"Elijah's having an affair. He's been cheating on you for months!" Jax blurted out quickly.

In that moment, Jess could've sworn her heart stopped beating, the oxygen stopped entering her lungs, and she, herself stopped being. She felt void from the inside to the out. As desolate as the current state of her womb.

"What? Wh-what the hell are you saying, Jax?" Her voice emerged as rough, jagged breaths.

"I'm so sorry Jess...I know I should've said something earlier, but..." He stopped in his tracks as she held her hand up, indicating for him to stop. He noticed the colour drain from her already pasty pale skin.

"How? How...How can this even be true?!" She continued, her gaze drifting down to the floor beneath her. But suddenly she glanced back up towards Jax, her stare suddenly much more accusing.

"This is one of your jokes, isn't it? You've said some stupid things but this really isn't funny, Jax!" She spat out, every word radiating anger.

"I...No! No, I'm not joking. I wish I was but I'm not Jess. This is the truth...Elijah is cheating on you." He repeated; he could visibly see the pain in Jess's eyes which were more glossy than usual. He noticed how when he said the word 'cheating', her body jerked back, almost violently as though he'd physically attacked her.

"Jess, I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say...I really don't. But I'm here for you Jess, always. You've been like a sister to me and I knew I had to tell you...all I can say is that I'm so sorry for not telling you earlier." He mumbled the last sentence weakly. He could see his mistake clearer than ever at that moment. If he wasn't going to tell them he should've tried harder to stop the affair in its tracks. He felt ashamed to say he let it continue for nearly four months.

"Who?" She whispered, her lip trembled with vulnerability. If there was anything she loathed, it was feeling vulnerable. Yet here she was basking in her vulnerability again, as though her losing her baby hadn't made her vulnerable enough.

"What?"

"Who...? Who's Elijah been cheating on me with? You said it's been going on for months so surely you must know who she is." She looked at him so intently, it was almost as though she was piercing through his being, her green lasers delving directly into his soul for answers.

Jax was stunned into silence. He shut his eyes tightly remembering his conversation with Seb only minutes ago. He had to tell her. He had to, for Kylie's own sake as well as Jess's. But Kylie was his baby sister and he had to protect her at all costs because if he didn't, who would?

"I asked you a question, Jax! Who the fuck is she?" Jess nearly yelled at him, startling Jax so his eyes fluttered open again. He was thankful for the roaring music from inside the hall as they were only a couple feet away from the door and he silently prayed that nobody could hear that Jess was moments away from a breakdown.

"I...I don't know." He quickly said, knowing he was wrong, just like he'd been wrong to not prevent the affair from the start. He felt the guilt pour into him as he averted his gaze away from her.

"What do you mean you don't know? How can you not know?!" She hissed back at him.

"I...I didn't see her face properly. I just heard their conversation but she was...blonde."

"Blonde?" Jess responded in a baffled manner as though what Jax had said were so utterly ludicrous.

"Yeah, she was definitely blonde." He winced at his own lie.

"Well, where did you see them? What were they saying...doing?" She said quickly, searching Jax's face for more answers but instead was met with reluctance.

"It was erm...a few weeks ago. Down near the town square. They were arguing." He rambled. Lying had never been Jax's strongest suit but he hoped and prayed that he was convincing enough for Jess to believe that Elijah was indeed cheating, without admitting his own sisters' role.

"Arguing about what?"

"I didn't hear all of it. I just heard her saying how she was through with him and never wanted to see him again." He rushed out, roughly alluding to the conversation he'd heard Kylie and Elijah have during Jess's pregnancy announcement party.

"How do you know it's been going on for months? You don't know who she is other than her being 'blonde', and you can barely remember the 'argument' you heard them having?" The doubt was evident in Jess's voice.

"I don't know...I just, it just seemed like it was an ongoing thing to me." He sighed, he knew he'd lost his chance, to tell the truth. His lie was so far-fetched that he wasn't surprised that Jess appeared so doubtful.

"Jax, they could've been arguing about anything! He's doing his masters so obviously, he talks to girls in his seminars and lectures. But an argument that you overheard that could've meant absolutely anything isn't sufficient enough for you to accuse my fiancé of cheating on me." She replied sternly, making it clear that she wasn't buying any of his bullshit.

"I can't believe...I actually thought he could've cheated on me. A relationship is built on trust. How can I have even have thought so low of him for even a split second?" She asked herself, facing away from Jax.

"...I told you what I thought. And maybe I was wrong." He continued, moving to stand in front of her. "But if you believed me for even a second...then isn't that sufficient enough reason to not marry him? Trust is everything and if you don't trust him, then..." He trailed off. Even if Jess didn't believe Elijah was cheating, maybe he could use her lack of trust as a way to stop their wedding.

Jess was quiet, considering Jax's words but then shook her head, "just go back into the hall Jax, you've already said more than enough." She turned on her heel, heading towards the ladies' bathroom.

She opened the tap, splashing a small amount of water on her face, before staring intently at herself in the mirror. "He wouldn't cheat on you. Elijah would never cheat on you." She convinced herself in the mirror.

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Meanwhile, in the hall, Elijah and Kylie kept their distance from each other except for the frequent glances they stole at each other. Not to mention the small intimate touches they'd steal from one another as they passed each other in their hall; at times their bodies pressing against each other way too tightly to be innocent.

But unbeknown to these careless souls, these moments didn't go unnoticed.

As Kylie made her way to the buffet to help herself to some of the Tiramisu which was on offer for dessert, a hand grabbed her forearm, the fingernails digging into the taut flesh. Adding more bruises to Kylie's already impressive collection.

"Ow! Ow! Get off me." Kylie squealed as they exited the hall room without anyone noticing. She was dragged out into the back, near the carpark area before she realised whom she was being dragged by.

"Pattie, what do you want? You're really hurting me!" She squealed, finally using all her strength to snatch her hand back from her vice-like grasp.

"Good. Maybe now you'll know how it feels." Pattie snarled back.

Kylie rubbed at the ruby red skin left on her arm, "Couldn't you just call me out here? Or is that too civilised for you?"

"You never stop, do you?" Pattie laughed harshly. "You think everyone's blind? You think nobody can see you throwing yourself at him? You make me sick!"

Kylie took a step backwards, "I don't know what you're talking about, Pattie."

Pattie cackled, "of course you don't. I guess it's normal to you. I know your type. I've known it from that first time Jessica brought you to our home, you must have been thirteen, fourteen at most."

"My type? What do you mean?" Kylie replied quietly.

"Damaged, no self-esteem, in other words – a little slut. Opens her legs for anyone and everyone, and after a while, every man loses interest so they chase after the married man. But you already know all about that, don't you Kylie?"

Kylie reeled from the insult, her voice catching in her throat, "I...I'm gonna go back inside." She whispered, turning slightly, but feeling Pattie's vice grip grabbing her other arm. The sharp fingernails finding refuge in her warm skin, until tiny dribbles of red appeared on the surface.

"I'm not done, yet," Pattie whispered, her ice-cold breath hitting the back of Kylie's neck as she hauled her back, the young girl nearly tumbling from the amount of force used.

"I don't know what you want from me..." Kylie shrieked, tugging herself away from Pattie's grasp.

"I want you to stay away. From Elijah and Jessica." She said matter-of-factly.

"Jess is my best friend. Of course, I can't stay away."

Pattie cocked her head to the side, a patronising look on her face, "If you really thought Jessica as your best friend, you would never, ever have chased after Elijah."

"I didn't chase after him, it just happened!" Kylie responded defensively.

"No, it doesn't just happen. I've seen you flaunting yourself in front of him, flirting with him endlessly, touching him inappropriately, even in front of me and Jessica! How can you stoop so low?" Pattie responded angrily.

"No. No. That isn't what happened. I never did any of that stuff! We were drunk and...one thing leads to another. But I didn't chase him!" Kylie screamed back at Pattie, wanting desperately for her to believe her, to know she wasn't that 'type' of girl.

"Shout and scream all you want, but I know the truth. You can't help yourself, you're a parasite to Jessica. Taking whatever you want from her."

"No...that isn't true. I didn't intend for any of this to happen, I swear." Kylie continued to explain herself. She hadn't noticed when the tears had begun to roll down her cheeks but they had and they were innumerable.

"The same way you didn't intend to take my son away from me? From Jessica? From his whole family?" Pattie continued, pointing her sharp accusing finger at Kylie.

"I'm not the reason Cody is the way he is today. I tried to help him get better, and I failed but I'm not the reason he left you guys." Kylie sobbed. She didn't know why she was desperately trying to explain herself to Pattie of all people. She just knew she didn't want to be labelled as a home-wrecker. She didn't want to be like her father. She didn't.

"Help him by sleeping with him? Typical Kylie. Is that what you were doing with Elijah, helping him?" Pattie snapped back.

"I'm sorry," Kylie whispered.

"You will be if you don't stay away from him...because if I even see you look in his direction again, it'll be you who falls down the stairs this time."

"What?" Kylie's head jerked up as she dried her eyes with both her hands. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing. Go inside." Pattie said quickly, getting ready to walk back inside herself.

"It was you. You pushed Jess!" Kylie gasped. "Why? Why would you try and hurt your own daughter?"

"Shut up, will you?" Pattie hissed back at Kylie who seemed hysterical. "It was an accident, alright? It was supposed to be you."

"What?"

"You think I'd intentionally push my own daughter down the stairs? No. She was outside your bedroom, I thought it was you. It was supposed to be you.

I saw this email on Elijah's laptop just the week before it happened. It was a booking confirmation thing for a hotel. I was so stupid to think he'd booked it for him and Jessica but I thought it was just you pursuing him at that point, I had no idea that you and him were..." She looked disgusted as she trailed off, "anyway, I planned to go around there the day they left and teach you a lesson, to make sure you stayed away from Elijah. But when I was waiting for you to come out of your bedroom, all the lights in the house went off and it was pitch black and so I didn't see that it was Jessica. And, it was only after when I was making sure you were unconscious that I realised it was...my baby that I'd pushed." She whispered the last sentence.

Kylie silently listened, taking it all in. She recalled Elijah trying to fix the fuse-box that had been on the blink just days before Jess's fall and how the lights would go off from time to time and suddenly it all made sense.

"I can't believe it." Kylie murmured, still in shock. "Jess lost their baby, because of you!" Kylie yelled.

"Shut up!" Pattie yelled back. "If you'd never come back from Ireland, none of this would've even happened, they'd still be happy together."

"How dare you even blame...knowing what you did. You're a murderer, you killed their baby!" Kylie retaliated.

"No. Don't you dare." Pattie said, "you stay away from them, you hear me? Stay away!"

"No, I won't." Kylie laughed, enjoying having the upper hand to Pattie for once. But her laughter soon came to an end as Pattie seized hold of Kylie's long locks of hair and began to violently pull at them.

"You leave him alone, you dirty slut!" She screamed, losing all her composure as she lost control.

"Get away from me, you're hurting me!" Kylie screamed, trying to push the deranged woman away from her. Due to the immense pain, she barely noticed the change of Pattie's words.

"Leave my husband alone." Pattie began screaming as she became completely erratic.

"What?" Kylie cried, feeling strands of her hair being viciously pulled out of the roots before she pinched Pattie's arms forcing her to let go.

"You're absolutely crazy." Kylie breathed out, still in shock from the trauma she'd endured.

"You're crazy. You're actually crazy." Kylie whispered as she walked backwards away from Pattie who had fallen to the floor and began sobbing.

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Authors' Note: So, the truth is out about what happened to Jess! What do we think of Pattie and the change in her character, we see here? :p

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please vote/comment if you enjoyed! Your votes and comments are what makes me wanna continue the story so please do show your support! It means the world :) x