Unspoken Desire JenLisa AU

Chapter 21 (M)

Jennie was in the middle of organizing papers on her office table when the loud, jarring sound of her front door slamming reverberated through the house. She startled, her hands freezing mid-motion. Before she could even reach the door, Jisoo stormed into the living room, her face a mask of fury.

"Jennie," Jisoo barked, her voice trembling with anger.

"Jisoo?" Jennie's brow furrowed, confusion etched across her face. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Jisoo didn't waste a second. "What happened?" she echoed, her voice rising. "Chaeyoung happened! She came to my office today-late for work, no less-because she thinks I'm having an affair with Lisa. Lisa, Jennie!"

Jennie froze, the words sinking in like lead. Her mouth opened to respond, but no words came out.

"I defended myself," Jisoo continued, pacing furiously. "I told her I wasn't sleeping with her wife, but the fact that she's even thinking this way is because of you. You've dragged me into this mess, Jennie!"

"I didn't mean for that to happen," Jennie stammered, still in shock.

Jisoo stopped pacing and turned to face her, her eyes blazing. "Didn't mean for it to happen? Are you serious right now? You're having an affair with Chaeyoung's wife, Jennie. What did you think would happen? Did you think you could just play house with Lisa behind everyone's back and there'd be no consequences?"

Jennie's lips pressed into a thin line. She felt her stomach churn as guilt bubbled to the surface, but she shoved it down. "It's not that simple," she said quietly.

"Not that simple?" Jisoo's voice grew sharper. "It's wrong, Jennie. It's wrong legally, morally, and biblically. This isn't the Jennie I know-the Jennie who used to have integrity, who used to care about doing the right thing."

Those words hit Jennie like a slap to the face, but she refused to back down. "You don't understand," she said, her voice rising. "Lisa makes me happy. For the first time in my life, I feel complete. I'm not giving that up."

"Happy?" Jisoo's laugh was bitter, her eyes narrowing. "Are you happy hiding in the shadows? Not being able to go on proper dates, not being able to proudly claim the woman you love? Are you happy being her dirty little secret? Her second choice? Because that's what you are, Jennie-a mistress."

Jennie's chest tightened as her temper flared. "Yes!" she shouted. "If it means I get to be with Lisa, then yes, I'll take it. I don't care what people think. I love her, and that's all that matters."

Jisoo shook her head, her expression shifting from anger to sadness. "That's not love, Jennie. It's desperation. It's loneliness. And it hurts me to see you settling for scraps of affection when you deserve so much more."

Jennie clenched her fists, her breathing uneven as Jisoo's words struck her like knives. But Jisoo wasn't done. Her tone shifted, becoming sharper, cutting deeper.

"Is this all because of your past?" Jisoo asked, her voice cold. "Your parents abandoning you? The friends who used you? The love you think you didn't deserve from the parents who adopted you, only for you to blame yourself for their deaths?"

"Stop," Jennie whispered, but Jisoo kept going.

"Are you so scared of being alone that you've convinced yourself you're happy like this? You always told me you loved being alone, but was that just a lie you told yourself to cope? And now Lisa comes back into your life, and you're terrified she'll leave again, so you'll do anything to keep her-even if it means destroying Chaeyoung's life."

Jennie's jaw tightened as tears burned in her eyes.

"And let's talk about Chaeyoung," Jisoo continued, her voice like venom. "You're jealous of her, aren't you? She has the life you've always wanted-a loving family, real friends, and Lisa. And now you're taking it all away from her because you can't stand that she has what you don't."