here, no one questioned it. The real Jake's death was buried, literally and legally."

My vision blurred for a second. I pressed my palm against the wall to steady myself. No. That can't be. That can't be.

I felt dizzy. My stomach twisted. My heart threatened to claw its way out of my chest. "Then who the hell is he?" I breathed. "Who have we been running from?"

Jimin's jaw clenched. He was already reaching for his phone.

"Whoever that imposter is," he muttered, "he is been hiding behind a dead boy's name. And now... we are going to drag him out of the shadows."

"Jimin," I turned to him. "If Jake is really dead... then why is the one pretending to be him after me and Jungkook? What kind of revenge could he possibly want? He is.. he is just an adopted child. Why would he do all this?"

Before Jimin could answer, the officer interrupted with a quiet, nervous voice.

"That little boy Maxwell adopted..." he said, eyes darting between us. "His name is Aron."

"What?" Jimin's head snapped toward him. "Say that again."

"Aron," the officer repeated. "His real name was Aron Silver. Maxwell renamed him Jake Carpenter after the real one died."

Jimin and I exchanged a stunned glance. Aron. We had never heard that name before. It felt ,disconnected... like the missing puzzle piece we didn't know existed.

Without another word, the officer rushed to a nearby cabinet labeled Registry Archives, pulled open a drawer with trembling hands, and started flipping through a stack of aging files. His fingers skimmed until they stopped on one weathered manila folder. He flipped it open, turned a few pages, then pulled one free and handed it to Jimin. "Here. This is Maxwell's last known address. It's all in here, his adoption file, Aron's details, the official change of name to Jake Carpenter... everything. You will find what you are looking for."

Jimin's fingers curled around the file tightly.

"Please," the officer added in a hushed tone. "Go. Quickly. Before someone else tries to erase it."

Jimin nodded once, silently. I stood immobilized for a moment, the truth clawed my chest.

Aron. Aron Silver.

-------------

The drive felt endless. My heartbeat thudded louder than the car engine as Jimin gripped the steering wheel with unpigmented knuckles. The address scrawled on the file shook in my hand every time the car hit a bump. Jimin parked the car and stepped out cautiously, and scanned the surroundings. I followed him.

We crouched low by the rusting gate at the back of Maxwell's property. The wind was sharp, brushed against my skin. Every crack of a branch or distant dog bark made my pulse spike.

Jimin knelt beside me, scanning the perimeter. "Ready?" he whispered.

I nodded.

He clasped my hand gently, making sure the splint wrapped around my broken wrist is not disturbed. "Hold tight," and boosted me up and over the gate. I landed with a quiet thud. He was over in a flash, landed beside me.

We kept low, and moved silently across the grass. The house stood in front of us. Dark and eerie. Jimin pressed himself against the wall, then peeked through a window. He slid it open slowly. It creaked. We both froze.

Nothing.

Jimin climbed in first, then turned and carefully helped me through. Once inside, we paused. Silence. Just the ticking of a clock somewhere deeper inside.

We moved quickly through the hallway, toward the study by a guess. Jimin tried the doorknob. Locked.

He reached into his jacket, pulled out a small flat tool, and twisted the lock in seconds.

"You have really leveled up," I whispered.

"Your husband taught me..." he muttered. I smiled gently by the mention of him.

Inside, the study smelled of leather and dust. Stacks of old files were piled high, and shelves lined the walls. While Jimin moved to scan the cabinets, I sat at the heavy desk and powered on Maxwell's old PC.

It stalled. Password protected.

"Jimin," I whispered urgently. "Can you...?"

He rushed to me. He pulled out a black USB stick from his jacket and slid it into the port. The screen flickered. The system gave a soft beep, and then the desktop opened.

I stared at him. "What the hell...?"

He shrugged. " Start digging I will check the files."

My fingers flew across the keyboard, clicked through folder after folder. Financial statements, blueprints, medical logs...

"Y/N,"Jimin called from behind me.

I turned.

He hoisted up his hand, holding an old folder with trembling hands. Two files seated in his hands.

Date of Issue: July 18, 2016

FULL NAME OF DECEASED: Jake Carpenter
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: May 3, 1998
Date of Death: July 14, 2016
Age at Death: 18
Place of Death: Carpenter Residence, [City, State]
Cause of Death: Self-inflicted injury (asphyxiation)
Manner of Death: Suicide
Autopsy Performed: Yes
Time of Death: 03:17 AM

I flipped the next file.

Additional Remarks:
Deceased was found in his bedroom by a family member. No evidence of foul play. Investigated and confirmed by local authorities. Case closed.

"ADOPTION RECORD — ARON SILVER (Name changed to Jake Carpenter)"

My breath hyperventilated. I stood and rushed over, my heart crawled in my throat.

Jimin flipped the file open. Inside there were documents, photographs, signatures, court stamps. One name stood out at the bottom of the page.

CONFIDENTIAL ADOPTION RECORD

Document ID: 4876A

Issued By: Office of Child Services — Brion City District Court

Adoption Type: Closed, Private

Status: Finalized

"Brion City..." Jimin mumbled like he could recognize the name of the city.

Section 1: Adoptee Information

Original Full Name: Aron Elias Silver

Date of Birth: October 14, 1997

Place of Birth: Brion City General Hospital

Biological Parents:

Father: Fred Silver.( deceased)

Mother: Margret Silver.(deceased)

Section 2: Adoptive Parent Information

Adoptive Father: Maxwell Carpenter

Address at Time of Adoption: 58 Hollow Lane, East Brion

Occupation: Senior Police Officer,Highlane.

---

Section 3: Legal Declarations

Adoption Finalization Date: August 12, 2016

Presiding Judge: Hon. Miriam D'Costa

---

Section 4: Name Change Request

Requested New Name: Jake Maxwell Carpenter

Reason Stated: Reason Stated:

Requested by adoptive parent following the loss of his biological child. The change is intended to ensure familial integration and psychological continuity within the adoptive household.

Approval Status: GRANTED

---

Attached Notes:

"The child shall hereafter be known as Jake Carpenter. All records of previous identity shall be sealed. Request for sealed background information has been denied to third parties."

— Office of Records & Identity, Brion City

Signed by: Enzo Silver (Guardian|)

Jimin went still. "Enzo... Silver," he repeated under his breath.

"Enzo Silver.." I whispered. "Enzo..that.."

He looked at me, with wide eyes. And something ignited through his eyes showing a realization. " OH Motherfucking shit! SILVER.. the Royal bloodline. From Brion City."

I froze. "The same ones... my Jungkook was hunting down? One by one?"

Jimin nodded slowly.

And in that moment, the room seemed to grow darker, because we weren't just dealing with a crime anymore. We had just cracked open to something far deeper, something older... something much more dangerous.

"Wait..." I blinked, my voice sheathed in perplexity. "So Enzo gave Aron to Maxwell for adoption? Then, who is Enzo to Aron?"

Jimin's eyes didn't leave the file. He pointed to a section mid page. "Y/N... look here. Aron's biological mother and father, they are listed as deceased. That's official. Which means..." he turned the page, "Enzo had custody. He must have raised Aron after his parents died. Look at the guardianship timeline..it matches."

My eyes skimmed the text. The dates aligned perfectly. "He had Aron for seventeen years before Maxwell adopted him," I murmured.

"Exactly," Jimin nodded. "Which means Enzo wasn't just a passerby in his life. He was practically his father figure, probably his uncle. Most likely, Aron is Enzo's nephew."

My heart thumped harder. "But... why would Enzo give Aron to Maxwell after all those years? That doesn't make sense. Something's not right here."

Maxwell might have told Enzo he needed a son," Jimin muttered, his eyes ran the file. "Someone to replace Jake Carpenter... to carry on his legacy."

"But why would someone just give up their own niece?" I whispered. "Especially someone from the royal bloodline... to a cop?"

Jimin's jaw tightened. "Maybe Enzo owed him, Something big. A debt, a cover-up... something that gave Maxwell leverage."

I panted, trying to catch up with the storm of realizations crashing down on me. "Still... giving up family like that?"

Jimin leaned closer to the PC monitor, his fingers moved quickly across the keyboard. "Yeah, Either Enzo had no choice, or h is a bigger monster than we thought."

The glow of the screen flickered in his eyes as he started digging deeper. "Let's find out what else they were hiding..."

And then something hit me. Hard and harsh.

"Oh my God, Jimin..." I choked.. "Jungkook... he was assassinating the Silver bloodline even before ten years ago. I remember that night, when he came for me, The night before the massacre. He tried to take me with him, but his father stopped him."

Jimin's eyes locked on mine.

"And my mother," I continued. "she called the cops. She told them to take Jungkook away... and then his dad said he had to be taken into custody because he had already killed eight members of the Silver bloodline."

I swallowed hard.

"Jimin..."I whispered, "what if Aron found out about that? What if this whole time, he is been pretending to want revenge for his friend, the other Jungkook, but in reality, it's us he wants to destroy? What if he is been using Jake's identity to stay hidden... so we wouldn't trace him back to Aron?"

Jimin's brows furrowed deeper.

"And think about it," I added and gasped as the truth unraveled in my mind. "Me and Jungkook... we killed Enzo. And my Jungkook was assassinating his entire bloodline . What if that's why Aron is coming after us? . Not for the other Jungkook. But because we took down the man who raised him, the man who gave him everything after his real parents died."

Jimin didn't say anything for a second. Just stared at me.

"I think you are right," he spoke after a beat of silence. "We are not just up against a fake Jake... We are up against someone who has been plotting this for years.."

"So he was practically helping his uncle Enzo to get me..." I whispered. My heart clenched as the realization sank deeper. My pulse raced.

"All this time... pretending to be Jake. Pretending to want revenge for the other Jungkook. it was never for the other Jungkook was it?" I looked up at Jimin, my eyes glistened with hurt and rage. "It was always about me. About getting me, for Enzo. For what Jungkook and I did to Enzo. ."

Jimin's jaw tightened. He didn't say anything, but I could see in his eyes. Like he had just connected the same dots I had.

"He used his uncle's name, hid behind a dead boy's identity, and let us believe he was after vengeance..."I choked on a laugh. "But in the end, it was always about continuing Enzo's mission. And I..I walked right into it, Jimin."

Jimin switched his eyes to the screen. "Not anymore, Y/N. We know the truth now. And that gives us the power to stop him."

Jimin scrolled furiously through the folders on Maxwell's desktop, his jaw clenched tight. "There is gotta be something here..." he muttered. His eyes scanned the files names.

Then he paused. "Wait..got it."

He clicked on an audio file labeled "Encrypted - E.Conf." The moment he hit play, the distasteful voice spilled through the speakers.

"She's fifteen now. I want her, Maxwell."

My breath caught. The voice... it was Enzo's.

"That bastard Jungkook has been wiping out my bloodline one by one. He doesn't get to walk away from this. You remember your promise, right? You said you would give Y/N to me once she turns fifteen."

My entire body went numb.

"She is perfect to carry on my line. Jungkook took eight members of my family from me. I am going to get them back,by breeding her."

I gasped and covered my mouth.

"Aron is yours now. Take him. Mold him however you want. In exchange, I want the girl. Tell Paxson I will pay him a million dollars for her, every time I breed her with my bloodline."

There was a pause, and then another voice spoke. Maxwell.

"Enzo, Paxson is still not sure. He is torn between marrying her off to Roy or handing her over to you. All he wants is revenge for her .But don't worry. Aron will do what's needed. Once he turns twenty, he'll form ties with Paxson and Clark, pretend to go along with the engagement to Roy. But later... Aron will take his revenge. You know what I mean. Y/N will be yours."

The voice returned to Enzo.

"When she turns eighteen, she is mine. No matter what it takes. I will have her all to myself and breed her with all the eight bloodline he took from me."

The file went silent.

I stood there. My limbs trembled. The air felt thin. My knees teetered and I had to grip the desk to stay standing.

"Aron has been planning to get his revenge by handing me over to Enzo," I gasped. "To rebuild their bloodline. Since no one is supposed to know he took Jake Carpenter's identity..."

"Y/N..."Jimin muttered. "Why did Jungkook even target the Silver bloodline in the first place? That's where it all began. According to the audio, Enzo has been after you ever since Jungkook eliminated eight of their people."

Jimin's eyes shifted to the computer screen. "Why the hell are there so many audio recordings of him talking to Enzo?"

"For protection," I answered . "In case Enzo ever turns on him, he could have blackmail."

"Then let's check every file," Jimin said, his fingers moved to click. Before his finger crashed to click, the sound of a car engine growled outside.

"Oh shit..." we both whispered at once, loitered for a split second before Jimin sprang into action. "We have to go." He shoved the mouse aside, powered off the PC, and pushed everything back into place.

"Come on, Y/N. Through the window...now."

He leapt through first, then reached back to pull me out with him. We crouched low in the backyard, and pressed to the side of the house as footsteps crunched the gravel.

I peeked.

My breath caught.

"Jake..." I whispered, "I mean—Aron. And Maxwell."

We shifted toward the living room window, careful not to be seen. Through the dusty glass, we watched them step inside.

"oh Fuck! where the fuck did she go?" Aron growled as he sank into the couch. "I Just want her beneath me, crying and begging. ! my hands are aching to ruin her and.." He thrashed his fist to the glass table." I am tired of hitting that useless shit , Ian!"

"Son, why are you still keeping that Ian alive? Just get rid of him already," Maxwell growled and marched to him taking a napkin to enclose his bleeding knuckles.

"Not until Y/N suffers," Aron snapped. "I am going to use Ian to break her. As long as she doesn't show up, he suffers. But if she does..." He smiled . "If she does, I will keep Ian alive. So I can destroy her... slowly, using Ian in hostage."

"No..." I whimpered. My chest twisted. "No, I can't let that happen. I won't let anything happen to Ian."

Jimin didn't wait. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back toward the yard.

"Come on. Quick."

I have to go .I have to go. He might be tormenting Ian.

We scrambled over the gate, and he threw the car door open for me. "Get in!"

I climbed in as he slid behind the wheel and slammed the door. He started the engine.

"I know what you are thinking," he said through clenched teeth, "and I am not letting that happen. We are going to my place,now.!"

"No!" I shouted, tears welled in my eyes. "I am going to Ian!"

"Y/N, I said no!" Jimin yelled, his hands gripped tight on the wheel. "It's too fucking dangerous! You heard what that motherfucker just blurted out now!"

"If I don't go," I cried, "he will torture Ian! He will kill him just to hurt me! If I go he will let go of Ian.

I grabbed the handle like I was about to leap from the car. " no you are not!" He cursed , but there was war in his eyes . He was already planning our next move.

The car sped down the road, and my mind raced faster.

If I didn't get out now... if I didn't get to Ian right now, I was going to lose him. Forever.

Aron, no, Jake, as he pretended to be wasn't after Ian. Not really. He only wanted me. Ian was just a pawn in his sick game. A way to draw me in. And the longer I waited, the more pain he would put Ian through.

I bit my lip and glanced at Jimin, who had no intention of letting me do this.

I had to make a choice.

"I am sorry, Jimin," I whispered.

Before he could even react, I gripped the steering wheel with both hands and yanked it hard to the right.

"Y/N! What the fuck?!". Jimin shouted as the car swept off the road and slammed violently into a pole. The airbags exploded with a deafening burst. The metal groaned. The car flipped sideways, dragging across the gravel with a screech before everything went still.

I coughed, pain alarmed in my ears, blood rushed in my head. But I had no time to think. I pushed my door open with effort, stumbled out onto the pavement. My body screamed in protest, but I forced myself to crawl to Jimin's side.

"|Jimin..." I choked and pulled the door open. He was slumped forward, dazed but alive. "Come on... come on..."

I unbuckled him, and him out of the wrecked car and to lay him carefully on the roadside. My hands trembled as I pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed emergency.

"There has been an accident, "I panted. "One male injured. He is conscious but needs help. Location, 41, near the Northside overpass. Please hurry." I panted.

I hung up.

Jimin groaned, and tried to sit up. "Y/N..." His voice was weak and breathless. "Don't go. Please... please don't leave like this. Just listen to me..."

I crouched beside him, tears spilled. My heart cracked.

"I am sorry, Jimin," I whispered. I split tore the hem of my dress into a strip and wrapped them around his forearm where there was a small slit. "You know I have to. I can't let Ian suffer another second. If I don't go now... I might never see him alive again."

He tried to grab my hand, but I slipped away gently, and took his phone into my palm. "When you are okay, call me," I murmured. "I will be waiting. Just... be okay."

Then I ran.

I ran with every ounce of strength I had left.

I ducked behind the nearest tree, my heart thudded so loud it echoed in my ears. Minutes passed like hours until I saw the flashing lights of the emergency team arrive. I watched staying hidden and trembled, as they surrounded Jimin and carried him to safety.

Only when I saw him taken care of did I move again.

I stepped out from the trees and turned toward the direction of hell.

Toward the one who pretended to be Jake.

Toward Aron.

Toward Ian.

To save him before it was too late.

__________