Henry sighed as he stared at the gift bag from the jewelry store. It was unopened and still held the bracelet that he bought for Charlotte werks before. His intentions were to maybe give it to Jasper to give to her or maybe try and give it to her himself, but after finding out that she would be leaving, he just couldn't. And now it was Christmas Eve and not only had he not given it to her, but she also wasn't even here.

A part of him held out hope that maybe she would want to maintain their tradition of decorating their tree for them. It had become something sacred to the entire family, so much so that there was an unspoken rule to not touch the tree until Christmas Eve so when the Bolton-Pages came over, they would decorate it while his dad played the bells and they all enjoyed eggnog. It was a perfect and wonderful tradition that Henry cherished so deeply, but this year it would officially be broken and that devastated him.

He sighed and tossed the bag back into his closet before closing the door and leaving his room. He begrudgingly made his way downstairs, doing his best to avoid looking at the bare tree lest he reminds himself of what - or who - was missing. Jasper and Piper were cuddled up on the couch (gross) watching corny Christmas movies while his dad was happily preparing his gloves for the bells. His mom was in the kitchen preparing a Christmas ham with the assistance of Dave, her tennis instructor (Henry didn't want to think about why he was even there). His options were limited and unfavorable, but he decided to join his mother in the kitchen.

"Mom, do you need any help with the ham?" he asked. Kris looked at her son and gave him a sympathetic smile that he hated because he knew what the sympathy was for.

"No, honey, Dave and his strong hands are helping me," she answered with a giggle as she glanced at the buff man next to her.

"Gross," the blond mumbled.

"Henry, dear," Kris started, "if you're looking for something to do…maybe start decorating the tree." She gestured towards the bare tree but Henry still refused to look at it, simply shaking his head no. The older woman sighed and waved her hand in defeat, deciding not to push him too hard. "Okay. Want some eggnog?"

"Is there alcohol in it?"

"No."

"Then no," he said. The blonde rolled her eyes and poured him a cup anyway.

"If you want it boozy, go upstairs to my room and look in my closet. I have a box of special mommy toys-"

"Gross," Henry said with a dry heave.

"Oh hush, not those kinds of toys," Kris huffed as she handed him the cup. "Booze toys. Brandy, whiskey, rum, gin, all of that. Go knock yourself out - not literally." Henry chuckled a little and nodded in understanding before kissing her cheek.

"You're the best, mom," he said before leaving the kitchen. He looked at Jake as he passed him, his focus completely on his precious bells and he couldn't help but shake his head. It was seriously no wonder he was so bad at relationships, his parents were terrible influences on him along with Ray, who was even worse. "You're being cucked in the kitchen, dad," he said as he walked by. The older Hart furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and turned to look at his son.

"I'm being what?!"

"Do not look that up," Piper instructed from the couch. Henry simply chuckled dryly as he stopped by the tree. It looked so sad, completely bare but with gifts still underneath it.

Maybe it would be best if he just got over it and worked on the tree. He grabbed a gold ornament and placed it on the tree before grabbing another gold one and chuckling to himself. It would always irritate Charlotte when he would put ornaments of the same color next to each other, it was what even started their tradition. As he placed the second gold ornament next to the other, he let out a saddened sigh and made his way upstairs, in search of some alcohol to hopefully make this holiday go by faster.

Kris sighed softly and turned to check on her ham in the oven. As she opened the door, the smell of ham and fish almost instantly wafted into the room and hit Dave instantly. He blinked twice in surprise and stumbled back a little before steadying himself so he wouldn't offend her too much.

"Uh, is the ham okay?" he asked.

"Oh, yes! It's my own little special concoction of a honey-glazed ham with salmon stuffed inside and a pork rind crust!" she answered with a smile, not seeing her tennis instructor visibly cringe. She closed the oven and stood up straight, tossing the oven mitts aside. "Well, I better go start decorating that tree. Henry never will on his own."

It was heartbreaking knowing how much her son was hoping that Charlotte would come over. She clearly meant a lot to him despite the hardships they were going through and he really wanted to keep their tradition, but Kris knew the more that they waited, the worse it would hurt him. So she made her way into the living room, ignoring her husband and his precious bells. She looked at the tree and was surprised - and disappointed - to see two gold ornaments on it already. Perhaps Henry was ready to move on. Before she could dwell on it any longer, there was a knock at the door. She walked over and opened the door, gasping when she saw Diana and Charlotte standing there, the last people she expected to see.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "Hi!"

"Hello, Merry Christmas!" Diana greeted with a smile. "Are we still on for tree decorating and dinner?"

"Of course! Come in!" she said happily as she stepped aside to let them in. Diana, Charlotte, and her friend happily entered as the eldest looked at the blonde.

"Roscoe is by the garage so he can come in."

"Right!" She excitedly went to the garage to open it and let the man inside. As Diana took the ham to the kitchen, Piper and Jasper were both completely surprised to see that Charlotte was not only there, but actually inside the house.

"Hey, Merry Christmas!" Jasper greeted as he stood up from the couch and went to hug both Charlotte and Jasmine. "What…are you doing here?" he asked as he looked at his best friend.

"I'm wondering the same…" Jasmine said. Charlotte sighed and walked away from them, greeting Piper and Mr. Hart as she went to the large Christmas tree.

"We have a tradition of decorating the tree and my mom really wants to maintain that," she answered. Her eyes landed on the gold ornaments together and she rolled her eyes as she groaned in distaste. "Ugh…" Piper stood and quickly joined Jasper's side.

"Maybe you should go and tell Henry that we have guests," she said to him with a pointed look. He nodded and slipped away from her to go find Henry upstairs. Before he could get up the stairs though, the blond descended the steps and looked at his friend with a grin.

"Take a sip of this dude, it'll knock you out until New Year's," he said with a chuckle as he handed him the eggnog. He looked up and did a double-take when he noticed Charlotte by the Christmas tree. His knees almost instantly gave out and he had to grab the railing to keep from falling before looking at Jasper with a frantic look and harsh whisper. "What is she doing here?!"

"She, her family, and Jasmine are here to decorate the tree," he answered with a pointed look.

"Her other friend? I better stay away from her," he mumbled as he looked at Charlotte again. She looked beautiful - but when didn't she? Her hair was tied back into a ponytail and she was dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a fuzzy white sweater that looked too big for her but it just made her look even cuter. She was just perfect.

"Yeah, but you also need to be chill," Jasper insisted as he snapped his fingers to get his attention again. "Just try and keep some distance between the two of you and keep things cool."

Henry scoffed and shrugged nonchalantly as he said, "I can be chill. Chill is easy. She's here for the tree and that's cool. I'm totally chill." Jasper raised a disbelieving eyebrow and nodded slowly before turning to join the others. As soon as he did, a very chill Henry immediately whipped around and rushed back upstairs to get changed. Sweats and a tee weren't something worthy of Charlotte - ahem, of the Christmas season. He needed to get changed.

A few minutes later, he returned now dressed in a cream-colored sweater and white slacks, with his beard neatly trimmed and the faint smell of cologne emanating from him. He glanced over at Jasper who noticed his change in appearance and rolled his eyes, knowing what his friend had in mind. The blond sighed and smoothed down his sweater as he looked at Charlotte who was still decorating the tree. This wouldn't be a problem, he was going to follow Jasper's advice. He could be chill, he could be cool. Charlotte was done with him and didn't want him, he had to accept that and he would. So he was going to keep his distance from her and not cause her any grief. It would be easy.

Except, it wasn't easy. And he was able to stay away for all of fifteen minutes before he found his way to her as she was wrapping a garland around the tree.

"Hey…" he said softly. She turned to look at him and pursed her lips a little before turning her attention back to the tree.

"Hi."

"The tree looks great," he said. "It always looks great whenever you do it."

"Yeah, it clearly needed my help. I can guess who put the two gold balls together," she muttered and he rolled his eyes.

"It's not the 1950s, two gold balls can go together. Love is love and all that," he replied, snickering a little when she rolled her eyes. He licked his lips a little and crossed his arms as he watched her add the decor to the tree. It was a nice familiar feeling but he still needed to talk to her - which was pretty much the exact opposite of being chill and keeping distance between them.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"No," she answered quickly. He rolled his eyes and stood up straight as he held his hands behind his back.

"Just a quick conversation."

"I'm here to decorate the tree," she said, not bothering to look at him. That was it. He saw this as his last possible chance to maybe fix things between them and he wasn't going to lose his opportunity. He looked at the others as they all gathered in the kitchen to get some of Miss Bolton's homemade eggnog while his dad was completely focused on his bells and he saw his opportunity.

He grabbed her arm and quickly tugged her along as he walked to the stairs and ascended them, ignoring her complaints and attempts to pull her arm away. He yanked her along as he reached the second floor and pulled her inside his room, whipping her around as he entered and slamming the door shut before fiance let her go. She stumbled a little and quickly steadied herself before she smacked his shoulder with a frustrated huff.

"What the hell!"

"I just want to talk," he said as he faced her.

"I hate when you yank me around like that! I'm not a rag doll!" she ranted. He sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Look, I shouldn't have gone after you like that at the party, especially after I just broke up with Tati. I just…couldn't get my mind off of you, especially that night, so my instinct was to find you. And then I saw you with Jack and I had spent the entire night feeling insecure surrounded by people who had more money than I'd ever seen in my life, so I freaked out and did the same self-destructive shit I always do. But it was stupid and I'm stupid and…I'm sorry," he sighed. Charlotte sighed as she folded her arms and looked at him.

"I don't know when you became so insecure. You used to be so cocky and acted like you were God's gift to women," she said. He chuckled a little and shrugged.

"I've always been a little insecure but after we broke up it just increased, I guess. I meant it when I said you broke me, Char. I literally couldn't manage to be with anyone other than you."

"You managed with Tati just fine," she deadpanned with a slight frown.

"Touché," he relented with a sigh. "But that wasn't…real, you know? She was a distraction, a temporary escape from everything. Probably a lot like you and Jack…" At that, Charlotte's heart stopped for a moment. She really hated how he sometimes saw right through her and could understand her more than she understood herself sometimes. She used to find it endearing but at the moment she was rather annoyed by it.

"What are you talking about?" she snapped with narrowed eyes. "What about me and Jack?" The blond rolled his eyes and scoffed a little.

"Come on, Char. I remember you broke up with him because he was too busy touring and making music, he wasn't going to be able to fully commit to you. You mean to tell me he can fully commit now? And so conveniently now?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow. She huffed in annoyance, but she wasn't sure if she was annoyed about him being right or whether she would even admit that he was right.

"Well, he's trying now and he's even invited me to join him in Europe after the near year," she said stubbornly. Henry's face almost instantly fell at the mention of her leaving and he was reminded of something he really didn't want to think about.

"Yeah…I heard," he replied with a sigh. "You finally get to go to Paris." Charlotte looked at him and could slowly feel the hard demeanor she had built softening at little at how defeated he looked. She shouldn't have been softening towards him, she was supposed to be pissed at him and stay pissed at him, but for some reason, it was hard to do when he looked like a wounded little puppy who had just gotten kicked. The young woman sighed heavily and let her arms fall to her sides as she looked away from him.

"Henry…we don't work together as a couple, you get that right?"

"Yeah, but because of me-"

"No," Charlotte interrupted as she anxiously rubbed a hand over her face. "I'm at fault too. I shouldn't have told you about going to school the way I did, I shouldn't have assumed you'd be okay with trying a long-distance relationship, and I definitely should've told you about Eddy sooner. I messed up a lot and I'm just as responsible for where we are, and I can admit that. We just don't work as a couple, Henry. Even if I one day get over Tati, even if Jack and I don't work out…we shouldn't be together." She finally met his eyes again and felt her heart ache at the sadness in his usually warm brown eyes.

"Do you really believe that?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she sighed. "I really do believe that."

"And are you actually happy with Jack? He's not just some temporary distraction from me?" She pursed her lips together firmly. She had two options: be vulnerable and tell the truth or build up that wall again and lie through her teeth. She chose the latter.

"He makes me happy. He takes care of me and at the moment, that's all I want," she answered. He stayed silent as he stared at her ingenious, his eyes peering deep into hers as if he was trying to read her mind and break down the walls she was so desperately trying to build up. It felt like an hour had gone by but truthfully, it only lasted about thirty seconds before he nodded slowly and took a step closer to her.

"So, why did you come here?"

"I told you to decorate the tree. My mom really wanted to maintain the tradition we have," she replied and stubbornly folded her arms.

"Bullshit," he spat, catching her off guard. "You came here because you missed me and you wanted to see me. Be honest." She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Well, there's the cockiness again! Not everything is about you, Henry! I just came here to maintain a tradition!" she argued.

"Char, no one cares about the tradition that much!" he shot back.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah!"

"Then why was the tree still bare?" she asked with a narrowing gaze. His mouth opened and closed a few times with no words escaping before he shrugged as nonchalantly as he could.

"My…mom wanted to maintain the tradition," he answered. She breathed out a soft chuckle and rolled her eyes, bringing a small smile to his face. He bit down on his lower lip before he walked away from her and went to his closet, grabbing the gift bag from the jewelry store and handing it to her as she watched him curiously. "I got you this…I guess it's pretty topical as a Christmas gift," he said. She hesitated as she stared at the bag he held out to her.

She finally took it and sat down on his bed, taking out the small jewelry box and feeling her heart skip a beat. Glancing at the blond briefly, she pursed her lips as she opened the box and couldn't help but gasp at the sight of the sterling silver and diamond charm bracelet. It was beautiful and had pretty little diamond-lined Parisian-themed charms that sparkled inside the satin-lined box. She took it out and held it up, surprised at how pretty it was and the fact that Henry was the one to give it to her.

"Wow…" she breathed out without realizing it. "It's beautiful…"

"I know how much you love Paris," he commented. "So when I saw this I instantly thought of you. I guess…you can wear it when you go with Jack." She nodded a little and stood as she started to place the bracelet on her wrist. Noticing how she struggled to put it on, Henry stepped closer to her and gently pulled her hand towards him, helping her to close the clasp and allow the bracelet to daintily dangle around her waist. She smiled a little as she looked at it then looked up at the blond, suddenly becoming aware of how close he was.

"Ah…thanks, Henry. It's beautiful. I really appreciate it," she said softly before looking down at it again. She found herself growing incredibly flustered and she hated it. It reminded her of when they first got together and she was enamored with everything he did, wanted her life to be consumed with anything and everything Henry, and the way she spent years pining for those two weeks again and looking for that feeling with anyone she was with. Eddy didn't make her feel that way and neither did Jack, and she absolutely hated it because it gave Henry so much power over her that when she wanted to hate him and avoid him, she just couldn't.

"Char, I don't think Jack really makes you happy," the blond started, earning an exasperated exhale from the dark haired woman. He pursed his lips and placed a finger under her chin to tilt her head up to look at him. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that he makes you happier than I did." She looked into his brown eyes again and lost herself in them briefly before looking away and taking a deep breath.

"I'm happy," she stated.

"He makes you happier than I did?" he asked.

"Henry-"

"Does he make you feel the way I made you feel?" he questioned as he stepped closer and eliminated the space between them. She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes as she breathed out slowly to try and settle her rapidly beating heart.

"Please stop…"

"Does he hold you like I did? Touch you? Fuck you the way that I did?" he continued as he leaned in closer. She opened her eyes and looked at him, her mouth open slightly as she tried to find the words to say. The worst thing about Henry is that he knew her so well and she couldn't argue against it. He saw the apprehension in her eyes and he already knew the answers to his questions. He licked his lips softly and nodded a little at her silent confirmation.

"The whole time I was with Tati, all I could think about was you. I feel like the whole time you're with him, all you'll be thinking about is me," he said softly. His eyes glanced down at her perfectly plump lips which he missed so badly, and without properly thinking about it, he leaned in and pressed their lips together in a gentle kiss.

Charlotte breathed in quickly through her nostrils and tensed up feeling his lips on hers. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to be done, she was going to move on and enjoy her time with Jack, and get used to a life without Henry. Tonight was going to be the last time she saw him in her mind and she would finally be free. But God damn, Henry just sucked her in again and turned her brain to mush and robbed her of all common sense. Her body relaxed and she melted into the kiss, responding to it and following his slow pace which sent chills down her spine. It was such a familiar and warm feeling, far better than Eddy, and far better than-

"Charlotte! Jack's here to see you!" Diana called up the stairs, causing Charlotte to jump back from the kiss with a small gasp. The realization of what she was doing finally hit her and she felt a painful mix of guilt, confusion, and a little bit of anger. She looked at the blond who looked at her with his eyes filled with so lust and affection that it felt almost suffocating. She let out a small whimper and quickly turned away from him, rushing to the door and opening it quickly before slipping out in a rapid anxious blur.

The blond released a disappointed sigh and wiped her lip gloss off of his lips as he exited his room behind her, slowly making his way down the hall and to the steps. As he looked down to the main floor, he saw his friends and family surrounding Jack Swagger as they were clearly in awe of the superstar and the fact that he was there in their home. And usually, Henry would feel the same, except superstar Jack Swagger was about to galavant around Europe with his girl and she was ignoring her feelings to be with him. Henry wasn't really happy about that but he was going to do his best to bite his tongue around him, even as he watched a flustered Charlotte rush down the stairs and practically jump into his arms with an excited - and nervous - laugh.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I couldn't go Christmas Eve without seeing my girl! So I got out of some previous engagements and came here to see you," he said with a smile. His arm was wrapped snugly around her waist and Henry wanted so badly to rip it off and beat him with his own arm.

"We're so glad you're here," Jake said excitedly. "Have dinner with us?" At that, Charlotte's face fell a little and she glanced back at Henry before looking at Jack.

"I don't think-"

"I would love to," the brunet replied. "And I brought gifts for everyone!"

"Gifts? Oh yeah, you're definitely staying," Piper said quickly. As everyone excitedly talked amongst themselves and made their way to the kitchen to have dinner, Charlotte glanced at Henry and then at Jasmine who gave her a knowing look. She sighed heavily and hoped that the night would go smoothly.

Despite doing her best to relax, Charlotte couldn't help but be tense as she sat at the table and ate her dinner. Jack was next to her, captivating everyone with his stories about touring and mingling with big-name celebrities around the world. Everyone listened to him and hung on his every word, everyone except Henry. He clearly couldn't care less about anything Jack had to say or anything to do with him and Charlotte could only hope that he wouldn't cause a scene.

"So," Diana started as she smiled at the curly haired brunet, "are you excited about your plans after the new year?"

"Oh, of course! Charlotte and I are going to enjoy six months traveling throughout Europe and Oceania as I write my next album, it's going to be amazing," he answered as he smiled at the young woman next to him. Henry stabbed his fork into his ham and looked at Jack.

"That's great. No, really, that's great. I'm glad you're finally able to commit to her now and can manage to give six months out of the year to her. I hope that lasts," he said with a forced smile. Charlotte sighed and held her face in her hands as Jack raised a curious eyebrow.

"I mean, yeah, beforehand I was pretty busy with touring and performing, but now that I have time to write, we can be together. Besides, after we broke up, I realized what an amazing woman she was and how much of an idiot I was to let her go," he replied. The blond narrowed his eyes at him as he tightened the grip on his fork.

"Is that a slight against me?" he questioned sharply, the entire energy around the table shifting almost instantly. Jasmine's eyes quickly shifted between Charlotte and Henry, while Jasper's eyes were solely on Henry and he wished they had telepathic powers so he could tell him to just relax. Next to him, Piper grabbed her phone and held it up to record in case a fight happened. Jack shrugged his shoulders and didn't back down as he held Henry's intense gaze.

"If you were dumb enough to let her go…maybe it is a slight against you." Slamming his hands against the table, Henry quickly stood up as he glared at Jack. Trying to quickly diffuse a rapidly escalating situation, Charlotte stood up as well and loudly laughed nervously.

"Hey! Hey, let's just open presents!" she said quickly and Jasmine nodded as she stood up.

"Yeah, doesn't anyone else want to open their gifts?" she added, Charlotte giving her an appreciative look.

"Ooh, I do!" Jake said excitedly as he stood up quickly and made his way to the living room. "Then we can play the bells!" As everyone groaned, Charlotte shot Henry an annoyed look before taking Jack's arm and tugging him along to the living room. The tall blond sighed as he was left with Jasper and an annoyed Piper.

"Really? You're gonna ruin Christmas dinner too?" the young blonde asked in irritation.

"What happened to being chill?" the broad blond asked in exasperation. Henry just shook his head as he walked away and made his way to the living room to join the others. Chill? How on Earth could he be chill when the love of his life was sitting so close to him but was sitting with someone else? How could he be chill when he knew they both wanted each other but she was ignoring those feelings just to divert them onto some curly haired pretty boy? It was all bullshit and it was almost impossible for him to sit there and deal with it.

He leaned against the bar with his arms crossed as he watched Charlotte and Jack sit on the couch, the two of them passing gifts to everyone else before he handed her gift to her. She smiled and unwrapped it, revealing the signature blue colored Tiffany's box with a white bow tied on it. She gasped softly at the sight of it and looked at Jack in surprise while Piper, Jasmine, Kris, and Diana quickly moved closer to her to get a closer look.

"Is that a Tiffany's box?!" the blonde exclaimed before swatting at Charlotte's shoulder eagerly. "Open it! Open it!" The curly haired woman chuckled softly and nodded as she undid the bow and opened the box, revealing a black velvet necklace box. As she opened that box, her mouth fell open at the sight of a silver pendant with a large round ruby in the center and surrounded by diamonds. It was absolutely gorgeous.

"Oh my goodness…" Kris exclaimed with her hand placed on her chest. As all the women gawked at the gorgeous piece of jewelry, Jack couldn't help the way his ego inflated in the looks of almost jealousy and envy coming from the men in the room. He carefully took the box from Charlotte and took out the necklace, showing off the pendant in all its extravagant glory.

"Since you're a Cancer, I decided to get you something with your birthstone," he explained. The young woman smiled but couldn't help but feel both overwhelmed and a little conflicted. It was an absolutely gorgeous present, but she wasn't sure if it was really…her. For all she knew, Jack was similar to her where he didn't like flashy things and didn't show off his wealth and fame. But being with him recently showed her that he had changed and developed a love of luxury things. And he had every right to, he worked hard and had the right to show off his wealth. But she wasn't sure how much she enjoyed it, but that was a discussion for another time.

She stood up and turned her back to him as he stood as well and placed the necklace around her neck. It was cool going around her neck and she looked down at the large ruby laying against her chest before looking up again and meeting eyes with Henry. He looked completely unimpressed and it caused her smile to falter a little, though she quickly looked away from him. It didn't matter what he thought, she was supposed to be putting herself first and making herself happy. And Jack made her most happy.

"There," Jack said with a proud grin as she turned around to face him. "Beautiful jewelry for a beautiful woman."

"I just looked it up on the Tiffany's website," Piper said as she stared at her phone then held it up. "That pendant costs six thousand three hundred dollars!" At that, Charlotte's mouth fell open in shock and she stared at the curly haired brunet with wide eyes.

"Jack! Oh my God, that's so expensive!" she exclaimed. He chuckled softly and waved his hand dismissively.

"Char, I keep saying, you're my girl now and I want you to have nothing but the best, so I'm gonna give you the best," he insisted with a big smile. She nodded with a small smile and idly fondled with the pendant between her fingers

"Thank you so much, honey," she replied as she kissed him on the cheek. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom and get a better look at it on me." She turned and made her way to the downstairs bathroom, making sure to avoid looking at Henry as she walked past him.

As she entered the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror and her eyes instantly drew to the sparkly diamond and ruby pendant on her chest. It was gorgeous but she wondered if it was really her. Her mind was reeling with questions. Jack said he got it because it was her birthstone but it was also clear he got it because of how extravagant and expensive it was. Did he really get it for her benefit or to display his wealth around her neck? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the charm bracelet Henry got her and she couldn't help but think about the irony of it all. Two jewelry gifts from two different guys in her life, but only one of which gave her a sentimental feeling. She sighed softly and looked down briefly before turning her attention to the door as it opened and Henry slipped in.

"That necklace is insane," he commented. She sighed and looked down at the sink again.

"Henry…"

"He's insane, like, what? Is he trying to buy you with expensive stuff?! 'Oh ruby is your birthstone' fucking corny fake sentimental bullshit," he ranted.

"Henry!" she exclaimed as she turned around to face him. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" he shot back as he looked down at her. "One minute you're done with me, the next you're at my house kissing me, then you're all over your stupid boyfriend out there-"

"Hey! You kissed me!"

"And you kissed me back," he said simply. "And you did that because you still love me but you're wasting your time with that clown. How am I supposed to feel when you're holding his hand and kissing him right in front of my face?!" She looked up at him and swallowed a pang of guilt and pain that was blooming in her throat and sat heavy in her chest. She inhaled deeply and let out a slow shaky breath.

"Yeah…I wonder how it feels to see someone you love with someone else right in front of you," she said. He searched her face for an answer to that riddle before it finally hit him. His shoulders deflated a little and he let out an incredulous breath.

"Seriously? Did you invite him over here just to get back at me over Tati?"

"I genuinely didn't know he'd be coming over but I'm never one to waste an opportunity. I'm not strong enough to beat your ass like I did Tati, but I'll be damned if you walk away from this without feeling the same pain and suffering you put me through. Jack may not be exactly who I want but he's good enough for me for now." The blond ran a hand over his short hair and shook his head slowly as he processed everything. It wasn't true, he knew Charlotte didn't mean anything she was saying - or maybe he just hoped she didn't mean any of it.

"Char…come on…" he breathed out with a hint of desperation. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm seriously so sorry about everything. I'm even clean and sober now, no more hard drugs, I'm staying in Swellview and working with Ray, I'm going to do all I can to be a better Henry for you. You're not happy with that blowhard out there. Don't go to Europe…" He grabbed her arms and stepped closer, pressing their foreheads together as he breathed shakily. "Please, please just stay with me, and let's start over."

With her eyes sliding shut, the young woman sighed softly and struggled internally. For years, Henry was everything to her and she often worried that no one would ever come close to him or the relationship they had. But she'd be a fool if she went back to him so easily and she'd never recover if he hurt her again. She needed time away from him and she knew it would be good for him too. So, she pulled her arms away from his grip and patted his chest gently before pulling back and looking at him.

"Good luck with your sobriety, and keep being your best you but not for me, do it for yourself, okay? I'm going, Henry. We're done." She moved away from him and left the bathroom, a scene that was all too familiar for the both of them. But for Charlotte, this time she was truly done and this would be the last time saying those two words to Henry. It was going to stick this time.

Henry gripped the sides of the sink and hung his head as he sighed heavily. Even though this wasn't the first time Charlotte said that this time it felt real and like she really meant it. Could this really be it? Was he seriously going to lose her forever? He wanted to run out and get her, hold her and kiss her again, and tell her that she didn't need to leave. He was better than Jack and he would make her happier. But he also remembered Ray's advice. He just had to apologize and give her the space she needed to heal. He apologized already, now she needed the space, and maybe that space would be a trip to Europe and Oceania for six months. He couldn't force her to be with him and he wasn't going to anymore. He was just going to let things happen as they happen.

He sighed heavily and stood up straight, rubbing his palms together as he looked at himself in the mirror. For the first time in a while, he could recognize himself and he didn't exactly hate what he saw anymore. Things didn't go exactly how he wanted but they were still looking up, and he was going to enjoy what he could. He took a deep breath and left the bathroom, returning to the living room. He was surprised to just see his family and Jasper watching his dad playing his precious bells. Charlotte and her friends and family were gone.

"Where's Charlotte and everyone else?" he asked curiously. Jasper looked at him and shrugged casually.

"She's gone."

A/N: Hello! So this chapter ended up being pretty long because while I intended on it ending at 3k words, I decided to make this all one chapter since I took that two week break. I'm also not sure if I'll be able to update next week, so this is double the length of a usual chapter to cover that. As I said before, we're in the final stretch of this story. I believe there may be about three to five chapters left, it just depends on how much I write. Don't worry! More stories are coming, including updates to Unsettling. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!