His Delicate Love

25

Annie stepped out of the stall, her heart pounding as she spotted Jane standing at the mirror, fixing her makeup. Jane's movements were slow and deliberate, her intense stare locked onto her reflection before she glanced at Annie. A smirk played at the corner of her lips.

"Hmmm," Jane hummed, her eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint. "I was wondering who was in here."

Annie's stomach tightened, and fear crept up her spine, but she swallowed it down. She kept her head low and quickly moved to wash her hands, her fingers trembling slightly as she tried to rush through the moment.

Jane turned to face her, leaning against the sink casually, her eyes full of pity, though her words were anything but kind. "I feel bad for you," she began, her voice dripping with insincerity. Annie's hands stilled under the running water, but she said nothing, focusing on keeping herself composed. "It must be hard," Jane continued, her voice almost sweet, "having someone who's constantly worrying and wondering where you are and what you're doing."

Annie clenched her jaw, her movements hurried as she finished washing her hands, but she could feel Jane's eyes burning into her, waiting for a reaction.

Jane's smirk widened. "He used to be obsessed with me like that," she said, her voice soft but cutting. "Back before he found you." Her words landed like a blow, and Annie's breath caught in her throat. She felt a wave of nausea rise within her as Jane went on, her tone venomous. "The way he touches you at night... is the same way he used to touch me. He's really good in bed, huh?"

Annie's vision blurred as tears welled up, her chest tightening with embarrassment and hurt. The humiliation was too much to bear, and she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks. Jane's smirk grew as she saw the effect her words were having, her cruel intentions clear.

Without another word, Annie turned and bolted from the restroom, her heart racing and her tears falling freely. She didn't go back to the field where everyone was enjoying the day. She didn't go to Killian, who would have calmed her down and reassured her. Instead, overwhelmed by the pain and shame of Jane's words, she ran—straight into the forest, where Killian had explicitly told her not to go.

The trees loomed around her as she fled deeper into the woods, the weight of Jane's words still heavy in her heart. She didn't know why she ran here, of all places, but all she knew was that she needed to be alone, far away from the humiliation, the stares, and the smirk that had followed her out of the restroom.

Annie's tears blurred her vision as she sprinted through the underbrush, her emotions consuming her. She barely noticed the unfamiliar path she was taking, nor the fact that she had wandered far beyond the safety of the pack's borders.

—————

Annie found a quiet spot deep in the forest, far from the laughter and joy of the field day, and collapsed onto a soft patch of grass. She wrapped her arms around herself, her chest tight as her sobs quietly escaped, each tear falling like a release for the mix of emotions brewing inside her. She tried to catch her breath, her heart aching as Jane's words replayed over and over in her mind.

*Why did she say that?* Annie thought bitterly, the jealousy and embarrassment twisting inside her. She wasn't usually one to compare herself to others, but Jane had a way of cutting into her deepest insecurities. The idea that Killian had touched Jane, that he had been with her in the same way, filled Annie with a strange mixture of shame and anger.

Annie's fingers dug into the grass, her mind racing. *How could I have let her get to me?* She thought about all the times Killian had told her he loved her, how he held her so tenderly, how he reassured her over and over again. But the doubt lingered like a shadow, whispering cruel thoughts into her mind.