Baekhyun wasn’t living. He was a ghost who woke up, ate, went to work, ate, and then he would lay in bed looking up at the roof until exhaustion finally pulled him away from his blank thoughts. He wondered how it was possible that he was still able to breathe when his chest was constricted with grief. With every small gasp of air he took in, he was filled with the circling trauma of heartbreak.

Inhale. Chanyeol

Exhale. Chanyeol

He wondered if the man plaguing his very existence thought of him with every single breath he took. Without Chanyeol, Baekhyun felt so light. It was Chanyeol who grounded him with the thoughts of coming home to warm arms after a long day at work. It was Chanyeol’s love that gave Baekhyun a reason to do his best. It was Chanyeol’s laughter that would make every day worthwhile. Without that and without him, Baekhyun was so very light as he simply just existed. He floated through day by day blankly, the only thing convincing Baekhyun that he was alive was the heavy pain that entered his lungs each time he would take a breath.

Chanyeol

“Hello”

Baekhyun could barely even register the fact that his lips were moving when he finally decided to put a stop to the insistent ringing that interrupted his silent nothingness.

“Hello, Baekhyun? I know I’m the last person you want to hear from, but we need to talk.”

Baekhyun was silent for a good while before shakily replying. “Kris?”

Kris hummed in agreeance. “Before you hang up, please listen. I know I have no right to contact you, but it’s about Chanyeol. He’s not doing too good.”

With that, Baekhyun who had been floating all this time, practically crashed to the ground. The small controlled doses of pain hit him full force, and Baekhyun gasped as he pressed his hand to his chest. His breathing was labored, and Kris called out to him concerned.

“Hey Baekhyun, are you okay?”

There was no reply.

“Baekhyun! Baekhyun!”

Finally, he could hear a quiet voice.

“Chanyeol.” He whispered. “What’s happened to Chanyeol?”

Kris felt the brunt of his guilt after hearing the broken man’s voice. Despite everything, Baekhyun clearly still loved Chanyeol. Kris had destroyed the relationship of two innocent people who loved each other more than anyone other than them could understand. Kris was wrong to think he was the same as the two. Tao had willingly cheated, while he had forced Chanyeol into a relationship. His and Tao’s love had faltered, their light had flickered out. However, Bakehyun and Chanyeol’s light was always bright. He had simply just flipped the switch and forced the light off. Closing his eyes in regret, he prayed that somehow he could turn the light back on.

He was audibly crying when he answered Baekhyun. “Chan can’t live without you. He never wanted me Baekhyun. I was black mailing him into sleeping with me. He always pleaded with me to leave him alone because he only ever loved you. He loves you so much.”

He managed to explain to Baekhyun in detail the history and true nature of his and Chanyeol’s affair. Once he was finished, Kris sobbed into the receiver and Baekhyun clenched his fists. So many times the question of why Chanyeol would have betrayed him passed through his mind. It used to make him sick thinking about it, so he did his best to tuck it away in the back of his mind. He never could come up with a satisfying enough answer anyways. Yet now, as he tightened his grip on his phone, Baekhyun could finally make sense of the tragedy that struck his marriage. His feelings towards Kris had until this point been categorized as jealousy and disdain, but after the truth had been revealed to him, Baekhyun felt a sense of rage that he never had before. He gritted his teeth.

“How could you? How could you destroy years of love and commitment like this? ARE YOU SOME KIND OF MONSTER?”

Kris continued to cry and repeat “I’m sorry” over and over again into the receiver.

Baekhyun scoffed. “You’re lucky I don’t report you for ual harassment. I don’t need you damn apologies. If you want to be a half decent person, then NEVER contact my husband or I ever again.”

Kris promised, but his words went unheard as Baekhyun had already hung up the phone.

~~~~~~~~~~~
 

Baekhyun had a choice to make and even though it seemed easy, it felt wrong for him to run straight back to Chanyeol. Although his husband had been coerced, he had cheated on Baekhyun. Baekhyun also felt awful that Chanyeol had been too scared to tell him in the first place. He questioned the state of their marriage as Chanyeol was more willing to allow Kris to continuously use him rather than just telling Baekhyun the truth.

Baekhyun sighed and rested his head in his palms. He didn’t know what the next best step to take would be. He knew for sure he loved Chanyeol and didn’t want to lose him but he also needed to make some changes so that he could protect his husband and ensure nothing like this ever happened again. After getting some plans made out, and setting up different meetings, Baekhyun figured it was time to go home to Chanyeol.

On his way back to their shared apartment, he noticed a flower shop and figured he could pick some up for his hubby. The door of the shop jingled when he walked in and he was greeted by a tall man with sharp eyes and dark hair. If it hadn’t been for the flowers messily strewn on his clothes and hair, this man would look like he belonged more in an action film than a flower shop. Baekhyun nodded when the man smiled brightly.

“Welcome to Han Flowers. My name is Zitao, how may I assist you today?”

So I went out of the original order I had planned but this is going to make the most sense with the ending I am going for. Also I know it's a bit ambiguous with Baekhyun near the end there, but everything will be explained in the ucoming chapters. Thank you everyone for your patience.