YN POV:-

Upon waking up I found the other side of the bed empty.

Not like it was unusual. I had gotten used to it.

Sitting up, I pulled up my pants from the floor and pulled my hair up in a handknot on top of my head.

Why does he need to wonder off! He's been shot for God's mercy. My inner girl whines.

I ignore her, and run to the bathroom, feeling the pressure on my bladder increase.

After my morning business and washing my face I walk back to the room. Jungkook had appeared by whatever magic power he had and now was sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing his boxers while a nurse was re-doing his bandages.

She was looking up at him, now and then and touching his skin more than necessary.

And her uniform was cheesy. My inner girl snickered.

Ignoring her jealous self, I clear my throat. Jungkook looks up, his emotions almost palpable through his eyes. They are tired and angry.

"Good Morning." I chirp.

"Morning, Bella." He rasps. "Dormi bene?"

(You sleep well)

"Sí." I say. "Did you sleep well?"

"Dormo sempre bene accanto a te, dolcezza mia."

(I always sleep well beside you, my sweet.)

His statement makes me blush a little but the nurse looks like she swallowed something...ugly.

"That'll be all." Jungkook orders the nurse and she gets up from her position. Standing closer than necessary to him.

"What about your hand, Don?" She asks.

"It's fine, thank you."

With a flattering smile she leaves, ignoring me like a leaf fallen on the ground during fall.

Bitch! My inner girl snarls.

Bitchy indeed. I agree.

Taking a seat beside Jungkook , I rest my cheek on his injured shoulder. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." He sighs and leans a bit to me. "Three shots can't do anything I can't handle."

I know he's acting all mighty and powerful. But that's just it, he's acting. I saw how he couldn't fist his left hand and it seems to be driving him nuts.

He's limping when he's walking and overall it's just too much on his body.

Three bullets were enough to put someone in a coma but here he is, in a sense and well. But he's not as strong as he was before the shots.

"I think I'll leave. You take a rest, hmm?" I look at him from my position.

He immensely looking at the wall in front of him,

his gaze so sharp that it can puncture a hole through the cement.

Loose the tension, babe. My inner girl says sultrily.

I ignore her tone. As always.

"Lay down for a while, I'll leave after you have breakfast." I murmur as I get up from my position.

On que a maid, walks with a trolley of breakfast and another maid behind her comes with a suit bag.

What the actual dog shit?

"Are you going somewhere?" I ask, my voice a little bit forceful.

"Yes." That's the answer he gives me.

Only. A yes!

I sit on the edge of the bed waiting for him to finish in the bathroom. He comes out and not even sparing a glance toward me, he opens his suit bag, pulling out a black shirt he shrugs it on buttoning up it himself.

Seeing him struggle with his slacks, I roll my eyes and walk to him, helping him put them on.

Men! They'd rather die than lose the attitude.

He sits on the bed while I do his tie, roll in his socks and tie his shoelaces.

"Why can't you just take the day off." I whine again.

He keeps giving me the silent treatment while he retrieves two guns and tugs them on the waistband of his pants.

"Jungkook ?" I ask again.

"Yn?" He repeats.

I put my hand on his forearm. "Stay. Lay down, have a rest. Whatever it is, it can wait." I say, soothingly.

"No, Yn. It can't." He says forcefully as he tries to stand up without wincing.

"What can be more important to you right now?" I raise my voice. "Look at you."

"What about me?" His eyes possess the fire that I saw in him the very first day. It was his Don't

mode now. A mode I wasn't fully introduced to, yet.

"You can't even walk without limping. You can't move your left hand let alone hold something with it, you can't move comfortably. You're sick, you need rest." I yell, tears brim the corner of my eyes.

Why be so stubborn?

He stays emotionless, but the fire within his eyes burns bright. Somehow he looks taller, his shoulder looks straighter and without his bandaged hand no sign of injury visible made him look too much...of a Don.

"You're weak, right now." I whisper the last part out.

I bite my lower lip to stop the bubble of nerves inside me. But my eyes dry out when my back slams against the wall and a hand much warmer than my body temperature clamps around my throat, squeezing the breath out of me.

What the hell? My inner girl chokes.

"Jungkook ?" I choke out the words, my hands gripping his wrist.

What are you doing, baby?

He squeezes my neck a bit more hard, his pupils dilating with each breath he takes. "Don't ever try to tell me what to do. And that I am weak."

He pronounces each word clearly for me to hear.

"You are not my wife." He grits. "Yet."

Biting my lip, I stop the tear from falling as I nod to his statement cause I don't know how else to react.

"So don't try to act like one." He releases me after another squeeze.

Trying to catch my breath, I cough out the pressure on my throat.

My tears fall without a resistance from my eyes.

I grip my throat softly and wince at the pain shooting through me, to my brains.

And then all I know is sobs breaking through my whole body.

I don't know how I got to the house and how I managed to avoid everyone in it. I kept to myself in the room.

All I remember is changing into a turtle neck sweater the first thing after getting inside. It was being pretty cold at the start of November so no one would even question it.

Ariana came to call me for lunch, I faked sleeping and at some point I slept.

"Don't trust men, around here, Yn. They'd get you in trouble. They'll work you up, they'll ruin you and they'll leave you here to rot." I remember what mama said and it'll keep ringing in my ears, when I sleep and when I am awake.

And now that I think back, it was my fault. I shouldn't have said what I did. It was a step forward on my part.

But the way he acted, what was his excuse? That he was angry? Sick? The Don?

Those seem pretty lame excuses for almost killing a girl by squeezing her throat just because she said some words of logic.

Rummaging through the closet, I find a thick blanket. Picking out my clothes for the night, I walk out of the room with my possessions and walk to a random guestroom on the upper floor.

I am not sure I can stay with him tonight or tomorrow

●●●●●●●

I am well aware of the activity outside the room.

The shouts coming from downstairs.

Jungkook is shouting.

He's angry.

"She didn't leave the estate." He yells once again. This time his vice is followed by a loud bang. "She's in the house."

I grimace at his voice. It's raspy and strained.

"I don't care." He shouts again followed by the cracking sound of something else breaking.

It's enough. My inner girl says from her position. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chin, eyes slick with tears. He'll calm down if we go to him. Or it won't be long before the gunshots.

It was nine in the morning, the lights entered through the crevice of the curtains.

With a sigh, I walked to the bathroom attached, and examined my throat. The bluish-purple bruise wasn't so prominent as it was last night when I went to sleep. My throat was sore, it hurts when I try to talk.

Changing into the turtle neck sweater and pants from the evening before, I walk downstairs.

Sarah stands at the base of the stairs, her back to me, Diego stands in front of her. A sigh leaves him when he sees me walking down.

Sarah follows his gaze. She too exhales. "Thank God." She murmurs, making a cross sign across her chest.

"Where were you?" Comes the raspy angry voice.

He's wearing the same suit from the day before. His well kept hair now dishevelled and jaw clenched. Eyes red and body rigid.

"U-upstairs." I rasp out despite the pain.

"Are you okay?" Diego frowned.

"Fine."

"You sure? You don't sound well." Sarah frowns.

"I'll make you ginger honey tea."

"Thank you." I say before descending the final stairs and walking back to our room, not looking at Jungkook .

Not because I am angry and want to kill him.

But looking at him makes me feel more and more weak. If I look at him, I know I'll cry and no matter how much I cry, my tears won't stop pouring.

I place the blanket on the bed before retrieving another turtle neck beige baggy sweater and leggings before going to the bathroom for a shower. I didn't shower yesterday and now I feel dirty.

I dry myself in the shower and dress inside before walking out in the room with a towel rubbing on my head.

I see Jungkook sitting on the bed, clenching and unclenching his jaw.

"Why didn't tell anyone that you were staying upstairs?" He asks, voice a bit normal and soft.

"I'm sorry." I rasp before walking into the closet putting the towel in the hamper.

Now leaning against the closet door he blocks my path.

"I need to go to the kitchen." I whisper looking at my bare and his shoe clad feet. I can't just look at him.

Placing two fingers down my chin, he lifts up my face, to meet his eyes.

I cast mine down, unable to help myself.

Chanting the same mantra over and over in my head. 'Don't cry'

He pulls me to him, gently graving my waist. I don't resist even when I should.

Resting his fore head on my shoulder he sighs as his hand moves to the hem of my sweater.

I grab both his hands in mine, indicating that he needs to stop but he ignores me.

By this point my inner girl is sobbing her heart out. With a gentle tug of his hands he takes off my sweater pulling the material above my head.

He again lifts my chin, but this time to examine my wound. I feel the tremble of my chin as he touches the purple bruise ever so lightly.

"I'm sorry, piccolo." He murmurs, brushing the wound with his fingertips.

I sniff. "I'm such a monster." He whispers "Sono così dispiaciuto."

(I am so sorry.)

"It's okay." I whisper, pulling his hand from my throat. "I said what I shouldn't have. You were right. I am in no position to tell you what to do. I am not your wife."

He remains silent. I do too, for a moment. "I need to go to the kitchen."

He steps aside. I pull down my shirt again, leaving for the kitchen.

Everybody is sitting on the kitchen table, plates of breakfast in front of them.

"Look, the missing girl." Eunwoo mocks.

"Be nice." Ariana hisses.

I smile. "Good morning."

"How come I haven't seen you since two nights before?" Eunwoo asks, buttering his toast.

I shrug. "Maybe I was just invisible."

"Smart." He nods.

More like dumb. My inner girl snorts.

"Do you want toast or oatmeal?" Ariana asks.

"I'll make some tea. I'm not hungry." I mumble.

"I'll make it for you." Sara beats me to the stove so I just sit on my chair.

A minute later Sarah puts a cup of honey-ginger tea in front of me. I thank her for taking a sip.

Somehow the warm fluid relieves my throat from the soreness and itchiness.

The mood around the table flows quite normally. Aless talks about preschool and his art teacher, whom he seems to like the most.

And by that I mean, the only lady he hasn't called a goat or an old cow. Eunwoo laughs at his son's descriptions while Ariana glares at him.

Sarah talks about her teachers and sometimes Eunwoo or Ariana or Diego would make some pointy comments or throw sarcasm and we'd laugh.

However the mood shifts as Jungkook enters the kitsch and takes his seat beside me. I shift in my chair, trying to keep a little bit distance from him but he grabs my left hand in his right and well one. It's a hard grip but gentle.

I twist and roll my wrist trying to let go of his grip, but Hus just keeps getting stronger. I keep my struggle on and keep his hold.

It won't leave a bruise. My inner girl assures me.

I know. I told her.

Ariana puts two toasts, an egg, some bacon and salad on his plate. He lets go of my hand and picks up his food.

"I'll leave." I whisper. "I'm a bit..." I look at Jungkook from the corner of my eye. He's looking at me intently, his toast halfway through his mouth.

"Jumpy." Ariana completes my sentence looking at me with narrowed eyes filled with doubts.

"Sick." I alter her.

She smiles.

"If it's something serious... I can look you up." Eunwoo offers after taking a sip of his coffee.

"It's just...you know, sore throat."

I smile as I finish my tea in a long sip and place the tea cup in the sink before dashing out of the kitchen.

I picked up my blanket and some clothes from Jungkook 's room and went to the guest room I used earlier.

(TO BE CONTINUED)