Irene stood in front of a now wild Jackson, her eyes flashing in worry as she saw the dead look in his eyes, the fury embedded so deep that she shuddered in anticipation. He slammed her against the back on the car, his hands firmly holding her in place as she fidgeted. "Let go-" she was cut of by his fierce shout. "WHAT THE FUCK." He screamed. Her face suddenly losing colour as she looked up at him in fear. "Why were you with him?" He fired. She felt the tears come to her eyes, her mind trying to force them back in as away to not show the weakness, she felt his grip tighten. "Answer me." He demanded. Her mouth opened, no one sound following. "Oh I get it. It's because I'm with someone else...so this is pay back right?" He questioned slamming her against the car again, she winced, his fury becoming uncontainable. "No." She said, her eyes begging him to believe her. "Just when I thought you were different form the rest, you proved me wrong." She looked up at him struggling. "It hurts...please." She begged her eyes now unable to resist the unshed tears that flooded her eyes. She caught his eyes soften for a second but his grip remained firm.

He heard screams from behind him, Mark and Bambam ripping him off her, Mark standing in front of her as she looked at Jackson. "She's been fucking him." He spat, the vicious tone noted by them all. Irene held onto Mark. "I'm not..i-" "Stop lying." Jackson cut in as JB moved to hold him back. "Mark." She said tears falling from her eyes as he brought her into his chest, her hands clenched into fists as she sobbed uncontrollably. Mark's eyes flashed angrily up to Jackson's as he steered her away from him. Jackson was then pushed into the car by Jinyoung. "What the fuck." He screeched. Jackson shoved him back. "He kissed her, his hands were trailing all over her body and she-" Jinyoung cut him off, "And once again the great Jackson Wang arrives at a conclusion without looking into it. How do you know that they have had sex, you literally just accused your wife of being a hoe when she's been nothing but loyal to you, you accused her of infidelity when thats you Jackson...that's all you. Your the cheater. Not her." Jackson's eyes seemed to have calmed but Jinyoung was not done, "Did you not see the fear in her eyes? Clearly she's been dealing with a lot and instead of trying to at least act like a decent husband your here making her life hell. She doesn't need it. Hell she doesn't deserve it. Joy contacted me a few days back saying that Irene's being stalked." Jackson's eyes widened, his head lifting to  look in Jinyoung's eyes. Bambam handed Jinyoung the envelop "She's been dealing with all of this herself, he has been following her for months. He shot himself just to interact with her." He paused ripping his phone out and forcing Jackson to watch what his wife had been suffering. "I didn't know." "Of course you didn't because you don't give a shit about her. You never have and that's fine, I'm sure she's come to terms with the fact that her husband isn't actually hers." "She should have told me." He insisted. "Why would she tell someone she doesn't trust? All you have done is rip the image and perception she had off you to shreds, all the trust has been smashed Jackson why would she come to you for protection when you have failed at protecting her heart? You broke it further, and she...she's sat and endured everything, but what you just did...I'm starting to question where the hell my best friend is because this man in front of me isn't him. Pass the message onto the real Jackson Wang." He said walking away after Mark and Irene, Bambam giving him a look showing he was equally pissed, he huffed following as JB squeezed Jackson's shoulder. "You know what you need to fix bro. Don't let her suffer anymore. She doesn't deserve it." JB offered him a smile, as him, yugyeom and Youngjae began to walk inside the hospital. Yugyeom turned. "Are you coming in?" He asked. "In a bit." He replied, turning away to collect himself. He looked around, tears blurring his vision in hate at himself. How could he do that. Jinyoung was right, this wasn't him, hell he didn't know who this untameable beast was. His mind replayed the look in her eyes torturing him further as he kicked the car, his eyes red with his own tears. He slid down the car his head dropping into his arms as he cried. He had always suffered from depression, it was something that the army life brought with it. Seeing Jin gave him memories that suffocated him, that put him on edge and he hated it with every fibre in his body. Seeing Irene with him, it triggered those dark thoughts and feelings he had always run from. He wasn't always like this. He wasn't like this. He was a good human being, his heart always in the right place but why couldn't it be in the right place with her. With Irene. All he did was hurt her, all the time. His head fell back against the metal. He needed to stop hurting her. He needed to stop hurting himself through her. Because as much as he tried to deny it he knew...he knew he had developed feelings. Feelings that he had from when they first met, feelings that were now completely out his control.

He allowed his feet to carry him inside the hospital, going where she was sat with Mark. She looked up at him for a fraction of a second, her eyes displaying the numbness that made him shudder. "I'm not sleeping with him." She said, her voice hoarse as she looked at Mark. Jinyoung placed a hand on her shoulder. "We know irene, we got the footage. But you need to tell us what's going on." She sighed as Mark handed her a cup of water, Wendy running in, her eyes meeting marks, she brought Irene into her arms holding her tightly. "I told you to tell the police." She scolded her, the boys looking at each other. Irene sighed, leaning back. "It wasn't supposed to get like this." She said, Jackson studying the way her hands fiddled with each other. He couldn't find his voice. He couldn't bring himself to the realisation that he kept letting her down. "He shot himself to make sure that I treated him. He tried to flirt, asked me out on dates, but I kept shutting him down until he pinned me to the wall and started to kiss me, he kept saying things like he would take me right against the wall-" they all heard the sharp intake of breath that Jackson took, the boys turning to him. "I managed to free myself and it was fine, I gave him a warning a bit of a punch and kick and then left...but he kept coming back, walking around the hospital pulling me into rooms and the other day he tried to and he was adamant to get me. Saying that his urges needed to be fulfilled...I got lucky when Bogum came in, he saved me and Jin ran...I told security, I told the chief and they said they would keep an eye on things, but he's too quick, he managed to slip by them without being noticed or he leads them astray and he always gets what he wants." She finished, her eyes cast down as Wendy pulled her back to her embrace, her and Mark comforting her in the best way that they could. She shrugged their arms of her moments later standing. "Irene..." Wendy called out. "Irene the chief wants to speak with you." Another nurse called. Jackson watched her head fall back, her pager going off simultaneously, she turned to Wendy "can you take the trauma for me, I'll be there when I'm done with the chief." Wendy nodded, passing one look to mark before walking off, Irene heading in the other direction.

She knocked on the door entering with the fakest smile she could manage, her heart thumping, and her hands callous. "Ahhh Irene...come in." She heard him say. She took a seat as she turned looking at her rival in this hospital, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This woman was the epitome of petty. Tiffany.Her name was just as much of a disaster. She gave Irene that smile that had her getting agitated, and she knew in her heart that her day was about to get ten times worse. "Ah so irene..." the chief begun going over the first half of the interview and giving them feedback, he alternated between the two. Irene felt her mind slip back, back to a time when her and Tiffany were actually friends. She made Irene's life a living hell, using her to her advantage, gaining insight into her weaknesses and then using those same things against her. She destroyed their friendship in seconds yet Irene never tried to disrupt her image in the mind of anyone else's. She knew who Tiffany truly was and that was enough. A strong woman doesn't need to tear other woman apart to make herself look good, she does that by being herself. Irene's thoughts were interrupted with a call from reality. "And whilst you did good irene I think Tiffany should get this." Her heart stopped, years of preparation going in the bin, her dream role suddenly a thousand miles away. "You literally just said she got all the answers wrong and you want to give the role to her?" She asked, her eyes flickering to the smirk on Tiffany's face. She stood shaking her head, she turned to Tiffany. "Congrats." She offered before giving  a snide look to the chief, storming out moments later.

The boys watched as she stormed down the corridors, pushing the door to the room open with such a force that they knew something had happened. Hell they could see it in her eye. Jackson's arms crossed over his broad chest watching as she lost her composure, she was screaming at the nurses to do their job, she was flipping out every three seconds and she almost lost the patient until reality set in, her features draining, the composure back on as she managed just in time to get this back on track. He watched as Wendy cast her a worried look, he watched as she uttered what seemed like an apology to those around her head bowing before rushing out, back into the corridor and down it. He pushed himself off the wall, the boys watching the remorse and guilt flood from his eyes as he followed her, his footsteps gaining momentum as he did, the boys knowing that their best friend, their leader was back to being the true Jackson Wang.

Jackson stood a few steps away, watching her. She cried bitterly a text book in her hand as she spoke incoherently, and it dawned on him in that moment that the interview she prepared so hard for had gone to waste. Her constant work ethic was fruitless, and he could tell she was more fed up or rather upset about what she had sacrificed in the process of preparation, her time, her health, herself. He may act like he didn't know her, like he was estranged to her but those lies were the greatest he had ever told. He saw her heart on a daily, he spent months observing her and he knew her. He knew his wife. He watched as she threw the textbook into the wall across from her, her head dropping into her hands as she cursed and sobbed and gripped her hair. He took a hesitant step forward but stopped himself. His eyes full of concern. Wendy coming up next to him, watching with him in silence. His foot taking another step forward only to be stopped by Wendy this time. "Let her be like this. Let her fight this herself. It will make her stronger and by tomorrow you won't see that pain. She's strong Jackson, she holds the weight of so many worlds that this is nothing. She needs to get through this alone. Let her cry. Let her be alone." She squeezed his shoulder. "Why aren't you mad at me?" He asked her. She gave him a small smile. "Because I barely know you...everyone has their own demons Jackson who am I to judge you for that. She's strong, and I know that the pain you are causing her is not intentional. Your just as scared as she is when it comes to loving someone. The difference is, is that for once she's not the one pushing that person away. And maybe that's her karma or gods way of teaching her that love is beautiful and needs to be felt. I'm angry that my best friend gets hurt continuously but deep down as sadistic as it may sound I know that she knows nothing but pain to the point she accepts  it and greets it like a friend. Her expectations have always been low. If anyone put the belief in her head that you would be different that was me, I made her believe in something unrealistic. Her perception on life is accurate and I shouldn't have tried to meddle with that." Jackson's eyes moved away from Irene's form to look at Wendy. "You just wanted her to be happy, that's not wrong Wendy." He established. "No it wasn't..." she paused "Shes given so much up already Jackson, and I'm not sure what else she has left to give but her life and that thought scares me. Maybe I was selfish wanting her happiness because I know if she falls any further she won't hesitate to end it..." Jacksons eyes flashed up to meet Wendy's. "There's a lot you don't know about...and it's her story to tell not mine. But please as a friend, don't let her hurt anymore. Change my perception that I didn't do the right thing and change hers too." She said offering him a tight smile and a pat on the back. As she turned she looked behind him at Irene. "Let her pick up the pieces and hand them to you. That's the ultimate sign of her trust." she said "she did and I broke them into more pieces." He said back, Wendy turned to him. "Then all you can do is wait and prove that your there for her until she's ready." She said walking away. Jackson turned back to watch her, the sobs now easing, the cries relaxing and her shivering halting. And he knew that the battle scars she wore were far deeper than he had predicted. He turned around walking away his heart relaxing at the now almost inaudible sounds of his wife's cries.

Irene reached home hours after she watched Jackson leave with the boys. She busied herself with her work until her shift was over, offering half hearted goodbyes to her friends before leaving. She walked through the door, hearing sizzling coming from the kitchen her heart skipping a beat watching him, his back towards her, his music playing as he did. She dropped her bag with a thud, her feet carrying her quickly towards him, her arms wrapping around his front and her head resting on his broad back. She felt him stiffen before relaxing, his hands holding hers as she slumped against him. There were no words, no looks, no nothing. Just silent comfort. They didn't talk about that again. She moved as quickly as she came returning to the confinement's of her room before deciding to sit in the lounge area that neither of them had used together. He called her name softly signalling food was ready, her scent filled with the luscious meal he had prepared. They sat down opposite from each other. "I'm leaving." She heard him say, her hands clenching the cutlery tightly, her eyes focusing on the food. "The man who keeps coming for you..Jin. He's the one that shot me that night." He watched her eyes shoot up to his. "He doesn't know I'm married and so i can't understand why he's targeting you...but...he's left the country for six months. Meaning he won't bother you and-" "And your going after him for six months." She finished, her voice dead. "Yeah." He breathed. He watched her nod. "Okay." She said chewing on the noodles. He watched as she continued to eat in silence his eyes falling down to focus on his own food. "I'm sorry." He finally said, his voice cracking, finally showcasing the vulnerability he had been running from. "I shouldn't have accused you and acted the way I did. Seeing Jin-" "You don't need to explain. I understand, he meant a lot to you at one point and seeing him again with your supposed wife...you jumped to conclusions like most people would. We are human, we sometimes have lapse in our judgment, it's fine." She said, sipping on her drink. "I really hurt you." She finally looked at him. "Yes you have. You have been. But your not the first and I know you won't be the last." She raked the fork through her food. "I'm sorry." He said again. "I don't know why I keep doing this to you. Every time I say I'm going to be better I end up cutting you deeper and I'm sorry. I don't want to..I just." She looked at him. "I'm not holding it against you Jackson. I've told you before and I'll tell you again. You owe me nothing. I don't mean anything to you, so you don't need to apologise to a stranger." She stood up taking her dishes to the sink, washing them in silence. She dried her hands on the towel, walking away moments later, his eyes following her form. She turned around "Stay safe." She said offering him a smile. "Irene." He called out. He stood up, walking towards her. "please contact me if something like this happens again. Please." He begged. She heard in her voice, and it made her wounded  heart smile. She looked at him with a nod in affirmation. She gave him one last look before walking away.

TBC

Authors note:
@Schi99y as promised 😊

Heyyyyyyyy. Hope you enjoy this update, let me know what you think about this one. Lots of love and best wishes to you all and stay safe x