Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN JANE THE VIRGIN OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS!

A/n: I am sorry for lack of frequent updates but I have a lot going on in my life. I am a mom and I work full time so making time to write can be difficult some days, but this story will be completed. It just might take a little bit longer.

THANK YOU!

Setting him free was easy, because he wasn't you.

NARRATOR: Welcome back, friends! Last time we saw our Jane, she had given Jason the divorce papers and he was now free to return home. Except it seems as though Jason might be falling for Jane, because he has decided to stay in Miami for the time being. As you can imagine this has caused a lot of drama between Jane and Rafael…

Jane had her head held high as she packed up her belongings from their apartment. She refused to let him win this time. She wasn't to blame for the mess he created. Jane stood over the queen sized bed and folded her clothes neatly on top of the white comforter as Rafael stood in the doorway scowling at her.

"Why won't you talk to me?" He asked with genuine cluelessness. He couldn't understand why she was still mad at him.

Jane kept her focus on her current task and ignored him. She had accustomed him into thinking if he said sorry then everything would be okay, but this time it wasn't okay. It would never be okay. All she wanted was his support during the hardships but he would only hand her criticism. If they were to ever work out then he would have to work on himself first. She wouldn't bow down to him any longer.

Rafael sighed trying to calm himself down, but she was making it difficult to not get angry. His hand ran through his thick dark hair several times before he made a move towards her. They were going to talk and he wouldn't give her the option to leave without telling him what went wrong.

"Jane," Her name always fell so easily off his lip's.

He was now standing on the other-side of the mattress looking directly at her beauty. She had always been so beautiful with her smooth caramel skin tone and her short raven hair. Her curves were his weakness, but her smile is what always drove him overboard.

She didn't acknowledge him and his fuse was getting shorter by the second.

He sighed heavily, "I said I was sorry,"

Jane looked up at him this time. She took in the man standing in front of her. His yellow dress shirt was buttoned only half way to show off his muscular chest and his black dress pants were costumed fitted. His black hair was slightly messy, but it still looked good. His chocolate eyes were staring at her waiting for her to forgive him.

"Saying sorry doesn't fix our problems," Her voice was rigid.

"You're overreacting," He rolled his eyes at her.

"No," She stood her ground. "I am under-reacting, Rafael…" She slammed her fists onto the soft mattress as her emotions took over her body. "I am allowed to be angry for how you reacted to my husband coming back into my life," Her voice was starting to shake, but she would push through it. "Because I don't know how you expect me to walk away like he never meant anything to me-"

"What I wanted was for you to choose me…" His eyes were almost black now. "I was going to propose to you, because I'm ready to spend the rest of my life with you." His voice was raw full of emotions trying to pull her back in but it wasn't going to work this time.

He would never let go of the anger he had for her choosing Michael over him all those years ago. It was incredibly evident now more than ever before.

"You were my second choice," She said honestly. "And if you can't learn to move on from my past decisions then we will never work."

She didn't wait to hear what else he had to say, because deep down she knew he wasn't ready to let it go. Jane picked up the boxes full of her clothes and left him alone in the bedroom they used to share.

It was time for her to focus on herself and Mateo.

Narrator: If only it would be that simple…

Rogelio had loaned Jane his car for the day so she could get all her belongings from the apartment in one trip. She only had one more box to put in the red car when her phone started buzzing.

"Hey Petra," Jane said with distain in her voice.

"Jane!" The blond woman screamed her name through the phone which caused Jane to cringe visibly.

"Petra this isn't a good time," Jane said annoyed.

"I don't care," Petra seethed. "How come you didn't tell me about Jason staying-"

Jane interrupted her friend, "Wait Jason hasn't left?" She asked confused on why Jason hadn't jumped on the first bus heading out of town. "But I signed the papers and he said he has a girl back home-"

Petra interrupted Jane, "Jane, maybe it is time to tell Mateo about Jason." It was the most solid advice Petra had ever given her.

"I think you are right," Jane agreed. "Um thanks for telling me, Petra."

"Yeah whatever," Petra said cooly. "Bye Jane,"

The phone call ended and Jane sighed heavily because explaining this to Mateo wouldn't be an easy task. Her son had no memory of the man who he had called "Dada" first. Mateo had only heard stories of Michael, but he had no attachment to him.

Jane quickly put the last box in the car and drove off to pick up her son. It was time to break the news to him. If Jason would be staying longer than she thought he would then she wanted to be the one who told Mateo first. She didn't want it to be sprung on him.

Fifteen minutes later she had arrived at his school. Mateo and his classmates hadn't been released yet so she sat down on the black bench outside the school's entrance and anxiously waited for him.

"Mommy!" Mateo screamed happily as he ran over to the bench she was sitting on. "I missed you," He gave her a tight hug.

"I missed you too," Jane beamed at her son.

When everything in her life was falling apart he was the only constant. He was too young to understand how he saved her life in more ways than one.

"We should go," Jane pushed herself off the bench and held out a hand for him to hold. "I have to talk to you about some really important things,"

"Did I do something wrong?" His brown eyes were big like a puppy's and Jane's heart melted into a big puddle.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong," She said reassuring him, he wasn't in trouble.

Mateo was excited to ride in his grandfather's new car, but he was sadden to see boxes in the seat next to his. He was smart enough to put two and two together, his mommy and daddy broke up. This was the news she would tell him. It was all his fault.

Narrator: No, Mateo! It is not your fault…quick Jane tell him it is not his fault.

Jane peered into the rearview mirror and saw the "look" on his face. The look of self-loathing and a fear of being responsible for something out of your control. She knew this look because she had worn it so many times before.

"It is not your fault," She wouldn't let him self-destruct. "No matter what happens between your dad and myself it will be never be because of something you did. Sometimes people grow apart and that's okay." She promised him it wasn't his fault.

Mateo pondered what his mom had just told him before he asked, "Is it because Daddy is mean to you?" His question surprised her.

Jane was speechless. She thought Raf had been amicable with her lately.

"I'm sorry Mom," Mateo said sincere. "I'm sorry for letting him talk to you that way and I'm sorry for how I…" He couldn't finish his sentence.

A loud cry came from the backseat, and Jane couldn't look in the mirror any longer. She hated seeing him cry especially if he was crying over her.

"Baby, I forgive you," She said shelving his worries aside. "I love you through thick and thin."

"I love you to the moon and back," Mateo smiled proudly.

Narrator: Ahh what a sweet moment between mother and son. If only her life could be this simple all the time…

Jane was tired by the time her day was through. She was now seated on the couch watching a tele-nova on the small tv in Alba's house. She had an emotional roller-coaster kind of day, and she needed to turn off her brain for a little bit. Mateo had been her knight in shining armor, his love for her was more than she felt she deserved most days.

She explained to him how her and his dad were taking a break from each other, but she reassured him it wouldn't effect his day to day. They would find a way to make it work, being cordial to one another that is. It wasn't an option, because their son wouldn't be used like a bargaining chip.

Jane wasn't ready to tell Mateo about Michael yet. She didn't want to add any worry to his mind. She knew her son didn't have memories of Michael, but he knew how much she loved him. He saw her grief every day for the last four years. He saw her cry herself to sleep most nights. He didn't tell his dad about all the times he saw his mom fall apart whenever she was reminded of Michael.

Jane knew her son had seen her happy with his dad, but he also saw her moments of sadness when the grief was too strong to try and hold it back anymore. Mateo kept her secret and she knew it was not easy for him to try and pretend she was always happy. She regretted her son having to see her love up on his dad only to then fall asleep crying clutching onto a picture of Michael. She knew it broke his heart knowing his dad couldn't take her pain away.

Her heart still longed for Michael, but she tricked herself into believing she could move on. The guilt she felt for his death was the reason she could never let him go. Every time she was reminded of him, her heart would ache all over again and it was if she was experiencing his death all over again.

She never let him go.

There was a knock at the door and Jane begrudgingly pushed herself up off the couch and answered the door. She opened the door and was surprised to find herself staring into his crystal blue eyes once more.

"Hey, I know it's late," He laughed nervously and Jane shifted uneasy by his presence. His body was like a magnet drawing her in and seeing him look lacking his usual confidence made it even more dangerous.

He was never a smooth talker and she liked that about him.

"I thought you were leaving," Jane questioned him as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I did too," He ran his right hand through his shaggy blond hair. "But something keeps pulling me back to you…" He paused and Jane let out an audible sigh. "I know this sounds crazy, but I feel like destiny-"

Jane interrupted him, "I can't do this," Her voice trembled, but she had to end this. "You need to go back to Montana, Jason."

"Jane-" Her name sounded weird on his tongue like it didn't belong there.

She shut the door before he could try and sweet talk her into doing something she would later regret. She leaned her back against the door as her feet gave out beneath her. Tears poured from her eyes and down her cheeks.

She should be happy right now, because for a spilt second it was almost like Michael was still here. This is what she wanted, right? A glimmer of hope that her Michael was somewhere underneath the surface. It didn't feel right taking him away from his new life. He deserved to be happy even if it meant without her.

Narrator: Things don't look too good for Jane right now, but rest easy friends because things are about to turn around!

Thanks for reading!

I have decided to put the narrator's voice in bold to easily separate it from the rest of the story.

Stay tuned for more:)