When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

Chapter 22

Something in the air shifted.

Something colder.

"I won't hesitate to do something bad."

His voice was almost quiet.

But it was heavy.

"I don't care what happens to you," he added. "Even if you die."

The words hit like a quiet slap.

The air felt too still.
The strawberry juice in my hand suddenly felt too cold.

Too heavy.

I just stood there.

Blinking.

Unable to process what just happened.

My throat tightened, but I forced myself to stay still.

Stay calm.

Stay unaffected.

But my hands clenched around the juice carton.

I don't know how long we stood there.

Then, without another word, he turned and walked past me.

I didn't move.

Didn't breathe.

Just stood there, staring at the empty space where he had been.

The wind brushed against my cheek, but I barely felt it.

Slowly-

I exhaled.

And then, as if my body only just remembered how to move-

I turned and walked away.

The streetlights blurred past the bus window, streaks of white and yellow against the dark. I sat still, my hands cold against my lap, my head resting against the glass.

I didn't know why I was so affected.

He wasn't someone close to me.

I should've expected it. His words, his coldness. I barely knew him. He barely knew me.

Then why?

Why did it feel like something was sinking inside me?

I swallowed, my fingers tightening into fists.

Maybe... maybe it was because I didn't want to believe he was cruel.

Maybe I had convinced myself that there was something else beneath it.

And maybe that was my mistake.

By the time I reached home, my body felt heavy. My mind, even heavier.

I dropped my bag at the door and went straight to my room, shutting the door behind me.

The moment I was alone, everything crashed.

I pressed a hand to my face.

A sharp breath.

Then another.

And then-

Tears.

Slow at first, then steady.

I hadn't cried in a long time.

Not since I was little.

Not since I learned it didn't change anything.

But now, no matter how much I tried to stop, it wouldn't.

I felt stupid.

I shouldn't be crying over this. Over him.

And yet, I was.

I wiped my eyes quickly.

Before I could gather myself, the door slammed open.

I flinched.

"You should've died instead."

The words hit like a slap.

I turned-just in time to see my mother storm in.

She was furious.

No. Beyond furious.

Her eyes were cold, sharp, burning with something I couldn't name.

Before I could react, she grabbed the books from my desk and threw them to the ground.

"You're useless," she spat. "Why in the world he has handed all the will to you out of all people?!!!."

I swallowed, gripping the bedsheet under my hands.

She wasn't done.

"You walk around like you matter," she continued, her voice cutting. "Like someone cares about you."

I stayed silent.

She stepped closer.

"But no one does."

The air felt heavy.

"You should've never been brought here," she hissed. "You should've rotted where you came from."

Something inside me cracked.

It hurt.

Not just her words.

But how easy they came to her.

Like she had been holding them in.

Of course I know they hated me, but I never heard it directly, up to this close.

Like she had always thought this way.

First him, and now this....

I sat frozen, staring at the floor, willing myself to disappear.

I heard her scoff.

Then, just as suddenly as she had come in, she was gone.

The door slammed shut behind her.

Silence.

I didn't move.

My chest ached.

For a long time, I just sat there, staring at nothing, feeling nothing.

Then-

A sound.

A soft vibration from my desk.

My phone screen lit up.

A message.

I blinked, dazed.

Slowly, I reached for it.

An unknown number.

Just an address.

Don't go.....

I stared at it.

My mind was blank, and maybe that was why-

I didn't think.

I didn't hesitate.

I just got up.

And walked out the door.

And I left.

°♡_________________________________♡°

Don't blame me for letting her go>▪︎<

:( ............ :)