Sixth.

"You know, I was thinking that maybe we could take some time off in May," Suga mused out loud, while his hand slipped underneath Jiyeon's shirt, fingers skidding across her stomach. His lips caressed a spot right underneath Jiyeon's ear. "A week or so. We can spend it in that small country house near the mountains that my father left me. Just the two of us. What do you think?"

Jiyeon smiled, nuzzling Suga's cheek, while her own hands were wandering up and down the man's strong back. They were lying on the couch, Suga on top of Jiyeon with their legs tangled together. It was Saturday, late afternoon, and they had been spending the entire day like this. Suga for once didn't have to show up at his office and they were taking advantage of this rare reprieve.

"Sounds good to me," She hummed in agreement, tilting her neck back to give the man more space. For a couple of tantalizing seconds, Jiyeon felt teeth resting against the side of her neck and she held her breath, wondering whether Suga would finally say goodbye to his rule of no real biting. Disappointment welled up inside of her when teeth were replaced by lips and a teasing tongue. Well, she should have expected that, really. And yet, this time it stung worse than before that Suga wasn't giving her the Mark.

A loud ringtone startled them both and Jiyeon's hand shot out, scrambling across the table to grab her vibrating phone. Suga sat up, allowing Jiyeon more space. Jiyeon’s eyes widened when she caught sight of the display screen. A name she hadn't seen in more than a week was flashing up on her screen.

"Who is it?" Suga asked curiously, cocking his head slightly.

"Lee saem," Jiyeon answered absentmindedly, swinging her legs off the couch so that she could stand up. "Give me a moment; I'll be right back."

Suga shrugged and rolled his eyes, leaning forwards to grab the remote so that he could watch some television programme.

Hastily, Jiyeon made her way to another room where she was certain that she wouldn't be overheard. "Why are you calling me?" She demanded to know when she accepted the call.

A short pause. "I figured you would want to know what your boyfriend's doctor had to say about his former patient. I didn't think showing up at your doorstep would be a good idea," Taehyung replied in a silk tone.

Jiyeon ignored the way her heart seemed to skip a bit at hearing Taehyung's smooth voice again.

"Wha-what did he say?" She asked nervously and she started to pull at a loose thread of her shirt.

"It's not easy to say this over the phone," Taehyung started and he sounded wary. "I don't know how I can soften the blow for you."

"Surely it can't be that bad?" Jiyeon laughed nervously, but her heart started to beat wildly, the sound filling her ears.

"Jiyeon … Apparently Suga underwent a certain treatment," Taehyung said slowly. "A year before he met you."

"What kind of treatment?" Jiyeon asked, suddenly feeling very dry.

"There is a particular treatment that man can undergo and it's not reversible. I'll spare you the long explanation and the medical terminology, but it comes down to the fact that Suga took a cocktail of pills which will render all his seed useless," Taehyung replied softly. "He won't ever be able to get someone pregnant."

"He, he … So I won't ever be able to have his baby?" Jiyeon whispered. Numb. That was all she felt. Numb, shocked to the core. And hurt. Incredibly hurt. This couldn't be true, right? There had to be some kind of mistake! There was no way Suga would have taken pills to essentially render himself infertile. That just couldn't be true. He had assured Jiyeon that he wanted children! He wanted a baby with Jiyeon, he had agreed to try for one. Surely the doctor had to be mistaken?

"I'm sorry, Jiyeon," Taehyung murmured, dropping the polite suffix once more. "I asked his doctor whether he was sure and he was. He remembered it quite clearly, because Suga was one of the very few men who willingly chose that treatment."

"So I won't … He can't …" Jiyeon tried to finish her question, but her tongue felt heavy in and she stumbled against the counter, gripping the edge to steady herself. Everything seemed to spin in front of her. Was this some kind of nightmare?

"I'm really sorry, Jiyeon, but Suga won't be able to impregnate you, no matter how long you try," Taehyung answered softly.

The sympathetic tone in his voice made Jiyeon nearly hurl.

"I – I have to go," She babbled, feeling the hot sting of tears pressing against her eyes.

"Wait, Jiyeon!"

She ended the call abruptly, ignoring Taehyung's concerned shout, and stared at the floor; her hand clenched around her cell phone. The sharp sting of her nails digging in the soft flesh of her palm, telling her that she wasn't dreaming. The conversation with Taehyung had really happened just now.

Suga couldn't impregnate her.

She would never be able to carry Suga's baby, give birth to it and hold it. All those months of trying … And for what? It had been useless from the very start. Nothing Jiyeon would do or had done would have made a difference after all. All those nights of worrying and sometimes even crying when the test announced another negative result … All those moments of hope blossoming up in her whenever she thought that they had finally succeeded …

Why had Suga never told her about this? Why had she let Jiyeon believe that they would have a baby together?

She should have been ing told about this! Suga knew she had a children's wish – Jiyeon had made that clear from the beginning. And yet he had let her believe for their entire time together that they would eventually have a baby. Jiyeon had already said goodbye to her wish of getting married–all her hopes had been fixated on a baby of them together. Something that would unite them, show the world that they loved each other.

And now she heard that that dream would never become reality. No matter how long they would try, she would never experience a baby growing inside of her, kicking her, moving inside of her. She would never know how it felt like to hold her own baby in her arms.

All her dreams … completely shattered.

Why? That one question whirled around in her mind, suppressing everything else. Why had Suga lied to her? Why had he accepted that treatment?

Why? Why? Why?!

Fury welling up inside of her, threatening to explode like a volcano. She marched straight into the living room, coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the room.

Suga raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of Jiyeon's furious face. "Jiyeon? What's wrong? Did something …"

"When the were you going to tell me that you made yourself infertile?" Jiyeon sneered, balling her hands to fists, the knuckles turning white.

The man stilled; Jiyeon could practically see him closing off, his eyes growing dull. "Who told you?"

No denial. No reassurance that it wasn't true, that he was fertile. Just a simple question: who had told her.

The last shred of hope died inside of her. "Why didn't you tell me?" Jiyeon whispered, staring at her boyfriend with accusing eyes.

For the first time since they met, Suga looked uncomfortable. "I know you have a children's wish and well, I didn't know how to tell you. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? You're sorry?" Jiyeon repeated incredulously, her voice gaining a sharp edge. "You ing lied to me for years, let me believe for months that we would have a baby and now you have the gall to say you're ing sorry?!"

"Jiyeon, I …"

"Why the did you have that treatment, Suga?!"

"Because I didn't want to screw up any children I would father, okay?" Suga snapped, standing up in a flash. "I told you how my father treated me and my siblings – I didn't want to become like him! I don't want any children to experience what I went through. So yes, I took those pills, so that I wouldn't be able to get someone pregnant. You can't blame me for not wanting to turn out like my father. You've seen for yourself how he was!"

"You're right, I can't blame you for not wanting to be like your father – but you still should have ing told me, Suga! You lied to me for years; you let me believe that we would be having a baby together! How could you do this to me?" Jiyeon yelled, fury coursing through her veins, heating up her body.

"Look, I know I should have told you about this and I'm really sorry for that. I truly am," Suga stressed, a hint of frustration ringing through his voice. "But what's done is done. I can't take it back. I know you're hurt right now, but can't we talk about this?"

"Suga, we've been trying for months; for months I've been hoping to get pregnant, to have your baby," Jiyeon started in a choked voice; a ringing sound in her ears.

"I know, Jiyeon, I know," Suga said soothingly and took a step forwards, holding his hands out as if he wanted to grab Jiyeon. "I know you're hurting now, but I promise to make it better. If you still want a baby, we can adopt one and …"

"Do you really think that you can solve this with, with an adoption?" Jiyeon asked wildly and she stared at Suga's non-comprehending face. "I feel like I don't know you anymore. You let me believe for years that we could have a baby together and now you think that an adoption will solve everything? You ing lied to me!"

"Aren't you exaggerating a little bit?" Suga scowled, waving one hand haphazardly through the air. "Yes, I should have told you about this sooner, but it's not like I withheld it from you on purpose. I just thought in the beginning that it wasn't important enough. And it's not like I'm taking away your chances of having a child completely – we can still adopt one. And as it will have no biological tie to me, I don't have to be afraid of screwing up the child with my genes."

"You really don't get it, do you?" Jiyeon asked dumbfounded and her arms fell slack next to her sides. "I wanted to have your baby. I wanted to feel our baby growing inside of me, a sign that we belong with each other. And you took that from me! You never gave me any choice!"

"Jiyeon, what does it matter whether the baby is biologically ours or not? If you want to have a baby that badly, we can start the adoption process this weekend. And …" Suga started and it was clear that he just didn't understand what the issue was.

"I can't believe you," Jiyeon mumbled, shaking her head numbly and she stumbled back. "You think that us adopting a baby will solve everything? You lied to me, Suga, you never even gave me a choice! You kept this secret from me, a secret that not only had an impact on your life, but also on mine! Did you never think about that?!"

"Are you saying that you wouldn't have stayed with me if I told you from the beginning that I couldn't give you any children?" Suga asked incredulously, his eyes widening in shock.

Jiyeon gazed at him sadly. "I told you from the beginning that I want to have children," She answered softly. "I don't think … I think we should go our own way."

Suga let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Are you seriously breaking up with me over this? Are you telling me you love your children's wish more than you love me? Wait, have you ever loved me at all? Or just the fact that I could give you children?"

"You know I loved you, but you also knew damn well that I want to have my own children. I'm sorry, Suga, but I think it's best if we break up," Jiyeon spoke, swallowing past the lump that had formed in . She couldn't believe she was doing this. Four years together, but she didn't think she would ever be able to forgive Suga for lying to her about something as important as this. She just couldn't. It was not only the fact that her boyfriend, the one she had loved and had expected to grow old with, had lied to her for the entire time they had been together, but also because of the fact that she would never have her own children. If she stayed with Suga, she would never be able to have a child of her own. Never. And no matter how much she loved Suga, she couldn't give up her children's wish for him. That was the one thing she was unwilling to give up. She already had to give up her dream of a marriage for Suga, but she was unwilling to also give up her wish for children.

That was something the man couldn't expect from her.

"I ing forgave you for kissing that bastard, but you can't forgive me for keeping one little secret?!" Suga snarled, his eyes lightning up with fury.

"One little secret? You ing lied to me for four ing years! You knew how much I wanted children and yet you never said anything! I never asked you to forgive me, Suga, you decided that on your own! I want children of my own and if I stay with you, I'll never be able to have that. I'm sorry, I just … I can't stay with you, I just can't," Jiyeon said desperately and walked away. "I'm sorry, I need to leave. I'm really sorry. I'll come back later for my stuff, but now I just …"

"Jiyeon, wait!"

Jiyeon snatched her car keys from the table and ran out of the house, slamming the door behind her. She practically threw herself in her car, starting it in her haste when she saw that Suga had opened the door and was prepared to follow her.

With screaming tires, Jiyeon fled from the house she had shared with Suga for three years. The house where she had thought