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3rd POV
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Someone was talking somewhere close to me, but my mind had drifted away from my body and gotten lost in the memory of the previous night.
Why?
Why did it feel like I was around Jack when Zack was close?
Why did my heart feel sad when I saw the stab wound on Zack?
Why did my soul feel uneasy since Jack showed up?

Was the change between the two related to the brain surgery Zack had undergone?

Luke still couldn't tell what kind of surgery it was, but a voice inside me was quietly warning me against the man I called Jack. It was insane given that Jack had never harmed me, not even once. He had raised and loved me wholly.
Even though our relationship had been full of so much evolution and drama, I always knew there was someone I could call...home.

We had both made a lot of mistakes, but we had forgiven each other in the end.
Yet the wave coming our way this time felt different.

*Snap-snap*
"Annie? Are you listening?" Luke asked snapping his fingers before my eyes.

"Huh?"

"Jesus!" He breathed, sounding a bit frustrated. "Pay a little attention."

"I'm sorry."
I picked up the cup of warm tea on the table standing between us.

Luke had asked me out to talk about Patricia and Abel. But my thoughts had been consumed by the puzzle I was trying to solve.
Maybe I was just being paranoid and there was nothing wrong with Jack. He'd come out of whatever phase he was dealing with. He always won.

Taking a sip and glancing at Luke past the rim of the cup, I asked, "Is she getting better now?"

Luke shook his head, a grim expression dawning on his face. He breathed a sigh, conveying his disappointment in life or the lack of powerful medical science.
"If I'm being honest, she may never come out of her delusional world. There is a limit to our resources."

The news was sad despite her being my rival and nemesis. Poor Abel. He'd grow up without a mom.

"Has Jack reached out about her?" I asked, easing the thick gloomy air between us.

"Nope!" Luke answered playing with the rim of his cup.
He lifted his gaze at me and frowned. "You didn't look happy. I thought you would be-"

"I'm fine," I lied, smiling. "Just that work has been-"

"You don't have to lie to me, Annie. I'm a doctor, I learn a lot by simply observing." He picked up his cup but put it down again midway. "You can always talk to me. I'm a neutral party."

I subconsciously laughed at his words.
"Neutral?" I echoed still laughing.
This drew the attention of the couple sitting in the booth on the other side of the aisle. But they didn't linger their eyes on us for long.

"What's funny?"

"You are. You don't like Jack, so how can you say you're neutral?"

"I'm serious. Don't keep things to yourself. Don't hold in any negative emotion. Remember, you are now living for the both of you."

His seriousness erased the smile from my lips.
I dropped my eyes on the table, a tint of shame attacking my heart. I was going to be a mom soon, yet I wasn't taking better care of my body.

"He feels different. He seems to avoid me when I ask about the events that happened during his missing time. I don't know what to think of it."

Luke sighed.
"Seems like he's going to be a problem."

"I woke up today and he...he was gone."

My gaze was fixed on the still tea in my cup. It was comforting to look at it. I did not want to see the pity or sympathy in Luke's eyes.
"Where did he go?"

"I...I haven't called him. If he wanted me to know he'd have told me."

"Mm... So, you two didn't spend the night together?"

I shook my head.
"Zack was badly hurt. I went to clean up his wounds. I don't want him to die before revealing the truth about what happened to Jack."

"Jack hurt him?"

I nodded.
"Not that I care if he kills or tortures him, I'm only after the truth."

Luke suddenly chuckled. "That's the Annie I know. A tough woman to go against."

The rest of our meeting was spent discussing Sara's issue. The microchip in her brain and her cluelessness in all of it.
It made me only drown in more thoughts like why she had shown up alongside Zack and what their true relationship was.
Luke informed me that Zack may have memory loss since they had run a test to detect whether he was lying and the results were negative.

Gawd!
I felt so helpless in everything.
Reminding me just how dependable Jack was.
He always had a solution to any problem and never hesitated to ease my burden.

But this time, the problem was related to him. I had to solve it myself.

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I quickened my pace and almost burst right into my office. They said Jack was here. And that, made me nervous as hell.
I could feel my fingertips tingle as the excitement and anxiety brewed inside me.

"Ja-" I cried, overwhelmed by emotions, but the sight of Jack standing next to a woman instantly killed the joy.

It was her. The same woman from the other night.
She was wearing a charming yellow dress that showed off her legs. From the visible nipple shape, one could tell she had no bra underneath.

My heart immediately shuttered before the pieces fell into the pit of my stomach painfully.

"Annie, good you're here. Come on, let me introduce you two," Jack beckoned smiling.
The expectancy shimmering in his eyes left me clueless. Or was it from the sunlight coming from outside?

'Pull yourself together. Don't let them see your weakness.'
As my inner voice advised, I pulled out a friendly smile and walked over to them.

Jack immediately pulled me to his side and tucked me safely under his arm. "Lilith, this is Annie. The one I told you about..." He then turned his face down at me, "Annie, this is Lilith. She rescued me after I was deeply wounded during the war. She has been protecting me all this time."

"Tsk!" Lilith rolled her eyes displeased. "She doesn't look like much."

"Lilith!" Jack barked, scaring the soul out of my body for a millisecond. "She's my woman. I already told you from the start that I only belong to her."

Her fierce glare fell on me. It felt as if I was being observed under a microscope, making me a vulnerable specimen.
"I'm not one to back down easily Annie. I love Jack, I won't lie to you. So be prepared for a fight. He's mine. I found him after you abandoned him."

"Abandoned him?" I frowned crossed.

She took a step closer, before throwing herself at Jack. Her arms circled his neck and her soft-looking chest was pressed firmly against his.
The lack of shame from her was mind-blowing if I was being honest. But Jack doing nothing about such a disgusting thing was beyond shocking.

He just stood there with me still spooned to his side as another woman claimed him in front of me.

For a moment, I thought I saw a grin on his lips, but maybe I had imagined it.
Lilith pushed herself up while her hands pulled Jack's head down. And without a care in the world, she kissed him.

My jaw dropped to the floor.
My eyes popped out, a breath away from fully escaping their sockets.
And my heart did stop for a moment, or so it felt.

He wasn't kissing back, but he wasn't pushing her away either. And why were his eyes shut? Was he enjoying it?

I stumbled backward, freeing myself from his hold just as tears made their way out of my eyes.
Only when I moved did Jack regain himself. He pushed Lilith away gently by wrapping his hand on her neck.

No, that was our thing, Jack.

Lilith laughed glaring at him in a sexy manner. "You want to punish me for badmouthing her like before, hm?" She dared him. "Should I strip and bend over at this desk?"

"Shut up!" Jack bellowed shoving her aside.
Her body tumbled over on the desk, knocking to the floor a glass of water.

"Yeeeesss! This is the real you. You violent hot bastard. Come on, slap the shit out of me like you did and then shove it inside me-"

"I said shut up!"
*Smack*

He actually slapped her.

No, I couldn't take it anymore. My heart was racing more than it should.
Any second, the watch would trigger the alarm, and my security detail would storm in.
It would be so shameful and embarrassing to have them witness such a scene.

As the two argued, I forced my body to cooperate and leave the room.
Just as my hand was reaching for the handle, I was spun around and pushed against the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Jack hissed, a dangerous fire burning in his eyes.