I shove past Rafe, running out of the bathroom and towards Sarah, who is surprising very quick on her feet.
"Sarah, Sarah... wait" I finally catch up with her, my hand resting on her shoulder to stop her.
She spins around to meet me, a frown forming on her face. "Why didn't you tell me?"
I bite the inside of my cheek, unable to look her in the eye as I rock back and forth on my heels.
"I'm so sorry... we just wanted to figure some stuff out before we told anyone" I mutter, shame washing over my entire body.
She nods slowly, her expression slowly hardening as her gaze shifts to something behind me.
"You do anything to her Rafe, and I swear to god I won't hesitate to kill you" she sneers, pointing her finger at him.
I take a step to the side, watching Rafe's hands go up in defence while he not so subtly tries to hold back an amused smile.
I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to the blonde, placing a hand on her arm.
"Listen, I'm sorry for lying to you. That was shitty" I murmur quietly.
Her face softens as she looks back at me, a weak smile spreading over her lips. "It was shitty, but I can understand why you had too".
I reciprocate the smile, before her arms are wrapping around me, holding me in a tight hug.
"If he does anything to you... anything at all Annie" she whispers by my ear, making me chuckle and pull away to look at her.
"I know" I whisper back, making her smile widen.
I hear Rafe scoff from behind me, resulting in Sarah to roll his eyes as her brother walks off back into the dining room.
"You gonna tell jj?" She asks me in a hushed tone, my smile faltering slightly at her question.
"Not yet, but I will" I tell her, the sense of guilt making my face lose colour and my stomach drop.
"Tell me again why you're not with him instead?" She giggles, the both of us making our way back to the dining room too.
"Good question" I joke back.
I'm taken aback when I notice all eyes on us, more specifically all eyes on me, when we re-enter the room.
Me and Sarah share a look of complete puzzlement, her brows furrowing as she looks at everyone then back at me.
We go to sit down but before we can, Ward is standing from his seat.
"Actually Sarah honey, could you give us a minute?"
I'm now even more confused, and it seems like she is too. To add to the confusion, Rafe is refusing to even look in my direction, an unreadable expression etched on his face.
"What-" she begins, but Rose is already rising from her chair, urging Sarah to follow her.
She swiftly leads Sarah out, leaving me sat at the table with my Dad, Ward, and Rafe.
"What is going on?" I ask, my eyes narrowing suspiciously as I stare between the three men.
"Me and your father are just so thrilled about you and Rafe deciding to finally get back together" Ward exclaims in excitement, my eyes widening in disbelief.
"We aren't back-" I begin, but I'm almost immediately interrupted.
"Annie there's no point in lying now, Rafe told us" my Dad smiles at me.
My head snaps towards Rafe, my brows knitting together as I stare at him.
He's got a smug smile plastered over his face, as if he's patronising me without even uttering a word.
"I wouldn't even really consider it a breakup sir... I mean me and Annie were basically inseparable even after we split up" he tells my dad with the fakest smile I have ever seen.
My jaw goes slack at hearing him so effortlessly lie. There's no way they're actually believing this bullshit. Right?
"He's lying! I never saw him once!" I snap loudly, making Rafe chuckle.
"Sweetheart... my dad saw you here. There's no point in lying" his tone dripping in complete and total arrogance as he grins at me.
I almost choke on my own saliva, my throat going tight as my eyes feel like they're about to literally pop out of their sockets.
"He saw me once" I hiss at Rafe, his taunting smile only widening.
He shakes his head, his mouth creating a tutting sound at me, as if he's reprimanding a child for doing something wrong.
"What about all the times we met up in secret? Huh?" He speaks in a condescending tone.
That lying asshole!
I shift my gaze over at my dad, knowing that if I look at Rafe any longer I won't be able to stop myself from lunging over the table and slapping him.
"Dad... he's lying. We aren't back together, that never happened" I murmur, hoping that he, out of all people will believe me.
But my dad's eyes are cold, unloving and at this point, unfamiliar to me.
"Me and Ward want to discuss what future you and Rafe have" he essentially ignores my pleas, his stern demeanour not shifting even a little bit.
"Future?" I spit out angrily.
Ward sighs in frustration before looking over at me. "Annie. We have had this plan set up for practically years. Now this isn't going to change due to your lack of maturity and responsibility"
"Lack of maturity?" I chuckle dryly, jumping up from my seat. "If you seriously think you're going to marry me into this fucked up family with your psychotic son then you're insane!" I continue, feeling my heart beating at what feels like one million miles per hour.
"Annie!" My dad shouts, making me flinch slightly.
I notice Rafe isn't smiling anymore, his lips are sat in a tight line as he stares daggers at me.
"You... you are a coward. Mom would be so fucking disappointed in seeing what you've turned into" I sneer at my dad, pointing a shaky finger at him.
His eyes flash with anger, his pupils widening to the point where I'm unable to see the brown colour in his eyes anymore.
"Annie stop it" Rafe snarls, an obnoxious laugh escaping my lips just at the sound of his voice.
"Don't even get me started on you, you sadistic, lying asshole" I exclaim. Shoving the chair behind me as I storm out of the room.
As I rush down the hall, I'm reminded that dad drove me here, which doesn't exactly give me an easy escape plan.
Despite that, I find myself picking up my dad's car keys from the cabinet in the foyer. The rage burning through my veins completely controlling my actions at this point.
I hurry out the front door, making a hasty exit in my dad's car. The wheels screeching loudly as I drive towards the only place I want to be right now.
Or should I say, the only person I want to see right now.
I drive for a short while, noticing the sun has now completely set, the cut dimly lit by flickering street lights.
I can feel my phone buzzing nonstop on my lap, pinging and vibrating every other second.
I toss it onto the passenger seat, ignoring the masses of missed calls and texts I'm receiving.
I bring the car to a sharp halt once I've reached my destination, almost falling out of the seat from how quickly I'm fumbling to get out.
I knock lightly on the wooden door, waiting impatiently for an answer.
"Annie?" jj mumbles, his eyes roaming over my dress as he runs a hand through his tousled blonde hair.
"Where are the others?" I ask bluntly.
"Uhm they're out"
"Good" I mutter, leaving no time before my lips are connecting with his.
He hums into my mouth, kissing back momentarily before pulling away.
"What are you doing?" He whispers, staring into my eyes as his face sits barely an inch from mine.
"Shut up" I murmur, crashing my lips back onto his.
He groans softly, his hands finding their way to my waist as he holds me tightly, bringing my body flush against his.
I feel his hands roam from my waist to the back of my thighs, swiftly lifting me up so my legs are wrapped around his waist and my back is hitting the wall behind me.
Our tongues are invading each other's mouths hungrily, my fingers intertwining through his messy hair as he holds me firmly against the wall.
"They're going to be back soon" he whispers between kisses.
"We better be quick then" I tell him, making him smirk against my lips as he carries me through to a bedroom in the chateau.
I will have pleased half of you with the ending of this chapter, the other half, not so much😭😭
Love all your comments by the way!!! I do read all of them and try replying to as many as I can :))
I also cannot for the life of me decide who to make Annie's dad. I was thinking something like Hugh Jackman or someone like that. But do let me know :)