Intertwined Souls

Chapter 29 (part 2)

Ann watched her, a complex mix of emotions swirling within her own heart. "Beth," she began, her voice soft but carrying an undercurrent of pain, "if you've moved on, if you love Jacob, if you're happy with your life... why are you clinging to these?" She gestured to the box, her eyes never leaving Beth's.

Beth's lips parted, but no words came out. She looked from Ann to the box and back again, trapped in the turmoil of her own feelings.

Ann's gaze hardened slightly, the frustration bubbling inside her. "Why do you do this?" she asked, her voice rising with emotion. "Why do you keep holding on to our past if you're so set on this path you've chosen with him?"

Beth flinched, the accusation stinging more than she expected. "Ann, it's not that simple," she murmured, her voice fraught with pain.

"It is, Beth!" Ann exclaimed, stepping closer, her heart pounding with a mix of anger and desperation. "It is that simple! You keep these remnants of us like they're sacred, but then you push me away like I'm a stranger!"

Beth's tears finally spilled over, tracing lines down her cheeks. "Because it hurts, Ann!" she cried out.

Ann's expression softened for a moment, the raw honesty in Beth's words piercing her heart. But then she steeled herself, the hurt turning into palpable frustration. "And what about me, Beth?" she asked, her voice breaking. "Do you think it doesn't hurt me?"

Beth looked up, her lips parting as if to say more, but no words came out.

"If it hurts you so much now, why didn't you fight for what we had? Or was it all just meaningless to you?" Ann's voice rose in a mix of sorrow and anger.

"Tell me, Beth. Why didn't you fight for us?" she demanded. "You let all of this happen. You let them marry you off like some... some prize to be won!"

Beth's pain turned to anger, a raw, fiery emotion that had been simmering under the surface. She stood up abruptly, pushing Ann away. "You think I didn't fight? You think I wanted any of this?" she shot back, her voice cracking. "You want to know why? You want the truth?" she yelled, tears streaming down her face.

Ann, stunned by Beth's reaction, stayed silent, her eyes wide and fixed on Beth.

Beth's hands trembled, her voice a mix of anger, despair, and heartbreak. "After you left for Germany, everything fell apart. My family... they found out about us," she began, her voice trembling.

Ann's eyes widened in shock, a cold dread settling in her heart.

"They found your letter," Beth continued, her voice breaking. "The one you wrote before you left... They read every word, Ann. My mother, my father, even Finn and Robin... They all knew."

Ann's face was one of sock. "Beth..."

Beth's anger gave way to a deep, soul-crushing sorrow. "They confronted me. There were shouts, tears, accusations. They called our love an abomination, a sin... They said I was bringing shame to our family."

Tears rolled down Ann's cheeks as she listened, her heart breaking with every word.

"I tried to defend us. I tried to explain how much I love you, how you're the only one for me. But they wouldn't listen," Beth said, her voice now a desperate whisper.

"They decided to marry me off to Jacob. They thought it would 'fix' me, erase the 'sin' I had brought into our family. They wanted to bury the truth under a layer of lies and appearances."

Ann kneeled beside her, her own tears mingling with Beth's. "I'm so sorry, Beth. If I had known, I would have come back sooner. I would have saved you."