Separating gently from Cameron, Sharon ignored the chills running down her spine. Their presence was not unexpected. She had an inkling that their delay was due to this. But as she stood there, unable to move, she realised she'd misjudged their hold on her. Because no matter how much she wanted, no matter how her brain signalled her muscles and limbs, they didn’t move. Not a quiver, not a shiver.

Frustration pounded at her. This isn't the place to show any weakness. They would pounce on any crack and maul her until they're bored with her. No, not today. Both her pride and sense of survival told her to face them. She had to be prepared, see where the attack was coming from in order to defend from it.

But no matter how much she told herself to move, why was it still so difficult?

Tears gathered in her eyes at the sense of hopelessness. As much as Cameron's words last night had been a revelation, no matter how much strength she drew from them, it wasn't enough. This was something else. One night wasn't enough to erase years of indoctrination. Her fear of them was too great, the wound too raw to face another beating. And there was no illusions that this was going to be another beating. They wouldn't come here otherwise.

“What are you doing here?”Cameron growled, his arms coming around her shoulders and pulling her into his body. Warmth filled her. It was as if he was sheltering her from them. That brought her out of her shock and her body finally obeyed her commands. But before turning to face them, her hand came up and touched his heart, to get some strength.

This ambush was affecting her so much. She was trembling so hard that her hand was visibly shaking. The moment she touched him, though, it stopped. It felt like a connection between them was established, clicking into place that very moment. It was a lifeline between them, a direct line from him to her at which she could draw comfort and resolve.  She could feel all of that transmitting to her, bolstering her, making her feel she could face anything. He was like a stoic bulwark, ready to stand at her back. 

“Oh, look at her dog, baring his teeth at us,”Jasmine sneered, making weak growling sounds. That returned her back to the present. "He’s all brawn but no brain. Right, girls?” The group that came with her laughed. Sharon recognised those laughter. She would know them anywhere. And just like that, they were chasing away the warmth Cameron had given her. They were the same group that had trapped her inside her mother’s house. And they scared her.

She could handle her mother and Jasmine. They were bad but manageable. But these bunch was ruthless. They took one comment and made it worse. They reminded her of a pack of wolves, circling around weakened prey, looking for the moment of weakness to swoop down and give the final blow. The blow that ended it all. 

“You know, I had such high hopes for him but maybe it's true that all football guys are idiots,”one of the wolves said snidely, making the group laugh again. For a moment, all Sharon heard was white noise. She knew the group was throwing insults left and right. But she couldn’t believe that they had just said that. 

Rage flowed through her. It was fine when it was just her. Barely batting an eye when they threw turned on her, she was ready to tear their heads off right now. How dare they went to attack Cameron? It doesn't matter that he didn't care. She cared. If he wasn't holding onto her, she would be on them before they could even laugh. 

Turning resolutely in his embrace, she resisted his strength. He was telling her to hide, his protectiveness riding high. But she had been weak long enough. Now wasn’t the time to cower. They came here for her. It wasn’t fair on him to take the brunt of their attack. And she refused to let him baby her anymore.

“Jasmine, enough is enough- Why are you dressed like that? Are you from your wedding?” Sharon had to stop short when her eyes landed on her former best friend. She had to blink a couple of times, testing her eyesight. Was she really seeing what she was seeing?

Notwithstanding her ugly expression, Jasmine was decked out in a wedding gown. With her face flawlessly made up and a veil pinned to her hair  she looked beautiful. And the group of wolves around her were obviously in their bridesmaid dresses. A beautiful pastel peach color that went well with the late summer feel. Clearly, this wasn’t a rehearsal. Unsurprisingly, there was also the owner of the bed and breakfast among them.

"What are you doing here?”

“Seeing you off,”she sneered but there was a bit of uncertainty there. Sharon wasn’t surprised. Jasmine tended not to think her actions through. Clearly, this wasn't a good idea. What about her husband and guests? But with her flying at the seat of her pants, she must've not considered that. The bunch around her obviously wasn't helping.

“Your wedding is today and you just had to come? Wow, priorities,”Sharon returned drily. The trembling behind her made her look up. Cameron was covering his mouth and looking away, trying to hold back his laughter. But he failed miserably when a few chuckles escaped him.

“Don’t you feel honored?” Jasmine was trying to recover the higher ground by sounding supercilious but the uncertainty in her voice didn't help. Sharon had a hard time trying not to roll her eyes. But she couldn't help ripping into her.

“Of course not. I feel sorry for your husband. This should be a big day for the two of you but his wife still can’t get over this relationship that ended months ago. She even dragged him all the way to New York just so she could rub it into my face while he spent thousands of dollars more to appease her gaudy standards.”

“Sharon! Manners,”her mother interjected when Jasmine looked ready to explode. Sharon couldn’t believe her mother was saying that to her. Her mother had been so lacking in manners just yesterday. Rolling her eyes, Cameron caught hers and his eyes mirrored her incredulity. It comforted her to know that she wasn’t alone.

“I’m sorry, old lady. You don’t have a leg to stand on here. I think you’re the last person to lecture me on my manners,"she couldn't help but say. Then she just had enough and grabbed Cameron's hand. "We have to leave now. Have a good wedding, I guess. Hope to see you never. C'mon, Cameron, let’s go-”

In the brief moment when she turned her back on them, when Cameron relaxed his embrace, when she let out a breath of relief, she found herself being pulled away. There was no time to react, no time to resist. Then it felt like her face was hit with a brick and all she could see were stars.

------@@@@-------

Cameron could barely believe this was happening. He had caught Sharon when she stumbled back from the impact but he was far from registering what had happened. Admittedly, he had let his guard down once Sharon had left her parting shot. Everything should have been done by then. But what none of them, even the flock of birds around them, expected was this.

There was a palpable air of shock. Everyone was motionless. Nobody looked like they knew what to do or think. Not even those who had been spectating from all over the street. Everyone was holding their breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Then, with a sudden burst of strength, Jasmine lunged for Sharon. That was the impetus for him to move. Sharon was still unresponsive, her hand coming up to cover the affected cheek, so he had to protect her. Turning his back to the crowd, he sheltered Sharon, using the car and his broad shoulders as barriers.

“You bitch. You think you’re so good. You think you can have it all. But you’re a fucking loser and you have nobody. No one cares if you live or die. Why did you have to come back? Just crawl in a hole and shrivel up like the fucking virgin you are. No one wants you,”Jasmine shrieked while hitting his back. She must really hate Sharon. Which was something he could never figure out. Luckily he had a strong back and managed to withstand her blows. But they still hurt. Especially when she managed to hit his injured shoulder.

“Cameron!”Sharon suddenly gasped before she disappeared from his arm. He blinked and the next moment she wasn’t there. Then there was a pained shriek and the hitting stopped. Alarmed at Sharon’s sudden disappearance, he turned to find her only to be shocked for the second time in a span of a few minutes. 

“Leave him alone, you crazy bitch,”Sharon said through gritted teeth. Normally he would be flattered. It wasn’t often that she’d protect him so when she did, he appreciated her efforts. But this time, it was different. He was torn between concern and pride. Because before him, Sharon was standing tall and mad while Jasmine was splayed out on the ground, her monstrous wedding gown turning ashy from the filth in the parking lot. Then Sharon climbed on top of her, laying it onto her. 

The other women tried to help but one sharp glare from Sharon made them step back. And if he had been on the receiving end of those eyes, he would have stopped short too. She looked so scary right now that he was also hesitating to approach her.

“You stupid bitch. I left, just like you wanted. Alone and my tail between by feet. But what did you do? You just had to follow me and rub my face in your life. Why can’t you leave me alone? Stupid, fucking bitch.”

Then that must’ve been the end of her outburst. Not a minute after, she got off the comatose Jasmine. A slightly scuffed up Sharon made her way to him and leaned into him, pulling his arm over her. All the tension that had gripped her was gone. The difference between that ferocious woman and the clingy woman now was so jarring that he didn’t know whether he should move. A wrong movement could bring trigger another outburst. He wasn't sure whether that was a bad idea.

“I think it’s time to leave-”

“Y-you’re not going anywhere until you clean up your mess,”Mrs Ashwood said in a trembling voice. 

The group was surprisingly subdued as they helped a whimpering Jasmine to her feet. The bride looked terrible, her once pristine white gown in grayed and tattered. Her face was swollen in a few places with her makeup being smeared and her updo was starting to come down. He didn’t know whether to feel satisfied or sorry for her. 

“What time’s our flight again? I think we’re going to miss it.” Cameron was spared her a glance but Sharon was so eager to leave that she was dragging him to the car.

“Sharon, you are not moving an inch until you apologise. Do you hear me?”

“Cameron, time to get this show on the road. We don’t have much time.”

“Sharon, listen to me. You are not leaving." That must be the end of her patience. Apparently, Sharon’s mother wasn't used to being ignored. Marching over to them, she was intending to physically restrain them but Sharon turned to her with chilly eyes. That stopped her in her tracks.

“What do you want?”

AN: Hey guys. How are you doing? Sorry for Mia-ing last week. I was travelling and didn't have the time to write. Went to HK Disneyland and I love their hotel. It's so cute and full of Easter eggs. Everywhere I turn I can see bits and pieces of Disney.

What do you think of the chapter? Its reaching the climax soon. I can just feel it. Jasmine is over. Time to wreck her mother. Btw, can I know if I ever gave her a name? Does anyone remember?

Anyways, please VOTE and COMMENT if you liked the chapter. Follow me on ko-fi and Wattpad for updates. And if you dont know, Accidental Babies was adapted into a game on Chapters. Help a girl out and check that out.

Good day, guys.

THANKS.