They had been happy once upon a time; Rose and Frank. She had met him 2 years after the sinking of the Titanic. Rose was still inconsolable over the "death" of Jack. She had nowhere to live and nowhere to go. She thought that living a third class life would be easy and happy, but she was wrong. She had no life skills to live a third class life. She almost died out on the streets when she was taken in by a woman called Mary Ellen Bowers. Mary Ellen was a stern and no nonsense sort of woman who wore her grey hair in a tight bun and she was constantly frowning. Mary Ellen however was a kind woman beneath her harsh exterior; the two had met when Rose was begging out on the streets. Mary Ellen took one look at her and said, "Hang I think I recognise you, you're Rose Dewitt-Bukater, I recognise you from your photo in the missing section of the newspaper. You're fiancee Caledon Hockley is looking for you. What's a pretty young thing like you doing out here on the streets, you'll never survive out here."

Rose and Mary Ellen ended up speaking over a hot tea. Rose begged Mary Ellen not to inform Cal or her mother or her whereabouts and she had stayed true to her word. Although Mary Ellen frightened many, she was extremely loyal. She was the widow of a wealthy architect, Frederick Bowers and she had been left a lot of money. Although Mary Ellen lived in a luxurious home and could afford fine things she was a modest and simple woman who didn't want very much. She spent her time helping other; she scorned upon people who embroiled themselves in the finer things and only sought after their own pleasures. Mary Ellen was also a deeply religious woman who found solace in God.

Mary Ellen had helped Rose to get on her feet. She allowed her to stay with her, brought her clothes and got her work. Rose still felt depressed over losing Jack, but the goodness of Mary Ellen had given her some sort of hope that life wasn't so bad. Rose had told Mary Ellen all about Jack; she had expected her to be shocked. After all it was a scandal for a rich girl to run off with a poor boy, but Mary Ellen didn't judge her despite her staunch morality. All she said was "child, happiness is more important than riches. Love is what makes a marriage, not riches. I loved Frederick very much; we were both born into wealthy families but neither of us cared about our wealth; it was our families who cared about money more than we did. You must let go of Jack; he will always be in your heart, a life in mourning and misery is not a fulfilling life. You are young and you will find happiness. Jack is gone and all you can do is make your life as fulfilling as you can."

It was a year and a half later that Mary Ellen introduced Rose to her nephew Frank. "Frank is coming down from California to New York to visit me; perhaps you would like to join us for dinner. Frank is thinking of moving back to New York as well. I have written to him about you and he is keen to meet you."

Rose hadn't expected much from the dinner, she had lost all interest in other men since Jack's death, but when she met Frank she felt that she could actually begin to move on. Frank was painfully handsome, charming and had a wicked sense of humour. Mary Ellen was extremely fond of her nephew and around him her harsh exterior dropped; she was like a kitten around him. Rose had felt a connection with Frank; she felt that she would melt when she saw the way that Frank looked at her from across the table. It was a long time since she had felt something like that for a man. She actually found herself going to bed with a smile on her face when Frank had asked her out to dinner. Rose felt infatuated with Frank. He made her laugh, he was kind and he was generous. Rose felt that she could really be happy. She and Frank had so much fun; they did all of the things that Rose had promised that she would do with Jack. They went horse riding; they went to Paris and Santa Monica. They walked hand in hand on the beach and cuddled under the stars. They made passionate and fierce love and Rose would feel so good and so complete as they lay side by side. Frank was so kind to her and so respectful. He wasn't like Cal at all. It was almost as if part of Jack's soul was living in Frank.

Rose was delighted when Frank proposed marriage after three months of their courtship. Rose had felt so certain that she wanted to become Frank's wife, unlike with Cal. The wedding to Frank was one of the most special days of her life. Her heart thudded when she saw the way that Frank looked at her when she walked up the aisle. She would never forget it. On the day that they had gotten married Frank had said, "I am so lucky that you are my wife, I love you so much!" Rose felt that perhaps she was meant to find happiness after all; she never thought that she'd be happy after Jack's death. She felt that perhaps Jack's death had meant to be, so she could go on to experience greater things. However Rose had spoken too soon.

A week into their two week honeymoon in France, Rose had caught Frank in their bed with another woman. Frank promised that it was a dreadful mistake, that the heat had something to do with it and made him feel hazy. He made all sorts of excuses. Rose believed it at first; he was so convincing and so manipulative. She let it go and they resumed their fairytale romance. Rose fell pregnant and she was delighted, but things started to change. Frank grew distant; it was as if her pregnancy repelled him. He had made excuses not to spend time with her and was always away. Whenever she'd confront him about where he'd been he became very defensive. Once again Rose caught him in bed with one of the maids. She felt as if her whole world was crashing down on her. This time Frank's apology was forced and insincere. It was like he felt less and less sorry every time. He abandoned her during the pregnancy when she needed him the most and he was hardly there when William arrived. After that Rose believed that she was destined to be unhappy forever…