UNLIKELY MATCH | HEESEUNG

35 - Back To Her

HEESEUNG'S POV

When I rush home and find Sena curled up on my bed, tears staining her cheeks and her breathing ragged, something inside of me shatters. I don't waste a second before crossing the room in quick strides, dropping to my knees beside the bed and gathering Sena into my arms. When she opens her eyes and finds me there, the raw vulnerability in her gaze pierces through me like a blade. 

"Sena," I breathe her name like a prayer, like everything I hold dear in this world. Her words come out in fragmented pieces, broken and raw, and with each one, my heart breaks a little more. When she finally manages to speak, her words are like daggers to my heart. The mere thought of someone laying a hand on her, let alone inflicting such pain and cruelty, fills me with a white-hot rage unlike anything I've ever felt before. "Sena, love, take a deep breath. You're safe now." I cup her cheeks and kiss her forehead and whisper softly. 

"My heart feels like... it's been shattered into a m-million pieces," She's shaking, like a fragile leaf caught in a storm, and it takes all of my willpower to remain steady for her. "I just... Heeseung, I..." 

"Who- fuck Sena, your cheek." But then I see her cheek and realize that it's bruised, the skin tender and swollen under my touch. I'm a fucking raging mess and inside of me burns a storm of fury. My anger had never consumed me like this before, a raw, primal instinct to protect Sena at all costs. I want to hunt down whoever dared to harm her and make them pay for every tear she's shed, every bruise they've left on her beautiful skin. The way she flinches at my touch only makes it harder for me to contain my rage. "Who did this to you?" The words come out harsher than I intended, but I can't help it. I need to know who dared to hurt her, who dared to lay a hand on the woman I love.

"I-It was my... father," Sena stammers out, her words shaking and fragile, as if speaking them aloud rips open wounds she's trying to heal. "He... he said I wasn't supposed to be alive, that I was a mistake, a burden..." Her voice cracks, and my heart clenches painfully in my chest. I can't believe that someone's father could say such vile things to their own child. I can't believe that someone would inflict such pain and suffering on someone they're supposed to love and protect. There are so many things I can't believe, so many questions in my mind, but right now, none of that matters. All that matters is Sena, the woman I love, the woman who's hurting in front of me. And so, I pull her into a tight embrace, holding her close as if I could shield her from the cruelty of the world with my own body. I would. If I could, I would gladly take on all of Sena's pain and suffering, if it meant sparing her even a moment of anguish. But I know that's not how life works. I know life can be an unfair bitch that rips away our happiness and replaces it with pain and suffering.

"I will make him pay for what he's done to you, Sena," I vow and it's not just a promise, it's a declaration burning with the intensity of a thousand suns. No one will ever hurt her again, not as long as I have breath in my body and the strength in my limbs to protect her. No one will ever lay a hand on her again or make her feel small and unworthy. She's the sun when it's shining the most and the moon when the sky is darkest. She's everything that's good and pure and beautiful in this world, and I'll be damned if I let anyone dim her light. "You are not a burden, Sena. You are not a mistake. You are a beautiful, strong, incredible woman who deserves nothing but love and happiness. Your father's words are lies, lies meant to hurt you, but they hold no truth. You are worthy of love, of kindness, of every good thing this world has to offer. And if he won't acknowledge your worth, then I will. I will remind you every single day, in every single way, just how amazing you are."

Sena buries her face against my chest, against my heart, not knowing that she's already buried deep inside it. Not knowing that she's the very reason it beats. "Please, just hold me. That's all I need right now. Just hold me and don't let go." She says, and so, I do. The two of us are lying in bed, my arms wrapped around her while she closes her eyes and lets out a long, shaky breath. Raven curls up at the foot of the bed, silently watching us with her wise, knowing eyes. I close my eyes and allow myself to simply be present in this moment, to soak in the warmth of Sena's body against mine, in the knowledge that at least she's not hurt or in danger anymore.

Still, as the night stretches on, I press a tender kiss to the top of her head and slip out of the bed, careful not to disturb her peaceful slumber. I have a score to settle, a debt to collect from the man who dared to hurt her. My heart is still heavy with anger as I make my way out of the apartment, the night air cool against my skin. 

The drive to Sena's childhood house is a blur, the streets passing by in a haze of streetlights and shadows. When I finally arrive, I waste no time in getting out of the car and walking to the front door. My knuckles rap against the wood, the sound echoing through the quiet night like a warning. It doesn't take long for the bastard who calls himself her father to answer, and when he steps out, dressed in his nightclothes and a look of disdain on his face, I feel my blood boil in my veins.

"You," He sneers, his gaze cold and calculating as it meets mine. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night? Do you think you can just barge into my house whenever you please?"

"You laid a hand on my wife." I blurt out the words and pause, watching Sen'a father closely for any reaction. His sneer only deepens, his arrogance radiating off him like a foul stench. I don't know why the most beautiful people are given the worst fathers, why someone like Sena has to suffer at the hands of a man like him.

"Your wife?" He scoffs, a derisive laugh escaping his lips. "Since when the fake arrangement became something real? You think you can come here and throw around empty threats? You're just a nobody, a racer who thinks he's someone important. You don't know the first thing about my daughter or what she needs and you-"

"Whether our marriage was arranged or not doesn't matter. The fact remains that she's my wife since the moment we signed the papers," Shoving my hands inside my pockets, I take a step closer to him, looking down at him with all the disdain and contempt I can muster. "What I'm trying to say is, you leave my wife alone or the whole world will know about how you tried killing your own daughter by pushing her into a fucking lake. Not only you abuse the living shit out of her, but you also tried to end her life. I don't have to remind you of the consequences of attempted murder, do I?"

His expression shifts from one of arrogance to one of shock and fear before he scoffs. "You have no proof of any of that. She's lying again and you're falling for her deceit." 

"Oh, but I don't need proof. Sena's word is enough to put you away for a long, long time. Trust me when I say, I will not hesitate if you ever as much as look at her the wrong way again. And if you think I'm bluffing, try me. I'll make sure the whole world knows what kind of monster you are, and I won't stop until you're behind bars where you belong."

He swallows hard, the color draining from his face before he shoots me one last glare and steps back inside his house, slamming the door shut behind him. I stand there for a moment, the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, before turning on my heel and making my way back to the car. The engine rumbles to life beneath me, the sound filling the night air as I drive away from the house where Sena's misery started. The house where she spent years suffering at the hands of that monster. 

The road stretches out before me, a dark ribbon cutting through the night but the only thought in my mind is going back home to Sena. Back home to my wife.