His return.

NINTH CHAPTER

When night fell, I was still in my room, lying on the bed and looking at the ceiling. I felt bitter and frustrated with everything that had happened during the day. The scientists, Luke, the fight with his mother—there was too much pressure from all sides.

While I was lying there, I heard a light knock on the door.

"Bella, are you there?" Jack's voice was heard. He was quiet and careful, as if he didn't want to disturb my peace.

"Yes, I'm here," I said, standing up.

"Come in."

Jack walked into the room, his face softer than usual.

"I wanted to tell you that the scientists left. I think it will be quiet for a while."

"Then that's good news. Thank you for telling me."

Jack sat on the end of my bed, his eyes full of understanding.

"I know that today was a difficult day. Thanks for being there for me. I'd like to tell you something... something that might help you understand my past."

I didn't know what to expect, but I nodded.

"Of course. What is it about?"

Jack took a deep breath, as if trying to muster up the courage to tell the story.

"About how I met Rose and how we fell in love... She was... incredible. But it wasn't always easy for her. She had an arranged marriage with Cal Hockley, and she didn't love him. It brought her to the point where she wanted to end her life."

"She wanted to kill herself? How did you stop her?"

Jack shrugged, his eyes turning sad.

"The first night, I found her on the deck, over the railing, ready to jump into the sea. I talked to her, trying to convince her not to kill herself. I told her the water was cold, she would die if she jumped in. When I tried to help her back, she slipped and almost fell into the ocean. I held her hand until she calmed down, and then I pulled her back over the fence."

"That's unbelievable," I said, feeling my heart sink at the story.

"What happened after that?"

"Crew members came running when they heard her screaming. They found us lying on the floor and thought I had tried to rape her. Everything happened so fast. The commander came and Cal, her fiance, tried to arrest me. But Rose lied that she slipped and said I saved her. That's how we both avoided problems. Cal was grateful but had no real respect for me or her. That was the beginning of our secret. Cal tried to give me a reward, but it was clear he didn't care. He invited me to dinner in first class, but it was just a show. I knew I was an outsider in his world like you are in your school..."

I started laughing at that.

"What happened the next day?"

"Well, after I saved her, Rose came to me to say thank you. But when I started questioning why she wanted to jump and if she really loved Cal, she got offended and left. She immediately understood that I was right and came to talk to me. Then we started spending time together. She showed me how different I am from the people she was surrounded by."

He went on to tell how they spent the whole day talking about their lives, how Rose was impressed by his notebook drawings. He taught her how to spit from the side of the ship, but when they were caught, her mother was horrified. She warned Rose to stay away from Jack and led her back to her room.

One first class passenger, Molly Brown, helped Jack get ready for dinner with the first class passengers. She lent him her son's tuxedo, which allowed him to blend in with the rich and distinguished guests. At dinner, Jack charmed the whole table with his humor and insightful comments