March

"Happy my birthday, happy my birthday!" Henry sang cheerfully as he reached the top of his stairs. He gleefully jogged down them before pausing to make sure that the stairs weren't broken, lest he takes another tumble down them as he did on his eighteenth birthday. As he made it down to the final step, Kris made her way over to him and cupped his face to kiss his cheek.

"Oh, happy birthday honey! Come, I made you a big wonderful breakfast," she said as she pulled her hands away and took his hand to pull him along.

"Any hopes of me getting a diez leches cake again this year?" he asked, his mouth already salivating at the idea of the delectable cake that he was almost robbed of on his aforementioned birthday.

"No way, I still have PTSD from the last time I got you that cake," Jake answered as his son entered the kitchen. He patted him on the shoulder before handing him a card. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Dad," the blond replied with a smile. He opened the card expecting money but was instead met with a short message. He rolled his eyes and read the blurb out loud, "Happy birthday. Love you lots. Move out."

"Jake!" Kris exclaimed with an offended glare while Piper cackled from the couch. Henry handed him the card before sitting down and starting to eat the breakfast his mother had prepared him. He wasn't too offended, his father had been hinting that he was tired of him staying there since mid-January. It was the one thing he was consistent about. Jake scoffed as he turned to look at his wife.

"I'm sorry! Henry, you know I love you, but I was getting used to having an almost empty house! I thought you were staying temporarily but it seems to be more and more permanent as time goes on and I've gotta live my truth, I'm not a fan. Your mother and I can't even…canoodle on the couch or in the kitchen anymore!"

"Oh God," Henry groaned in disgust.

"God, I don't miss running the chance of walking in on you two," Piper added with a disgusted shudder.

"Trust me, I don't miss it either," Kris deadpanned, ignoring her husband's offended gasp.

"Look, dad, Camille, and I are going apartment hunting today after work, okay? I'll be out of your hair in no time," Henry said. Kris looked at him curiously before walking over to him and sitting down as casually as she could.

"So…you and Camille have been getting along well, huh?" she asked with a forced smile. He chuckled a little and nodded as he focused more on stuffing his face with the delicious chocolate chip pancakes and three cheese omelet on his plate (sometimes his mom was a decent cook when she stuck to usual combinations).

"Yeah, she's great."

"Oh yeah, she's wonderful!" she agreed a little too eagerly. "But…should you two be apartment hunting already? I mean, you guys have only been dating for a couple of months."

"Mom, she's helping me to apartment hunt, we're not moving in together," he explained. "She has her own place anyway and she's just gonna help me look so I can get out of dad's hair quicker."

"Yeah, thanks! Go!" Jake interjected. Kris grabbed her son's arm suddenly, catching his attention as she leaned in a little closer.

"Please don't leave. Piper's always out with Jasper and you being gone will mean I'll have to be intimate with him again," she pleaded with a hurried whisper. Closing his eyes briefly to keep himself from throwing up, Henry nodded a little and patted her hand before pulling away.

"Gross. That just put horrific images into my head so I'm gonna leave now," he said as he got up. He quickly made his way to the door and grabbed his jacket before swinging the door open. Standing on the other side was Camille, her fist in the air as she was just about to knock before a smile bloomed on her face once she saw Henry.

"Hey, you!" he greeted her with a smile and walked over to her. He moved an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, greeting her with a gentle kiss on the lips. "What are you doing here? I thought you had to work?" he asked as he stepped back a little to look at her. She had a more feminine sense of style which was shown with the white yellow daisy-covered dress she wore, and her hair braided into two low double buns. She looked absolutely adorable.

"I took the day off to spend your birthday with you! Happy your birthday, happy your birthday!" she sang with an adorable giggle that made Henry's heart swell. He chuckled and thanked her.

"My parents are being gross so I'm running away, wanna go apartment hunting with me?"

"Oh, definitely! We have some places to check out in downtown Swellview. Let's go!" He nodded and said goodbye to his family and followed her out.

The BMW was now gone and was replaced with a much more sensible black Nissan Versa. He held the passenger door open for her as she climbed in then he made his way over to the driver's side, climbing in and pulling on his seatbelt. He soon started the car and pulled out of the driveway, resting a free hand on her knee as he drove. The feeling in the car was carefree and easy, with Original Heartthrob by Majid Jordan playing over the radio and Camille singing along. It was a warm day and with the window slightly down, air wafted into the car as they traveled down the streets. It was such an easy feeling that Henry adored, a feeling of peace and overall joy that he had been missing more than he realized. After a few more minutes of driving, they soon entered downtown and the girl in the passenger seat perked up.

"Here's the building!" she pointed out. He pulled over and parked outside of the building before turning the car off and exiting. He jogged around the car to meet her and held her hand, playfully twirling her and earning soft giggles from her that sounded like music to his ears. They entered the building and made their way up to the floor of the available apartment, sharing sweet nothings and kisses as they rode up the elevator. They were in their honeymoon phase still and Henry absolutely loved it. This was what he needed and wanted, he wanted someone who would want him just as much as he wanted them.

As the doors opened, they were greeted by the landlord who let them into the apartment and gave them the freedom to explore. It was a nice sized apartment, not too big and not too small, one that would be comfortable for him. With their fingers laced together, Camille swung their hands idly and enjoyed exploring the apartment. In her mind, this was the beginning of new horizons for them. She was absolutely infatuated with him and in her eyes, he was the perfect guy.

Camille was a simple girl. She grew up with two parents who were incredibly in love and taught her from an early age that she wanted the same thing. She was what many people would describe as "in love with love" and she wouldn't deny it. Love was a magical and wonderful thing and she wanted so badly to experience that for life. She had been in love before but she knew it was different with Henry. Sure, they had only been together for a few months, and sure, he had some baggage he was dealing with, but she knew she loved him and she had an inkling that he felt the same way about her. She also knew that she could easily make him forget about his ex. Why would he dwell over a woman who broke his heart constantly when he had someone like her who was willing to give him the world?

"The bedroom is really nice, definitely spacious enough for me," Henry said, pulling Camille out of her thoughts. She smiled and moved her arms around his waist to hug him, beaming as she looked up at him.

"Spacious enough for us?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. He chuckled a little and nodded before pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Hell yeah. We're gonna get a lot of noise complaints," he said with a wink. She laughed and shook her head a little, her heart fluttering and light. He was perfect, he was perfect for her, and she couldn't be any happier.

"You're so cute. That's why I love you," she said with a big smile. It was the first time she said those three words and she couldn't help the way her heart began beating rapidly as she awaited his response. She knew for sure he would repeat it to her. His face fell a little before he quickly forced a tight smile on his face and he nodded, patting her arms gently.

"We should get going, we wanna make sure we see the other apartments," he said before pulling away from her. Her smile slowly faded from her face as her body remained frozen, slowly processing what just happened. She said she loved him and he said…nothing? No acknowledgment? Nothing at all? She slowly turned to look at him and watched as he spoke to the landlord about the apartment, completely unaffected by what she had said. She couldn't believe it.

"Camille, let's go," he said as he waved her over and then exited the apartment. She nodded slowly and licked her lips a little, subconsciously patting down her hair neatly and taking a deep breath as she slowly began to follow him out of the apartment, completely bewildered.

"You're a fucking idiot," Jasper said through his laughter as he handed Henry a beer. The blonds sat on the couch in the Page-Bolton house, with Diana still at work and Jasper recently returning from his own job of teaching people to fight while they sleep - and also Spanish. When he got home - with his own much more affordable white Kia Forte - he was welcomed by a stressed out looking Henry standing outside the door looking as if he was ready to burst. And he did the moment they got inside, only he burst with information that had the broad blond cackling since his best friend told him what happened. But while he found the humor in it, Henry was far from giddy.

"I came here for comfort and advice, not for you to laugh in my face," he snapped. The other continued to laugh as he plopped down in his seat next to the couch.

"Hey, I gave you a beer didn't I? Happy birthday," he replied with a grin. Henry just sighed and slumped back against the couch as he took a swig from his beer. The broad blond chuckled. "And honestly, what else can I do besides laugh? A girl tells you she loves you and you just say fuck all. Come on, it's hilarious!"

"Dude," Henry groaned as he rubbed his hand over his face. "I don't know what's going on. How can she say she loves me? We've only started dating since January!"

"Clearly your dick game is crazy," Jasper responded before bursting into laughter as his friend glared at him.

"Be serious! I mean, true, but still!"

"Okay, okay. Why didn't you say it back?" Jasper asked.

"I can't say something I don't mean, man. It's way too early to say we love each other," he replied. The raspberry blond raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"You were with Charlotte for two weeks and you were saying I love you like it was going out of style," he said. The tall blond sighed.

"That's…different. Char and I have known each other since we were kids and I fell for her long before we got together. This whole situation is new with Camille," he explained. He sighed heavily again and leaned his head back as he stared up at the ceiling. "This really sucks. I've finally started getting things together and I just fuck everything up like usual."

"Bro, you have been getting yourself together. You're sober, you're working, you're not obsessing over Charlotte as much anymore. You're doing great. Let's talk this through. Are you happy with Camille?" Jasper asked. Henry nodded as he looked at him.

"Yeah."

"Is she a good girlfriend?"

"She's great!" Henry answered. "She's kind, attentive, friendly, funny, she's like the perfect girl."

"And how's the sex?"

"Awesome!"

"Then why can't you say you love her?"

"I don't know!" Henry whined. "I'm just not ready and I can't tell someone I love them if I don't mean it!" Jasper nodded slowly as he clapped his hands together as he processed everything that was said. After a few fleeting moments, he looked at his best friend.

"You're still caught up on Charlotte," he said simply, earning a frustrated groan from Henry. But he was more annoyed over the fact that he was right. He thought about her constantly, he missed her like crazy, and he honestly didn't know what he would do if she showed up on his doorstep at that very moment. She was impossible to get over, she was completely ingrained in his mind and heart and there was no use in denying it. Sure, he could try to move on, but he knew he would always love her and adore her.

"Do you check her EnvyGram?" Jasper asked, pulling the other out of his thoughts.

"No, she probably has me blocked and even if she didn't, I wouldn't want to see her happily canoodling with Jack," he said with a slight sneer. Jasper chuckled a little and took a swig of his beer before licking his lips.

"She hasn't posted any pictures with him," he said. Henry quickly sat up straight and looked at him with slightly wide eyes.

"What? Seriously? You think they broke up?" he asked quickly, earning quiet snickering from the broader man.

"No idea, dude. She's definitely still traveling through Europe but her EnvyGram is literally just her, no sign of Jack. But it doesn't matter to you, right? You're over her," he said with a raised eyebrow. Henry swallowed hard before slumping back against the couch again, his mind reeling a little. It was weird that Charlotte hadn't shared any pictures of herself with Jack, wasn't it? All of his exes had no problem with sharing his pictures on their socials, even if it meant having to delete them all once they broke up. Even Camille's EnvyGram had gone from mostly her and her friends to mainly the two of them together. So why hadn't Jack gotten that treatment from Charlotte?

"Fuck! I gotta take the chicken out of the freezer before Miss Diana comes home or else she'll kill me!" Jasper exclaimed suddenly before jumping up and rushing into the kitchen. Laughing softly to himself, Henry shook his head disapprovingly. Glancing towards the kitchen to make sure Jasper wasn't looking, he took out his phone and quickly pulled up EnvyGram.

He was more than prepared to see that he had been blocked once he typed in Charlotte's username, but to his surprise, he wasn't. He was welcomed with the sight of her smiling profile pic and a slew of photos of her for his enjoyment. There were many new pics uploaded since she had left, the first one almost midway through her feed with her in front of the Eiffel tower and he couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. She was absolutely beautiful. But as he scrolled through the pictures, he noticed that Jasper was completely right. Jack wasn't in any of the pictures, absolutely none of them. Not even a strand of curly hair or a picture of them holding hands. It looked as if she was all on her own and it was odd.

A part of him was hopeful that they had broken up. Was that kind of sucky to be hopeful that she had broken up with a guy who seemed really good for her? Maybe, but he'd only be lying to himself if he said he didn't feel that way. However, a larger part of him knew they were likely still together because there was no other way she could be traveling. He sighed softly as he scrolled up until he reached the latest photo. It was posted yesterday and it looked like she was in some mountain cabin, curled up on the couch in an oversized sweater and her hair tied back into a bun, with Switzerland tagged in her location. Her nose was a little red likely due to the cold and she held a mug of what was likely hot chocolate in her hands.

"Adorable," he mumbled to himself as he took a sip of his beer. Then, he did the worst thing anyone could do when stalking - er, exploring - their ex's social media. He accidentally double-tapped and liked the picture. He inhaled sharply and began to cough loudly as he took in too much of his beer and started choking. Jasper left the kitchen and watched as his best friend quickly stood from the couch and doubled over as he coughed.

"Uh…you good?" he asked.

"No!" Henry nearly shouted through his coughing fit. He smacked his chest as he stood up straight, clearing his throat to calm himself down. Once he could properly breathe again, he wanted to scream. "I fucking liked Charlotte's pic! Now she's gonna know I was looking at her EnvyGram and now she's definitely gonna block me!"

"Oof. Nice one," Jasper said with a chortle.

"And Camille's gonna check her notifications and see that I liked her pic because EnvyGram still has that stupid feature! God, I'm fucking dead!" Henry ranted as he started to panic. Jasper simply rolled his eyes and grabbed his beer as he sat back down. He had learned to just let Henry have his freak out moments whenever they were occurring - he'd calm down eventually.

"Charlotte's gonna think I'm some weird stalker who couldn't even bother to see her off when she left, Camille's gonna think I'm obsessed with my ex, she's gonna dump me, and I'm gonna be alone and pathetic because Char is still with Pretty Boy McGee in fucking Switzerland!" he rambled on as he started to pace the floor.

"Oh no, whatever shall you do?" Jasper deadpanned as he looked at his phone. He was making his own date night plans with Piper and barely paid attention to Henry's meltdown.

"I don't know man, I don't-" He froze when his phone buzzed with a notification. He groaned and wished he had a blunt at that moment to help calm himself down, but he settled for another swig of his beer again before checking his phone. And much to his surprise, it was a text.

From Charlotte.

He slowly sat down as he tapped on the notification and read the message. It was short, simple, and to the point. Two words: Happy Birthday with a little present emoji next to it. That was it. A basic birthday text not that different from the slew of them he had gotten that day. Yet this one brought a contented smile to his face and he melted into the couch, going from frantic to completely at ease just like that. Even Jasper noticed as he watched him curiously, though the smile on his face told him it was something related to either Camille or Charlotte, and he knew only the latter had that effect on him. It was almost laughable how after all this time, she still had him completely wrapped around her finger.

Henry thought over a multitude of responses he could send. He could be casual and just say thanks, or he could say he missed her. Would that be too much? Maybe just a simple "thank you and enjoy your trip" would suffice. He shook his head and sighed. He was overthinking it and overthinking always ended poorly for him. He quickly typed "thanks, I appreciate it" and sent it. He lingered on the screen for a bit, wondering if she would say anything else, though he doubted it. She already did way more than she needed to.

He was about to turn off his screen when the typing symbol popped up and he nearly leaped up from the couch. Was this really happening? He didn't think they would talk at all while she was gone but was it actually going to happen? Soon, a new message popped up of her asking him how his birthday went. He could've done a backflip then and there but he still had to play it cool. This was probably going to be a one time thing and he needed to enjoy it as much as he could.

Off to the side, Jasper couldn't help but grin a little as he watched him. It was stupid. He looked like a giddy schoolboy texting his crush but he understood it. It was a little endearing even but also unsurprising. Despite all the things they went to, Jasper still felt like Henry and Charlotte were meant to be together and would find their way to each other again. This was just the start of it and he was looking forward to seeing how it all came together.

May

Charlotte sighed softly as she entered her apartment with her hands filled with multiple shopping bags. She set the bags down and took off her hat to reveal her natural curly black hair was now styled into ombre blond twists that were tied up into a neat bun atop her head. Placing the hat and her jacket on the coat rack, she grabbed her bags again and walked further inside the apartment. It was a "charming", as Jack described it, apartment located in the CityLife district of Milan, Italy, that had too many bedrooms and bathrooms for Charlotte's liking. But she wasn't going to complain about that because he was kind enough to have her join him with all expenses paid and would even give her money to do whatever she pleased. It was a situation that would be a dream for anyone so she should be happy. Except, she wasn't.

She was all alone. Sure, she and Jack would hang out in whatever cabin, house, or apartment they were staying in, they would talk and cuddle and he was sweet and attentive, but that was it. Whenever she went out, she did so alone and whenever he went out, he wouldn't let her join him. He said it was because he wanted to protect her privacy in case any paparazzi found them and started to hound them, but it was still odd how he wouldn't allow them to be seen in public together. A side of her felt like maybe he was ashamed to be seen in public with her since she wasn't a celebrity or maybe wasn't as pretty as the famous girls he knew, but that also wasn't the type of person Jack was. So what was the issue?

"Babe! Whew, I just wrote the perfect hook for this song!" Jack said as he left one of the bedrooms he had turned into an office and small studio. She stood up and smiled a little as he approached her and pulled her into a warm hug. "This album is going to be amazing and it's all thanks to having my muse with me," he added with a grin. She chuckled a little and shook her head.

"No, this is going to be your best album all thanks to you. Not…me," she said. Her smile faltered a little and he noticed, watching as she sat back down.

"You're upset…what's wrong? Problems while you were shopping?" he asked. She sighed softly and looked up at him.

"If the problem is that you weren't with me then yes, many problems," she answered.

"Babe," Jack sighed. "I told you that this is my songwriting trip, I'm just supposed to be writing and composing. I can't really go out shopping and all that, especially with paparazzi around." It was as hard for him as it was for her. They were visiting some of the most beautiful cities in the world, and yet he couldn't join her as she explored and he couldn't shout to the world that she was his. He wanted to, he really did, but he just couldn't.

"I get that, but you still won't let me tag along when you do go out and you won't even let me share pictures of us to EnvyGram. I'm starting to feel like I'm the other woman or something," she said. He looked away from her and she sighed softly.

She felt incredibly ungrateful for complaining. Maybe she was just sabotaging things, refusing to allow herself to actually be happy. Jack did say he wanted to take care of her, spoil her and show her what it was like to be with someone who treated her well. And he did, he gave her anything she could ever ask for and she was happy in theory. How could she not be happy when she was lavished with expensive items and saw some of the most beautiful places in the world? She rubbed her knees a little and exhaled softly.

"Can we at least go to the opera house together? Just this once," she pleaded. He looked at her and licked his lips anxiously.

"I…I don't know, Char…"

"Come on Jack! I don't care if the paparazzi see us, okay? Besides, I wanna wear this pretty little backless number that I bought today," she said with a small smile. He grinned a little and let out a defeated sigh.

"Now how can I say no when you put that image into my head?" he questioned. She laughed a little and he bit down on his lip as he thought it over. It was risky, it was risky for reasons that Charlotte would never understand. But he didn't want to keep disappointing her, that would be the absolute last thing he'd want to do.

"Okay, we'll go to the opera house tonight." She squealed happily as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around him, peppering his face with thankful kisses.

"Thank you! God, seeing an opera in Milan, that's amazing," she said with a wistful sigh. Jack smiled, happy to see her so excited. Her happiness was the best thing in the world to him. With his arms around her waist, he squeezed her a little and kissed her forehead.

"It's gonna be awesome. Now let me help you into that dress you were talking about," he offered with a wiggle of his eyebrows. She laughed and nodded, taking his hand and tugging him along to the bedroom as he bounced along happily.

Later that evening, the realization of what they were going to do was beginning to hit Jack. She looked amazing in a red floor length dress that had an open crisscrossed back with a split that revealed her right leg, and her blonde twists gathered up in a ponytail with two dangling down in the front. The pendant that he got her for Christmas laid on her chest and just brought the entire look together, cementing that she was his girl and he was going to show her off. But that was the issue, he was about to show her off in public and that could easily end in a disaster.

But he couldn't tell her that, because he would have to explain why and…that wouldn't go down well. So, he bit his tongue and put on a smile as they left the apartment and went to Teatro alla Scala in his car, thankful for the tinted windows that hid them from the outside world. Charlotte wasn't completely oblivious to his nervousness, but she assumed he was worried about the paparazzi. While he seemed more settled into his wealth and spending his money, he still seemed to be the shy down to Earth guy that she once knew, and it made a lot of sense how much he disliked being surrounded by paparazzi and how invasive they could be. She held his hand and rubbed it soothingly to calm him down, which he appreciated.

Seeing a performance of La Gioconda, the opera house was packed with people all dressed their best and showing off their luxury. But as soon as Jack and Charlotte wintered, all eyes were on them as the music superstar was recognized by many people there. They shared gossipy whispers about who the girl on his arm was and why he was in Milan, but he focused on getting them to their seats as quickly as possible. As they settled into their box seats, Jack let out a nervous exhale causing Charlotte to look at him.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He looked at her and smiled a little.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. Let's enjoy the opera," he said. She nodded and held his hand in her own as everyone else settled into their seats and the lights dimmed.

The experience was magical for Charlotte, being the first time she attended an opera in person. It was incredible and she was more than grateful to Jack, over the course of watching she realized just how lucky she was as well as how stupid she was. She was still pining over Henry despite knowing that they weren't good for each other and she had someone who was willing to give her the world and more. She spent their entire trip refusing to allow herself to become too invested, reminding herself that this was just meant to be temporary fun and it wouldn't last. But why couldn't it last? Why couldn't she allow herself to enjoy being with someone who loved her as wholly and freely as Jack did?

As the opera ended and they were free to leave, Jack and Charlotte returned to his car. Once inside, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed his cheek before kissing his lips. He smiled at the sudden display of affection and immediately forgot all about his nerves as he melted into the kiss, his arms finding their way around her waist and pulling her closer to him. She relished in the feeling, realizing she had been depriving herself for so long. Sure, she and Jack would frequently have sex or cuddle, but her heart wasn't always in it completely but now she was allowing herself to put all of her into their relationship. She knew it would work this time, they would last, and that she found her person. She finally found what she believed was happiness.

The car slowly rolled to a stop and the driver cleared his throat to silently inform them that they were home. Jack reluctantly pulled away from the kiss, though he did peck her lips a few times before pulling away fully and climbing out of the car. As he did, he noticed another pair of headlights slowly approaching and getting bigger before the car they belonged to parked behind his car. He could've sworn the car was familiar but before he could dwell on it any longer, Charlotte climbed out and walked over to him, taking his hand and kissing his cheek once again.

"Let's head inside so you can help me out of this dress," she said with a smirk. He smiled and nodded, turning with her towards the building and making their way towards the door.

"Jack Swagger!" a voice shouted. It was unfamiliar to Charlotte but all too familiar to Jack, causing shivers to run down his spine. It couldn't be. There was no way. The couple turned to see an incensed redhead storming up to them.

"I knew it! I knew it! You sneaky lying son of a bitch!" she hollered as she lunged at the superstar but was quickly grabbed by one of his guards. "You stash me away in London and go traveling around the world with some other bitch?! Fuck you!" Charlotte looked at a now tense and sweaty Jack in utter confusion.

"Jack, what the hell is going on?!" He looked at her and shakily licked his lips before he tried to laugh it off.

"Um…She's just a crazed fan. Let's go inside," he said quickly as he tried to turn her away. The redhead scoffed loudly and caught Charlotte's attention again.

"Crazed fan?! Fuck you! Let me tell you something, sweetie, my name is Zoë and I'm his fucking fiancé!" she spat. Charlotte's heart sank to her stomach and she felt her head spin a little as she looked at Jack with widened eyes.

"What?!" she nearly screamed. The curly haired brunet just shook his head stiffly and opened his mouth, though no words escaped.

"I have pictures! We met in London three years ago and we've been engaged for a year before he disappeared from me! I've been looking for him and came to Milan on holiday when a friend called and said she saw him at the opera house," Zoë said as she yanked her arm out of the guard's embrace and grabbed her phone. Charlotte stared at Jack in disbelief before walking over to the redhead to look at the photos she began to scroll through.

And damn if she wasn't right. There were countless pictures and videos of them together. Some of them kissing, some of them cuddled up together, some with Zoë showing off her engagement ring, and some of them on dates. It was true, she was with him. And all of a sudden, things began to make sense. That's why she wasn't able to share any pictures of them together, that's why he avoided being seen out in public with her, he was cheating with her. Charlotte felt sick to her stomach.

"Char…" Jack croaked out as he took her hand. She snatched it away from him.

"Don't touch me," she muttered before turning on her heels and running inside, trying to ignore the sound of Zoë's yelling.

This was humiliating, embarrassing, confusing, and painful all blended up into one cocktail of craziness. She couldn't believe that Jack would do something like this. She knew he had changed, in some ways that she didn't really enjoy, but she never imagined that he would be someone who could stoop this low. As she rushed into the apartment, she doubled over with her face in her hands and let out a loud sob. Her heart was aching worse than ever before and it stung more because she was finally going to allow herself to accept him into her life fully. She was imagining how her world would change if they were to date fully again, she was preparing herself to accept the struggles of dating a celebrity, and she was opening herself up to loving him again.

And it was crushed just like that. She stood up straight and sobbed as she tried to catch her breath. This wasn't how this was supposed to go, this was supposed to be her chance at happiness and joy, this was supposed to be her do-over. Why did she constantly manage to pick some of the worst guys for her? As she stood there in her misery, the door opened and Jack rushed inside.

"Char! Let me explain!"

"I can't believe you," she said as she shook her head. "Why wouldn't you tell me you were engaged to someone else?!"

"I don't really love her!" he explained. "She was my rebound after breaking up with you and I just stuck with her. I thought I loved her and wanted to marry her, so I proposed, but when I went to Swellview and saw Piper, I immediately saw my chance to see you again, and honestly, I forgot about her. That's how little she means to me compared to you!" She scoffed and shook her head. It was surreal, both because that sounded like absolute bullshit and because it felt incredibly familiar. Only, before she was the one engaged and Henry was the one who found out under less ideal circumstances. It seemed like karma had a final blow for her.

"You should've told me. You should've told me before I invested so much of my time into someone I couldn't be with!" she said. He shook his head and stepped closer to her.

"Char, this was just supposed to be us having fun, right? Me taking care of you and helping you to have fun after all you went through. What's it matter if I'm engaged?" he asked.

"Because I'm not going to be The Other Woman, Jack. She's your fiancé, go and be with her," she said.

"Come on, why can't we enjoy this?"

"How?! As the other woman?!" she snapped. "That's not who I am! That's not what I do!" He sighed and folded his arms.

"Well, I've been the other man these past months," he said. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and shook her head a little.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked.

"Char, when we met up again you were pining over Henry. The whole reason you're here with me is so you can get over him, I get that, but it still kills me to know that the woman I love is in love with someone else. And what's worse now is that you text him regularly! You're here with me, kissing me, fucking me, being with me, but your heart is with him. I'm the other man!" he exclaimed. Her mouth fell open in shock before it closed again. She couldn't deal with this anymore.

"You knew what this was when it started, Jack. You didn't tell me about Zoë, that's the big difference between us. And maybe you're right, maybe my heart was with Henry, but tonight I was going to make it and all of me yours. Keyword being 'was'," she said before turning and walking away from him. He sighed heavily and followed her as she walked to their bedroom.

"Come on, what are you doing? Can we talk this through?" he pleaded.

"No, Jack, I don't date men in relationships. I'm packing up my things and leaving," she said as she grabbed her suitcase and flung it open. He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his curls as he watched her. His life was falling apart before his eyes and there wasn't much he could do about it. He couldn't blame her for leaving, she was never one to be with someone who did what he did. And while it was true that he didn't love Zoë, he knew the damage had been done.

"Charlotte…I offered you six months of relaxation and fun. At least let me pay for you to fly anywhere you want to go until June," he offered as one last saving grace. She continued to pack stubbornly with her back to him so he wouldn't see her tears.

"I don't need your money anymore," she said. She soon remembered the pendant around her neck and snatched it off, turning around to throw it at him. "And take that shit back, I never liked flashy stuff like that anyway." He winced before exhaling softly, scratching the back of his head.

"Please, let me pay for your flight. It's the least I can do for you after all this…" he insisted. She sighed and turned away from him again.

"Fine. Get me a ticket to New York," she said. He nodded a little and rubbed his hands together. He wanted to beg her to stay with him, to forgive him and give him another chance, hell he even wanted to offer to give her Zoë's engagement ring so they could get married instead. But there was no use, he knew she was done with him. He took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

"Okay. I'm sorry, Charlotte. For what it's worth, I really do love you. More than Henry ever could," he said. When she didn't respond and continued to pack, he nodded a little and left the bedroom, slowly closing the door behind him.

As she heard the door close, she slowly sank down to her knees and quietly sobbed against the bed. At one point in time, Jack was her dream guy and was all he wanted, and to an extent, she still felt that way. But now the dream was shattered and she was awakened to a reality she never wanted to be a part of. A reality where even Jack Swaggowitz betrayed her. It was the worst reality imaginable.

Bawling against the bed, she heard her phone start to buzz. She sniffled and wiped her eyes before digging her phone out of her purse to see who was calling, and much to her surprise, it was Henry. She was tempted to ignore it but she really needed comfort from someone, and luckily the two of them had been on relatively friendly terms recently. She sighed shakily and accepted the call, holding the phone to her ear and clearing her throat.

"Hello?"

"Hey! I know it's pretty late there but I know you're a night owl so I wanted to check on you anyway," he said over the phone. "What's up? How was the opera?"

"It was great," she said with a sigh. "It was beautiful."

"Are…you okay? You sound a little down?" he asked with concern laced in his voice. Just hearing how concerned he for her pushed her over the edge again and she broke down into more sobs.

"No, no I'm really not," she said between her broken sobs.

She held her head in her hands as explained everything to him. It was a little weird to be confiding in Henry again but she missed it. She missed being able to talk to him, rant to him, and depend on him when she needed it. She missed him. She missed him more than she even knew she did. But now he was there for her again and a part of her found comfort in the fact that he always would be.

A/N: Thanks for reading! This was another long one. I considered splitting it in two but decided to stick with it being one chapter. Make sure to comment! I really enjoy reading your thoughts.