It took time for Grey's vision to adjust to the night.
When it did, she discovered that the hole leading to the Severed Realms glowed emerald and lavender. The color of Hell was not red after all.
Her breathing was the only sound within the pavilion. It was too quiet up here. It was too quiet on the street. Without the rain, Seoul was lifeless.
So was she.
Grey finally glanced down at her burned hands. Blood caked the dark marks left by the sword. She could barely see them, though, as tears welled in her eyes.
She never opened a gate.
She failed.
Her shoulders sagged, head dropping. So much death and sacrifice. And for nothing, because she was useless and alone.
"Meow."
Grey's head whipped over her shoulder. Luca slowly came forward, green eyes wide and sad. Grey could barely find it within herself to speak, especially when she tilted her tiny head.
They sat that way for a few seconds, just staring at one another, the truth sinking in without needing to be said aloud. Luca came to Grey's lap, black head rubbing against her thighs. Grey wanted to pet her, but didn't want to smear her blood. The cat whimpered anyway, nuzzling against the human.
Grey said, "I'm sorry."
Luca chirped, uttering an inhuman response.
"I couldn't let him in," said Grey. "Opening a gate would have..." She shut her mouth. It didn't make a difference what the gate would have done. She didn't get that far. And she didn't know when, but soon, not even Luca would be sitting by her side. She bit her lip, failing to stifle her crying.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Luca's ears perked as she found something in the distance. She dashed past the Severed Realm's opening and pawed at a limp body.
Grey whimpered when she recognized Jin's face. She said, "He's gone, Luca."
The cat pawed his arm anyway. Grey, growing frustrated, rose her voice. "He's dead!" She choked on a sob, hugging herself with her arms.
You are strong, he'd said, and I love you.
He finally said it.
Luca meowed in his ear, using both paws to claw at his shoulder. Grey opened her mouth to yell, but gasped.
Did his finger twitch?
She stood suddenly, watching Luca nuzzle his head with hers.
Jin's eyelids weakly fluttered open. Grey didn't realize she was running until she fell to her knees at his side, ignoring the sticky feel of his blood soaking through her pants. Her lip trembled, but she brought a shaking hand to his cheek, two of her fingers caressing his skin. His eyes slid towards hers, his voice lower than a whisper.
"You did it."
She nodded furiously, the sound of him soothing her deepest nerves. "But how are you here?" She searched his face. "His sword went through your heart."
Jin breathed heavily. "He missed."
She gently rested her hand over his. "You should have ran away."
"Away from you?" Jin's eyebrows knit as best as they could. "Don't you know?" He grinned softly, his lips shaking from the effort. "I could never."
She smiled, bringing his hands to her lips. As quickly as her joy had come, it vanished as reality washed over her. He was dying from a blade meant for her. His world was suffering. Her world wouldn't last much longer.
"But you can't go home," she said.
He glanced at the ceiling. "I don't care." Luca turned around, ears perking again while he spoke. "As long as you're safe."
Luca scratched at Grey's legs, meowing worriedly. Grey frowned, trailing the kitten's line of sight to the Severed Realm's open portal. A soft wind tossed stray curls into Grey's face. She ran a hand through her hair as the breeze grew stronger, more curls blowing over her cheeks. Suddenly, air whooshed through the pavilion, circling up to the ceiling with loose fragments of cobblestone. It swirled, gathering speed and strength.
"Collapse," said Jin.
"What?"
He raised his voice. "Portal's collapsing."
Luca clawed at cobblestone, her nails unable to find purchase. She fluttered backwards, pulled by the wind. Grey reached back and pulled her into her chest, gasping as the wind prevented her from turning back around to Jin. A funnel of violent wind and loose rock went into the Severed Realm's opening, a whirling tornado stretching into the gaping hole. As it traveled down, down, down the pull grew stronger until she had to drop her weight to keep from being taken.
"What do I do?" Grey yelled. Luca hid her tiny head into Grey's shirt.
Something heavy knocked the back of Grey's foot. She glanced over, finding Jin groaning as he slid towards her. She stood, the wind and flying rocks beating her back. Carefully, she stepped over him, falling again so that she could cling to his arm.
"Hold on to me!"
She kept Luca close, pulling Jin onto her lap. Just as she settled his head, he groaned, the wind snatching at his legs, dragging him away. She grabbed his shoulder, but without any hands left she, too, became a lightweight. The tornado urged all three of them forward to Hell.
She tugged Jin back with all her strength, her shoes slipping against blood and slick rock. His weight landed on her legs, and the storm picked up both of them.
Jin slid from her grasp, his hand reaching for hers. She clung to it, grunting and yanking backwards to no avail.
Jin looked down, his legs falling into the hole. Grey yelped, tucking Luca under her shoulder before falling onto her stomach. The toe of her shoe caught onto a jagged piece of cobblestone. She flexed her calf to hold herself steady. Her body pulled taut as the rest of Jin's fell into the Severed Realm's portal.
"Don't let go!" she screamed. The bottom of the hole was deep, deep down, the color of it a fiery amethyst. Like lavender molten lava, it churned and bubbled. Grey forced herself to look away, into Jin's eyes.
"I'm weighing you down," said Jin.
"No, it's okay!" Grey grit her teeth, her shoulder beginning to ache. "I've got you!"
Jin's hand went slack, slipping a fraction.
She clutched harder. "Do not let go!"
"It will be alright," he shouted over the wind, smiling softly.
"No it won't!"
"I want to know you lived through this too. After everything else." He looked down, his glimpse lasting far too long to be accidental. He then looked back at her. "I promise, you'll be alright."
"Kim Seokjin, you better stay with me."
He looked down again.
She snapped. "Look at me damnit, I am not letting you go!"
Perhaps it was fate that made him look at her again, because when he did, he had already accepted another sacrifice in her name.
"I love you!"
His gaze softened. She said, "I love you too much to let you go. I can't, Jin. I can't."
His voice broke. "You love me?"
"Yes! With all of my heart!" Her tear fell onto his cheek. "I'm picking you. I picked you forever ago. Please," she begged, "don't let me go."
His fingers tightened around her wrist, the wind roaring around them, drowning them together.
He said, "You're glowing."
Her skin shimmered gold against his--but, she frowned. A crown of light encircled him, the whisper of a halo glinting over his head. "So are you."
Jin looked down at his body, the wisps of light that circled his frame.
The tornado grew wider, Grey shrieking as the strength of the Severed Realm summoned Jin, refused to let him loose. Her leg grew sore, threatening to cramp. She grit her teeth, forcing herself to stay flexed.
Beneath her, Jin sparkled, the light beaming until even the walls of the portal shimmered with prismatic light and sprinkles of rainbow.
"What's happening?" she called to him.
His chuckle made her heart leap. "Grey! You did it!"
She closed her eyes, his shine far too bright. "I did what?"
"The curse! It's breaking--I can feel it!"
"What does that mean?!"
His voice was louder, clear. "Do you trust me?"
She said, "With everything!"
"Fall with me."
She searched his face--at least, what she could see of it. "What?"
"Fall with me," he repeated.
But falling meant they gave themselves to the Severed Realm. However, she wasn't strong enough to pull him up. The only way to go was down. Down, down, down into a world she barely understood, just as Luca said so long ago. Taking a leap of faith, just as she did in Paris. Just like she did when she first went to KSJ to plead for her protection.
After all, this was what she fought for. Seokjin. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she figured it could only lead here--to the end.
Grey nodded, relaxing her leg. The Severed Realm swallowed her whole. She tumbled hand in hand with Jin. His light was so brilliant she squinted through it, even as his arms wrapped around the small of her back. They flipped until they were falling feet-first.
Grey looked down at the incoming lava, the heat searing through her pants. At the top of her lungs she screamed her truth again before squeezing her eyes shut.
"I love you, Jin!"
The sensation of falling ceased. Like the world had turned on its head, they began to fall the other way; they lifted. The air became cooler the higher they went, the taste of midnight settling on her tongue rather than the undead.
He said, "You can open your eyes."
She did. The sparkle around him was gone. He wore a loose white shirt, his black hair straightened and rustling through the breeze. Two golden earrings dangled from his ears, but she was most surprised by his back. A pair of majestic wings stretched and beat, white feathers tinged with gold and softer shades of blue and pink.
"Oh my god," she cried, glancing down at the shrinking portal. "You're flying!"
He pressed a kiss against her neck, carrying her up, and up, and up towards the pavilion's dome where a lone cluster of clouds covered the coffered ceiling. It was still night time outside, but Grey knew it was rays of sun that kissed her skin the closer she came. It was the color of sunset, or sorbet; a collection of magenta, aged honey, wine, and pearls.
"Is that?"
He smiled. "Home."
Kim Seokjin flew her through the gates of the Eternal Realm.
The clouds were soft as silk, as elusive as sea spray. Heaven's sky was a nuanced blue, stars twinkling against cerulean. She trailed her fingertips against a string of clouds, gasping as they rippled. Above her head, the constellations were clear. All of them connected in some way, no star left alone. They formed a lattice of what looked like fairy lights.
The scenery beneath her changed from waves of clouds to veined marble buildings that peeled into a network of roads. So many of them had pillars and grand staircases. Trebuchets with golden-tiled roofs glinted nearly ivory. There were trees with silver leaves and in the gentle breeze they rustled and tinkled like tiny bells. They passed gargantuan statues and torches ablaze with white fire. Jin maneuvered past taller buildings, tilting his wings to expertly duck right or left in time.
Up ahead, a palace made of gold and glass illuminated the city. They landed at the foot of it in a garden. A plethora of gardenias decorated vast expanses of grass to her sides. There was also a long water fountain, the clearest water she'd ever seen weaving through an intricate design of marble leaves. Grey dipped her hand into the water. It instantly washed the blood from her hands.
"This was broken before," she said.
Jin quirked an eyebrow. "Solis and Aelith smashed it before we Fell. How did you know?"
"Vanity showed me this courtyard in my dreams."
"You can call me Variel now," said the voice of a hummingbird. Grey traced it to the towering staircase. A woman in a white gown elegantly strolled down the steps, her hands clasped before her lap. Her eyes were as luminous as her palace. A diadem of white roses decorated her flowing, white hair. She was as beautiful as anyone could expect a Queen to be.
Grey shook her head, not quite believing it. "You're here?"
"I am," Variel smiled, her heels clicking softly over stone as she ambled over and grabbed Grey's hands. Luca jumped to the ground, tail flicking back and forth. Variel smiled at the kitten.
"How is that possible?" Grey asked.
Variel grinned at Luca. "Nicolai, I shall let you explain."
The cat meowed in response.
"I think it best that you return to your true form now that you have returned," she said.
Grey said, "His true form?"
"Neither a cat nor a middle-aged man," the Queen sighed happily. "He wishes he could be either forever, I'm sure." She gave Grey a quick once-over, her lips flattening as she should her head. "Perhaps you should change as well."
Grey frowned, looking down at herself. It's not like she was at home. It's not even like she had a backpack. "I don't have any clothes."
"A guest of ours always has what they need," said Vanity. Her golden eyes roamed Grey's shoulders, torso, and legs. Wherever she glanced, what she wore turned to dust. Grey raised her arms, the touch of Vanity's power so soft it was almost imperceptible. Her black shirt had been stripped away, delicate sleeves of a white gown draping over her shoulders. The rest of the dress hugged her waist, flaring out at her hips. The rubberband holding her hair slipped away, her curls tumbling down her back. "Better," Vanity remarked.
"I have so many questions," Grey mumbled, gathering her skirts.
"Jin! Grey!"
Grey looked to the top of the steps at six young men, all of them dashing in white. All of them adorned with majestic, white wings. There was a woman with them. Her dress was more of a peach color, but her toffee colored hair draped over her shoulder as she smiled at her old friend.
It was Rin. Her hands were on Hoseok's chest.
"You guys?" Grey dashed to the base of the steps. Anaphiel met her halfway.
Taehyung swooped her up, spinning her in his arms. Two ivory horns came from his head, their shape still like that of a gazelle's. He put her down and she jumped into Jimin's arms, laughing as their cheeks pressed together. Yoongi stood with his hands behind his back when she approached. A smile blossomed on her lips. "Come here," she said. He hugged her kindly, softly. As someone with endless depths of gratitude would hug the person they believed they owed.
Hoseok and Rin opened their arms.
Grey said, "Rin, I'm so sorry. I had no idea--,"
"This is where I'm supposed to be," she said. Being an angel heightened her beauty, her red lips gorgeous when she grinned. Grey hugged the couple, so very glad to finally see them at peace.
Namjoon embraced her next, patting her on the back. "You did good, Grey."
Jungkook was last, his smile shy. She pulled him in, breathing in his scent. In Heaven he didn't smell like cologne from long days at work. He smelled like the clean wind. She muttered in his ear, "I feel like I'm hugging myself."
He laughed. "No, I think I am hugging myself." They pulled apart, playfully hitting one another.
Grey said, "So can someone explain?"
"Uhh," said a startlingly young voice. Grey's eyebrows knit together. She turned, slowly, to Variel--and the little boy next to her. He had silver hair and two bright green eyes. His cheeks were round, his lips pink. He wore a loose white blouse and pants. She narrowed her eyes at the whiskers on his cheeks. "I think I can explain."
"No way," Grey breathed.
Hoseok smiled at Rin. "I told you he was young."
Grey said, "This... is you?"
Nico's cute face scrunched when he smiled, and it was almost terrifying, Grey thought, to fully understand the wisdom behind his youthful eyes; eyes that watched over her and billions of others, learning along the way. Such a beautiful boy with a soul that ran as deep as forgotten ruins and civilizations. He said, "Yes. I hope I did not deceive you."
She shook her head. "You're beautiful."
He smiled proudly. "While you were in battle, did you experience any strange phenomena?"
"I saw all of you. But I couldn't have... because all of you were..." she hoped they finished the sentence on their own.
Variel said, "The Blood Moon judges all celestial beings in a corporeal form. We were going to have to make a choice by midnight to ally with the Severed Realm or pass on. However, we passed on before its reveal. We became exempt from its control."
Nicolai finished for her. "When one passes on, their spirit lingers wherever they lost their life. We were there watching your battle, but you only saw us when we showed ourselves to you. Then, after you freed Rowan, he returned to our realm and summoned us."
"So, it really was you?" Grey blinked.
"All of us," said Namjoon.
"But Jin and Luca--I mean Nico came up with me. How did that happen?"
"A genuine confession of true love," Nico said, so proud that Grey blushed. "It created enough celestial energy that it not only kept Jin alive, it opened its own gate."
"Unfortunately, you cannot stay very much longer. The Eternal Realm does not house the living, but the wandering. And you have a very blessed life to live," said Variel.
Grey smiled, her cheeks and nose burning from tears. Tears of joy. "What's a life without you guys?"
Nico hugged her around the waist. The other angels laughed, joining in until she was crushed in the middle, all of their love and light shrouding her. When they detached, Variel and Jin extended their arms on either side of her. She took them, peering over her shoulder at her friends.
"What's going on?"
The Queen said, "Before we say our goodbyes, there is one more thing you shall see. To thank you for what you've done, we would like to grant the greatest wish of your heart." To Anaphiel, she said, "Before the rest of you return to your duties guarding the gates, bid your final farewells."
Hoseok and Rin stepped forward first. Hoseok bowed, Rin curtsied. Grey would call him a dove if she could, the white wings fitting him far better than black ever did. He said, "It's always a pleasure flying with you."
"Working with you, too," Rin added, giggling.
Grey couldn't even act like she wasn't crying anymore. They hugged her, rubbing her back as she sobbed. Next was Jimin, his blue eyes as bright as the heavenly sky. He hugged her, kissing her hand when he let her go. "You will always have a friend in me."
Namjoon bowed, grabbing her hand. "Your memory will live on here forever. I'll make a chess piece for you to be sure of it."
"Amelia will miss you," Grey said, wiping her eyes even though tears still fell.
"She will see me again," he said with a hint of a smile.
Taehyung strode up to Grey with a boxy smile. "Our hero!" He picked her up and spun her again, gently setting her on her feet as he laughed. "We can't thank you enough!"
"Don't make her dizzy," said Yoongi. Grey giggled, enveloping him in a hug too. His message was whispered into her ear. "What you did for me, continue to do that. Spread your light as far as it can go. You make people feel loved and they need to feel that."
She nodded solemnly. The last was Jungkook. Even now, she felt drawn to him; some kind of tether attaching their hearts just like it attached her and Jin's. He smiled, waltzing up to her with such a knowing look she blushed.
He said, "What I told you before you flew away, I meant every word. I'll always remember you."
She grinned. "So will I," she said. They hugged. She gave him a peck on the cheek before grabbing hold of Jin and Variel again.
Namjoon said, "On behalf of all of us," he gestured to his brothers and all of them bowed, "Thank you." A chorus of gratitude came from them. But it was enough to see their smiles for Grey. It was enough to hear their laughs, see their wings, see them happy.
"Are you ready?" asked Variel.
Grey smiled at Jin, who smiled down at her. "I'm ready."
Nico walked at their back. They led her up the grand staircase. Grey gawked at the height of the pillars. It would take at least four of her to get halfway up the length. The colossal doors were approximately five Greys, she estimated. She couldn't imagine their weight though, as they were made of solid gold and glass.
Variel stopped them before entering. "I would like to give you some time alone here. I will see you again when it is time to depart. You only have a few minutes."
"A few minutes to do what?" Grey asked.
Jin smacked his lips playfully. "Always so curious."
She cut her eyes at him sidelong, smiling. "But you love me."
Jin lifted her chin with two fingers, his lips gently touching hers. He tasted of honey and sugar. Grey snaked her arms around his neck just before his wings. It was a kiss that soothed over two hundred and fifty years, made the wait entirely bearable. Worth it. By all the stars in the sky she loved Seokjin. She had from the moment she'd seen him. Several paths wandered, one holding her destination. Him. Always him.
"Yes." He leaned his forehead onto hers. "I love you. Endlessly."
"Will I ever see you again?"
He placed her hand over his heart. "Anytime you call."
She nodded, her breath hitching. "Goodbye, Jin."
"Goodbye, Grey." He let her go, stepping back and bowing. His wings flexed, and he took off into the sky.
"I knew it would be him," Nico said from behind.
Variel mussed her younger brother's hair. "Let's allow her to enjoy her last minutes, shall we?"
Nico nodded. The glass doors opened slowly. Grey covered her eyes as a streak of white light shone through the cracks. When it stopped shining, she gasped at the magnificent palace.
In the middle of the grand foyer was a man and woman. They were admiring the palace as well until they felt a cool breeze at their backs. The woman glanced over her shoulder first, the man completely pivoting. Grey saw their faces, felt the wind of a past autumn in her hair.
She trembled. "Mom? Dad?"
They smiled, holding out their arms.
Her mother's voice hadn't changed, but in Heaven she was full of color. Happy.
"Our beautiful little girl."
Grey ran to them, pummeling into their arms. They all sank to the floor, united.
Her father said, "We've been watching."
Her mother added, "And we are so very proud of you."
She couldn't stop repeating their names, touching them. "I miss you," she cried. "I miss you so much. I come to visit you every year. I carved your names into a tree and--,"
"We've seen." Her mother laughed, wiping her eyes. "When you are there, so are we. We heard every word."
"I miss you," she sobbed.
"There is no need," said Grey's mother. "We always live in your heart."
For as long as time allowed, she told them about what they had missed. They talked, they laughed, and they never stopped holding one another. When her skin shimmered golden and she began to disappear, her hands running through them rather than against them, her time was up. The world around her glittered white, and then she disappeared as though her figure was no more than a trick of the light.
:::
Grey blinked. One moment she was rushing to tell her parents goodbye, the next she was here--under a canopy of thick branches and an overcast sky. A park bench was to her left, a sprawling lake to her right. The flowers rested for winter and so did the barren trees.
Solstice Gardens.
Nico's voice rang from behind her. "Remember this place?"
Grey turned to the three Scepters. Rowan, the tallest of them, stood next to Variel. Nico was in front of them, smiling up at her.
Rowan put a hand on Variel and Nico's shoulder. He said to Grey, "Thank you for helping my family."
Grey curtsied. "Thank you for helping me."
"You learned a lot on this journey," said Variel, "and become quite a spectacular young woman."
Nico said, "She did have the help of a wonderful cat."
"That I did," Grey laughed, but her smile couldn't quite reach her eyes as she beheld Nicolai.
Her sweet, sweet Second King.
He couldn't quite smile either. Both of them saddened, neither one of them wanting to say it. She did anyway, her heart breaking into a million tiny pieces.
She said, "Is this it?"
A tear fell down Nico's cheek. The young boy smiled while he cried. "This is it."
She held her arms out and he ran into them. Her new best friend, surprisingly young but teeming with love.
"I love you," she said. "Thank you so, so much."
"I love you too."
Rowan said, "Once you enter the lake, your memories from this dimension will cease to exist."
Grey peered up from her hug. "What?"
"For your safety, to assure that no demon or fiend can follow you to your home."
"B-but..." Grey sighed. "Are you sure?"
Rowan nodded, his voice soothing even if full of authority. "Your experiences have been engrained in your heart. They have made you who you are, and you will live with that prolonged peace."
"Okay," said Grey. She kissed Nico's forehead before letting him go.
She gave a hug to Variel. "Come visit me in my dreams sometime."
The First Queen giggled. "As you wish."
Rowan nodded curtly, the appreciation pouring from him. The First King extended a hand. Grey shook it respectfully.
She turned to face the lake.
Rowan said, "Be sure to thank your friend when you return home."
"I will," Grey said. She would see her Amelia again. Not that the one of this realm was any different, but after Grey thought about it for a while she realized both girls had the same spirit. There was no doubt had she been called to action like this Amelia of her home would have been first in line to help her out. "Please keep her safe for me."
"She will never want for anything," Rowan assured.
She smiled wistfully over her shoulder. Rowan, Variel, and Nicolai waved.
Then, she stepped into the lake.
It was cold as the water rushed her ankles. She breathed out as it reached her knees, her waist. She listened to the waves lap against her skin. Once her head went under, an invisible pull gently gripped her waist, but this time it was different. She wasn't in a whirlpool. She wasn't sinking.
She was simply falling, it seemed. Directly into the sky. Her eyelids became heavy, her body becoming heavier.
She gave in to inevitable sleep.
:::
Grey gasped to life, hands gripping the park bench. A voice blared in her ears. She snatched the earbuds out to gather her bearings. She was soaking wet--and cold. It was so much cooler here in Solstice Gardens than she first thought. Water dripped down her chin. She wiped her face with the hem of her tank top again.
She glanced around at Harmony Park.
"What the hell?" she said. Her earbuds screeched at her sides. Grey lifted one, lowering the volume on her phone that was in her pocket.
Amelia's voice nearly busted her eardrum. "HELLO?"
Grey groaned at her volume--and stopped, this fuzzy nostalgia washing over her frustration. Despite herself, she grinned. The mere thought of her best friend brought such joy she could barely contain it.
Had she seen Amelia recently to make her feel this way? Why did she feel like she owed her?
It was unexplainable, this random burst of gratitude that blossomed in heart. "Amelia?"
"What's going on?" said her best friend. "Are you alright? Who were you talking to?"
Grey blurted, "I love you. Thank you."
A pause came over the line. Her best friend said, "I love you too, Grey, but don't scare me. You were just talking to something and your line broke up for a second."
Grey frowned. "I was just talking to something?"
"Yeah. You told it hi, you said you didn't have food, and you said it was a girl. What's a girl? An animal or something?"
Grey pursed her lips. Solstice Gardens was empty. Who could she have run into? "Amelia, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Okay," Amelia scoffed, "I'm starting to feel insane. I know what I heard."
"No," Grey interrupted. "I'm sure you're not crazy. I don't know. I think I fell asleep?"
"You're on an afternoon jog and talking on the phone with me. How do you fall asleep?"
Oh. That's right. An afternoon jog. She'd been running after work before she came to the park. Grey sighed. "Maybe I should just go home. I don't think I'm up for a run right now."
"Quitting on something, hm? Doesn't sound like the Grey I know."
"I'm not quitting," said Grey. "I'm just tired. My body feels like its been run over by a truck, and on top of that I just feel drained."
"Hard day at The Parlour?" Amelia asked.
"No, it's more emotional. I don't know. I feel like I've been through a lot and I can't even put a finger on why. Can I call you later?"
She knew Amelia was nodding. "Sure. Maybe I can come over tonight and we just watch movies. The social doesn't sound as fun."
"Yeah," Grey smiled. "I'd love that."
Amelia hung up.
Grey leaned her back against the park bench, reveling in the feeling of having something stuck on the tip of her tongue but not being able to say it. For some reason, she studied the lake like the still surface would have an answer. The longer she stared, the more the feeling slipped away as easily as a thought that slipped from the mind.
Oh well, she thought. Whatever it was, she would have to remember it on another day. Because oddly enough, as she sat in this park, she was at complete and total peace.
Grey sighed, running her hands over the length of the park bench, surprised as her fingers rolled over something thin and surprisingly delicate. She glanced down at her side and picked up the object that she knew in her heart had not been there before, but had perhaps been left by someone else.
She smiled, lifting it to her nose--a fully blossomed, snow white gardenia.
:::
(A/N) Finished reader,
Thank you for reading BTS: Tear the Sky.
If you close the book here, it has been a pleasure being your author. If you choose to follow me to the epilogue, boy do I have something special for you. I dropped another hint in this chapter.
Hopefully, you will join me then.
P.S. I cried writing this whole chapter, I'll keep it real.
Next release: A few hours
Thank you again for staying with me. A piece of my heart is yours.
With love,
M