Never There ~ A Jelsa Story~

Nineteen; Unfaithful

"So, El, did you want me to look after your little sparkling Jewel?" my sister asked me over the phone.

"Could you? Thanks! I do need a break. I'll bring her to you now, shall I?"

"Sure! I'm free all day, as it happens! Kristoff is at work for a long time today, and as you know, Friday is my day off."

"Yes, of course! I'll see you soon!" The phone went off and I got Jewel and myself ready. I dropped her at Anna's house and went to my favourite restaurant - the one where Jack and I had our first date.

I was surprised to see Jack sitting at a table in what we called 'our place', and then I smiled. Jack was sitting at the same table that we had sat on before; the same one that I had felt was special to us. I guessed that he had felt that too. Then I noticed one of my best friends, and also one of my bridesmaids, Rapunzel, walking over to him. She seemed to be talking to him about me. I strained my ears to hear what they were saying, and I caught the words, 'what are you doing with her?' I gasped, and listened again to the response. 'I did love her to start with, but this past year, she hasn't been as loving to me as she was before. I'm so glad to have you to help me through it!' 

And that was that. Jack, once my boyfriend, and now my beloved husband, and the father of my children, was admitting to Rapunzel, the girl who seemed so pleased to marry us, that he didn't love me. That he loved her instead. Rapunzel smiled at him, and Jack smiled back. They leaned towards each other and I looked away, not bearing to see what would happen next.  However, I knew that I couldn't assume things, so I glanced back at the two, only to see my worst nightmare coming true: Jack was kissing Rapunzel. He was having an affair with one of my closest mates. I rushed outside the restaurant. The memory of our first date had been shattered, replaced by the scene of Jackunzel. As I thought of the couple name, I shivered. Jelsa had a much nicer ring to it, surely? My hands trembled as I called Anna. 

"Anna? Can I come over to yours? I have something to tell you..."

"What is it? Have you had your meal already?"

"No! I've witnessed something simply awful. I can't talk now, not in public."

"Oh no! Have you seen a crime take place? Of course, come quickly! You need to make a report to the police!"

"Yes, yes, I will, bye, Anna!" I put my phone in my pocket. My eyes became blurry with tears, not sad, but angry and disappointed ones. I could taste the salty taste on my tongue, and looked away from the passing people.

"Sweetie, are you crying? Is anything the matter? Are you hurt? Love, are those tears? Do let me help you darling! Can I help you, miss?" Everyone on the streets were kind and considerate, but the only person I wanted to talk to was my sister. She let me in and saw my tear-strained face.

"Is this all the work of a crime?"

"No! I never said that, did I? Anyway... Anna... I went to the restaurant that Jack and I went to on our date. I saw him with Rapunzel!"

"Rapunzel and Jack are friends, though, aren't they? And anyway, Eugene and Rapunzel are an item! Rapunzel wouldn't cheat on him, and Jack is Eugene's best friend, so he wouldn't lie to Eugene too!"

"But you don't understand! I saw them! Kissing!"

"What? Jack is having a thing with Punzie? For real?"

"Yes! He is breaking his marriage vows! And I probably would be able to get over it, if we were just dating, but we're not! And we have children! What are the little ones going to think when they hear that daddy and mummy have split up? They'll want to see him! But I don't want to drive them over to Rapunzel and Jack's house!"

"You won't have to, trust me. I have a plan..."

"Really? What is it?" she told me what she was thinking and I nodded. I needed to get revenge. "Can you come with me?"

"Of course!" We walked back to the restaurant, and Anna went inside to record their date on my phone. I held Jewel in my arms and hugged her tight. 

"Sweetie, we'll get through this, won't we?" I asked her, and she looked up at me with an innocent expression. "Oh, Jewel, I love you so much!"

After a while, Jewel started to become restless so I popped into the cafe across the road and used their toilet to check that she was clean. I changed her and then fed her. When she was happy again, I went outside and sat on the nearby bench, watching the restaurant carefully. Eventually, Anna came outside, looked around to find me and then walked towards me. 

"I've filmed the whole thing, up to when Rapunzel started to move so I thought that they might be going."

"Did anything happen?" I asked, looking at Anna with pleading eyes.

She hesitated. "Well... they looked... happy to be with one another..." she bit her lip and she saw my expression. "Okay, okay. They did... a few times..."

"So, you see, it wasn't my imagination," I replied, cradling Jewel. "Poor, poor Jewel. She loves Jack, I'm sure of it."

"But she loves you more, doesn't she? And if... Jack and Rapunzel move into another house, all the kids will choose you, because you are the one who spends the most time with them, see?"

"I suppose... Anna, I don't see how I can pretend that everything's okay! It isn't, is it?"

"It will be," she said firmly, squeezing my arm, "Everything will be fine, trust me. Jack will be sorry he even thought about Jackunzel. I told him at Tyler's birth to be careful with you, that he shouldn't mess with you, but what does he do? He stabs you right in the back five years later, thinking that his promise no longer stands!" 

"The first time, when he broke his arm, he had a right to break up with me! But now - I haven't done anything wrong!" I looked away, my eyes stinging as if I might cry. I didn't want my baby to see her mother sad, it just wasn't right. I needed to be strong, for the both of us. If I was upset, Jewel would be too. It was all going wrong... my perfect life was no longer perfect.