It's 1.31am // GOT7

Chapter 16 - Lullaby *****

Within a split second, she manages to shut the door on him, hitting him in the shoulder. How did he find her? She is petrified hearing him behind the door.

I: Come on baby open the door... he says whispering with his slimy voice. Let me in, you know you have no choice. Come on...

Behind the door, Jina steps away slowly, scared to death, feeling pain in her guts again. As her breathing starts to accelerate, she feels tears building up. He must have seen Jinyoung leaving her room. How did he find her floor? She stands there looking at the door shake under his forceful knocks.

I: Jina baby, open the door. He asks, before his voice changes due to the built up impatience. Open the fucking door or I'm gonna ruin you! You little slut! I'm gonna show you who owns you! Open the dooooor! He growls.

He sounds like the devil, nothing has changed. Her whole body is shaking now and trying to grab her phone from the bed, she drops it three time. She can see the door shaking as she imagines he is either going at it with his shoulder or his foot. Running to the corner of the room, she pulls the armchair on the way and hides under the covers she just pulled off the bed, as if it could protect her for some magical reason. She then dials Seojoon's number, and as he answers, she hears the door stopping to shake.

SJ: We are already here Jina, he says briefly before ending the call.

In her own world, she's trying to stop shaking but she cannot. She's trying to stop crying but she is hysterical. She's trying to catch her breath but she is helpless. She has no idea how long she has been hiding under that cover, but when her phone buzzes, she finds it hard to focus on the words as she wipes her tears.

[Jaebeom: I'm at the door. I need to know you're okay. Seojoon and his guys have taken him out and the police have taken him to the station. Please tell me you're ok.

Without thinking twice, she lifts the cover and stands up, still feeling shaky, still sobbing, climbs over the chair and rushes to the door. When she opens, she finds him standing there, his face covered with worry and when she thought she could not cry any harder, she burst into another sob, as he steps forward to take her in his arms. Throwing herself at him, he claws onto her like his life depends on it, reassured she is not hurt.

JB: I'm here, I'm here, he says stroking her hair, lifting her off the ground.

Holding her tight, he sits on the bed and her on his lap, her head nestled in his neck, while no more words are spoken for a while, the only audible sound being her sobbing. He feels devastated to see her in such pain and to not having been able to protect her, not having known what she had gone through. As her breathing slows down and she calms herself sufficiently to stop the tears, she pulls away from his embrace, wiping her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt, still shaking.

J: I'm sorry.

JB: I'm here for you baby. What did he do to you? He says worried.

J: Nothing this time.

JB: "This time"?

J: He...

JB: You don't have to.

J: No. I want to... I need to... I met him in college. He was very sweet and handsome, athletic. He was playing ice hockey. We became a thing and after a few months we moved in together. That's when things changed. He started to push me around a bit and be mean, treating me like an idiot but then he always apologised. So I forgave him. I was in love. I thought it was my fault, that I was really an idiot. He changed me to the point that my parents didn't recognise the strong independent daughter they had raised. And then physical violence. It started one day, when I burnt toasts by accident, the fire alarm went off and that woke him up. I got the worst beating ever. I didn't know how much physical pain I could endure. I didn't realise he was capable of this. Always in the guts and the back so nobody could see. I got cracked ribs several times. I tried to leave but he threatened me and my family so I had to stay. One night, he forced himself on me... I...