Chapter 14

Jangmi opened her eyes and was greeted by a blinding light. She lifted her left arm to shield her eyes from the light and tried to adjust her vision by blinking a few times and rubbing her eyes lightly. She felt a weight on her right arm and looked down to see someone's head resting on the edge of the bed as he was sitting on the chair. She furrowed her eyebrows when she recognized him. She pulled her arm away, jerking him awake and he widened his eyes when he saw her eyes looking into his. 

"Jangmi-ah." He lifted his from the chair and went closer to her. His eyes watered as his still heart felt relief when he saw her opened eyes. He reached his right hand out to her face, attempting to caress her cheek but she slapped his hand away, making him widened his eyes in shock before it was replaced with hurt. Jangmi brought her hands up to her chest when she felt it aching, but that movement made him agitated. 

"What's wrong? Does it hurt?" He asked and Jangmi turned to look at him, wondering why he was overreacting when he was the one who rejected her. Jangmi put her hands down and pushed herself to sit upright, she froze as soon as he touched her shoulders to help her. Her chest started aching even more and she forced herself to bear with the pain. Why was her chest aching so badly?  

"Get your hands off me." Jangmi said, looking at Jungkook in the eyes. Her voice raspy since she hadn't drank water for weeks. Jungkook looked hurt by Jangmi's words but did nothing to lift his hands off her. He was afraid that if he did, she would fall back on the bed and hurt herself. It sounded stupid but it was just for safety precautions, he didn't let go of her shoulders. Jangmi noticed this and decided to put things in her own hands. As soon as she felt her weight on her , she slapped his arms away and glared at him for touching her. He had no rights to. 

Ignoring the pained look he was giving her, her attention shifted to the door when it slammed open, revealing a woman rushing into the room and Jangmi widened her eyes in surprise at that sudden intrusion. "Jangmi-ah..." The woman whispered, her voice sounded like she was relieved. Jangmi looked at the woman in confusion, not knowing who the hell she was to barge into her room like that. Her eyes shifted to the man beside her who was supporting the woman. The man gave Jangmi a warm smile, relief flashing through his eyes and Jangmi blinked in confusion, not knowing who he was either.

A familiar figure revealed himself behind the couple and Jangmi froze at the familiar face. "Jangmi-ah..." He called out so softly that it made Jangmi's hair stand. Her nightmare was back as she unconsciously pressed her back against the bedframe, attempting to move back but she knew that it was a rather dumb move. She wasn't going anywhere. Her eyes were wide in fear as she stared into his eyes. 

"I'm so sorry." He said, his eyes soft. She looked at the girl beside him and saw that she was the girl from last time. His mate. 

What was going on? 

Her body was trembling as she looked back and forth between the two couples. "Jangmi-ah, don't be frightened. Please." The woman said, her voice sounded so soft and it sounded like the tone her late mother would use on her whenever she felt frightened. The woman looked slightly hurt and Jangmi frowned in confusion, not knowing what she did to hurt the woman. But what she did know was that her supposedly missing brother was standing beside the woman with his supposedly missing mate, and it terrified her.

"Calm down Jangmi-ah." Jungkook's voice reached her ears and it did nothing to calm her down. In fact, her chest started aching even more that she had to gasp for air. She bent down and clutched her chest in pain. She heard her name being called out but she was too caught up with the pain to respond. She felt a tingling feeling surrounding her body as she remembered what happened to her. What was done to her at the dungeon. The brands, the whippings and the beatings that she received for not answering the questions that had been repeatedly asked. 

Tears stung her eyes as she recalled the physical torture she had been through. She didn't hold back the tears as she clutched her chest, feeling as though the rod was still stuck inside her. She literally felt it plunged right through her heart and the pain that came with it. Jangmi unconsciously let out a cry as the scene of the rod plunging into her chest was repeatedly played in her mind. 

"Calm down, Jangmi-ah." She felt a pair of cold arms embraced her from the back but she was nowhere near calm. She forced herself free from the embrace and panted. Her body trembling in fear as she looked at the scars on her forearms. The brands that would be there for as long as she would live. The ugly scars that she had to see every day from now on, reminding her of the pain that she had to go through just because of something called fate. She suddenly remembered the man's words, 'you're the daughter of a sorceress'. She looked up from her forearms and met eyes with the woman who had tears in her eyes.

The woman gave a small nod, her lips trying hard to give a smile but it was near impossible. It ended up being a crooked smile and that was when Jangmi realized that the woman could read minds. She had been responding to Jangmi's thoughts and Jangmi clenched her fist that was resting on her lap. Her trembling was slowly subsiding as she tried her best to wrap her mind around things.

"Are you... Okay now?" Her brother asked cautiously and Jangmi looked up at him. She didn't respond him and made a move to get off the bed but Jungkook stopped her. 

"You need rest." Jungkook said, his voice soft, it was as if he was talking to a crying child. Well, he wasn't wrong. Jangmi was crying inside. She was crying so badly on the inside that she w