18

Rose held her daughter in one arm and a small suitcase in the other, as she entered the room she had rented at the boarding house. She wiped away her still flowing tears, shutting the door behind her and laying Josephine in the crib that came with the room. She then collapsed on her bed, exhausted from the day’s revelations. Jack…the one man she had thought could never hurt her, had hurt her beyond repair. He had fallen in love with someone else.

But really, what did she expect? She was stupid to think that she could know him after only knowing him for three short days. He was a stranger to her, really. A stranger that she loved with all her heart…almost to the point of obsession.

"Jack, why?" New tears begin to flow. "I loved you so much."

~*~

Two weeks later…

Rose sat rocking Josephine, trying not to think about Jack, who she had seen the day before, when he had stopped by to visit Josephine. She remembered the visit. How tense things were. How his eyes had begged for forgiveness. How she had wanted to race into his arms and forgive everything. But the fact that Maria was still there stopped her. So he had left, leaving her alone with her daughter and bitter-sweet memories of their time together. Of the marriage that seemed to be coming apart at the seams.

Suddenly, Rose was startled out of her memories by a quick knock at the door. She was relieved to hear a very familiar voice on the other side.

"Rose? Rose darlin? Are you in there? It’s me. Molly."

Rose had called her friend two days after leaving Jack. Molly had agreed to come as soon as possible. Maybe with a mediator, Rose and Jack could put things back together again.

"Molly!" Rose got up and threw open the door. "Molly you’re here!" She embraced her friend.

"Of course I’m here. I told ya I’d come didn’t I?"

"Yes you did. Come in. Meet Josephine," Rose stood aside so her friend could enter the room.

"Oh my goodness. She’s adorable," Molly scooped the baby up into her arms. "The perfect mixture of Jack and yourself."

Rose avoided Molly’s eyes at the mention of Jack, as a sharp pain ran through her. Did he still love her? Did he even think about her? Or was he now deep in an torrid love affair with Maria? She closed her eyes, halfway wishing that she had died that cold April night. Anything was better then the pain she felt at that moment.

"Rosie?" Molly tentatively touched Rose’s arm after placing Josephine back into her crib. "What’s going on? Why did you leave Jack? I still can’t believe it."

Rose sighed, rubbing her face…wanting to hide her tears of heartbreak. She had wanted to seem strong and stoic…but she was failing miserably. "There’s someone else Molly. Jack’s in love with this girl…Maria. She was Jack’s friend Fabrizio’s sister. I walked in on him kissing her."

"Was that all?" Molly asked, shocked at the news. She was indeed surprised by Jack’s behavior. He had been so into Rose on Titanic. Even went up against one of the most powerful men in the country, just to be with her. Why would he risk it all like this? "What did he say?"

"That he loved us both. But Molly, how can that be? How can he be in love with two women at the same time?"

"The heart is a complicated thing Rose, darlin. But I bet you anything that his love for you is much stronger then whatever he’s feeling for this Maria. Plus, you two share a very special bond. Josephine. That’s definitely a point in your favor. Have you two talked since you left?"

Rose nodded. "Yes, yesterday in fact. He wants me to come home. I want to…but Maria’s there and…"

"You’re just going to let her steal your husband?"

"What?" Rose frowned, thrown off by Molly’s words.

"Rosie, listen. Our Jack is handsome, sweet, brave, but he isn’t perfect. He’s had a moment of weakness. But was it enough to give him up for? Do you want him back Rose?"

"Yes I do. More then anything."

"Well then go home and fight for him. A man like Jack…I think he’s well worth fighting for," Molly smiled knowingly.

"You’re right Molly. He is. I love him so much…I just want things back to the way they were before Maria."

"Well let’s go make it happen darlin," Molly grabbed Rose’s suitcase.

~*~

Jack sat on the porch smoking another cigarette. He was once again thinking of Rose and how much he missed her. He was such a fool for even thinking that his feelings for Maria even came close to what he felt for Rose. His feelings for Maria didn’t even come close to how much he loved his wife. Now that Rose was gone, it was like someone had torn out his soul. There was no more meaning to his existence.

"Jack?" Maria stepped out onto the porch, thinking of how different things were now. Jack hardly ever looked at her anymore. Plus Samantha and George kept giving her dirty looks. It was obvious that she wasn’t wanted there. But they were too afraid of Jack to say anything.

"Hello," he forced a smile, resisting the urge to run in the opposite direction, just in case the urge to kiss her returned. But thankfully, it hadn’t. Not yet anyway.

"…She’ll be back Jack. If she loves you, she’ll come back," She touched his arm. "…I’m sorry for causing so much trouble. Really, I am."

"It’s not your fault Maria. I lied about my feelings for you. I didn’t tell her how I was feeling," Jack sighed, just as Molly came upon the porch.

She wanted to get to the bottom of things before Rose returned. She especially wanted to meet this Maria and feel the girl out. See what her true intentions were.

"Molly?" a genuine smile of disbelief lit up Jack’s face.

"Hey there Jack," Molly hugged the young man. "I decided to drop by for a little visit. Thought I may be needed."

"Does Rose know you’re here?"

"Of course. I just came from see her. Now, do you mind telling me your side of what caused this separation?"

"I did," Maria raised a guilty hand.

"So you’re Maria," Molly looked the girl over. "You’re pretty."

"Rose walked in on me kissing Jack," Maria nervously bit her lip. "I am so sorry. I never…"

"No you’re not," Molly smiled. "You may be sorry for the mess the kiss caused, but for the kiss itself…"

"How is Rose, Molly? I saw her yesterday, but how is she today?" Jack asked, wanting to go running to her rescue if she was in any pain or sick, or if Cal came back to stalk her. "Is she eating right? Is she getting enough sleep?"

Molly laughed, happy that Jack wanted to rush off and take care of Rose. It meant that she really was number one in his life. Kiss or no kiss. "She’s fine. Not happy, but she’s ok. As you probably know."

"I love her Molly. I know what I did was inexcusable…"

"Jack. It was only a kiss. That was all you did…right?"

Jack nodded. "It was only that one kiss."

"Jack!" George called from inside. "I need ya in here for a second!"

"I’ll be right there!" Jack called. "Molly, I’ll be right back."

"Sure thing darlin," Molly smiled. Left alone, she turned to Maria. "So it’s just me and you."

"Yes mam," Maria nervously cleared her throat.

"So Maria….do you love him?"

Maria sighed. The answer to that question was all too easy. "Yes. Yes I do love him."

Feeling a bit sorry for the girl, Molly placed a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder. "That’s what I thought. He does have some feelings for you. I can see that. But my dear…they’re nowhere near love. Not the kind of love he shares with Rose, anyway. That girl owns his heart and always will. You might want to think about that before pursuing him any further. Do you want a man who can never truly love you, or do you want a man that can give you his whole heart? Think about that," Molly patted Maria’s shoulder before disappearing into the house.

"But I love him," Maria whispered to herself, sinking down to the porch step. "How can I live my life without him?"

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