NEVER LET GO [Discontinued]

41 - Too perfect

The tension between Jackson and Irene had been building for days, ever since Jackson started digging into her family background. Tonight, it finally came to a boiling point.

Jackson pissed of sitting on couch, his eyes flashing with anger. "So, you planned it all? Taeil's accident-Jimin and J-Hope being pulled into this mess? You did it without telling me?"

Irene sat calmly on the bed, her eyes following him lazily as he ranted. "I had to make the decision, Jackson. You were too busy investigating everything else."

Jackson, glaring at her. "Too busy? Or maybe I didn't want to be part of something like that. You went behind my back, Irene!"

She shrugged, unbothered. "And? It had to be done."

Jackson's frustration boiled over. "You're out of your mind. You're really out of your goddamn mind. This is exactly why I started digging into your family."

Irene's eyes narrowed slightly. "What are you implying?"

Jackson folded his arms, his tone dropping to something more serious, more accusatory. "I found out about your family's history. You've got witch blood, don't you? Your grandmother, your ancestors... all involved in something. Dark stuff."

Irene raised her eyebrows, pretending to be amused, but her smile was cold. "Oh? Are you dump? accusing me of being a witch now?"

Jackson's jaw clenched, his mind swirling with the revelations of the past week. "You think I'm stupid? You think I didn't notice how things started changing the moment we got married? The way you control everything, the way you get into my head."

Irene let out a laugh, but it lacked humor. "Jackson, you're so dumb. I didn't need any witchcraft to get close to you. I just smiled and talked sweet, and you fell for it like the idiot you are."

Jackson stared at her, seething. "So that's what this is? You used some power to get me to marry you?"

Irene rolled her eyes. "Please, stop being so dramatic. If I had any real powers, I would've made you smarter."

Jackson's face hardened. "Move. Get off my side of the bed."

Irene, still lounging, didn't even flinch. "Or what?"

Jackson grabbed the nearest thing within reach-her necklace from the bedside table-and, without a second thought, marched over to the window, throwing it out into the night.

Irene shot up from the bed, her calm demeanor snapping in an instant. "You bastard! What the hell are you doing?!" pulling his hair in frustration.

Jackson groaned, trying to push her off. "You crazy-"

"You threw my necklace out the window! You're insane!". They wrestled for a moment, each one of them grabbing and pulling at the other.

"Move off bitch!" Jackson shouted, his patience wearing thin.

Irene smirked and, without hesitation, flopped back down onto his side of the bed, staring up at him with a challenge in her eyes.

Jackson growled, clearly done with the entire situation. "I'm done with you, I'm sleeping on the couch."

Irene glared at him, breathing heavily. "Go ahead. Sleep on the couch if you want. But if you do, you're not coming back to this bed anytime soon."

Jackson rolled his eyes, done with the fight. "Fine by me. I'd rather sleep on the floor."

"Suit yourself," Irene snapped, sitting back on the bed, arms crossed.

"No wonder everyone calls you a witch, bitch" Jackson snapped, storming out of the bedroom without waiting for Irene's response.

He descended the stairs, his mind racing from the argument, but when he reached the living room, he stopped in his tracks. Jungkook was sprawled out on the couch, watching TV, completely unbothered.

Jackson sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. "Seriously? Why are you here?"

Jungkook glanced at him, smirking. "Ah, I see. You've been kicked out too, huh?"

"I wasn't kicked out. I left willingly," Jackson corrected, clearly agitated.

Jungkook chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, that's what I thought at first too. I've been here for three days now because I 'chose' to sleep on the couch one night. Take it from me, Hyung, go back before she permanently kicks you out. You think you're leaving on your terms, but trust me, it gets worse."

Jackson looked at him incredulously. "Three days?"

Jungkook nodded. "Three days. Once they get comfortable without you, good luck getting back in."

Jackson sat down on the couch next to Jungkook, feeling like a ghost, the weight of Jungkook's words sinking in.

"Go back, Hyung. If you want to live," Jungkook teased, but there was a seriousness to his tone.

Jackson sat in silence, contemplating his next move, when the sound of light footsteps echoed through the hallway. Suga appeared from Jimin's room, moving stealthily as if he were on a secret mission. He had no idea how to praise Jimin for making the effort to patch things up between them, especially since he was now allowed to stay late without any drama.

As Suga reached the living room, he nearly tripped over the mess of Jackson and Jungkook sprawled out on the couch, popcorn scattered everywhere and a blanket half-tangled around them.

"Wow, what a sight," Suga remarked, crossing his arms. "What are you two doing here?"

"Just enjoying a cozy night," Jackson replied, trying to brush it off.

Suga raised an eyebrow, teasing. "Kicked out, huh?"

Jungkook leaned back, munching on popcorn. "How do you know, Hyung?"

Jackson shot suga a glare. "Because he's been kicked out for two years now."

Suga rolled his eyes, clearly enjoying the banter. "Right. Move over." He plopped down on the other sofa, joining them to watch TV.

As they settled in, Jungkook eventually dozed off, flopping onto Jackson's shoulder.

Suga glanced at Jackson. "Seriously, dude, are you in trouble?"

Jackson sighed, feeling the weight of the situation. "Ahhh, her antics are hard to manage." He couldn't help but let a slight smile escape.

Suga smirked. "Don't tell me something cheesy. Your expression says it all."

Jackson shook his head, leaning back. "More like a headache."

Suddenly Suga sat up straight, his brows furrowed. "I feel something weird."

Jackson shot him a look. They rarely discussed anything emotional. "What are you talking about?"

Suga leaned back, crossing his arms. "Everything is going way too calm. Jimin is letting me back into his life, and I can't shake the feeling that something's about to happen. I feel like I'm suffocating."

"Can you stop being so negative?" Jackson replied, shaking his head. "Just go to sleep. Don't go back home this late. We'll crash here." He laid the sleeping Jungkook on the sofa, adjusting the blanket over him.

Suga watched as Jackson moved to the other end of the couch, the tension in the room easing slightly. "You think I'm being dramatic?" Suga asked, his voice quieter now.

Jackson sighed, shaking his head again. "It's not that. But you're always overthinking things. Just let it be."

Suga nodded slowly, still feeling the weight of unease. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

Jackson smirked, trying to lighten the mood. "Just remember, if anything goes wrong, I'll be the first to bail you and jimin out."

Suga nodds with a small smile, but the worry still lingered in his eyes.