It kept burning

When dawn broke, Jack stood at the door, his suitcase beside him. Blue watched him from the threshold, her arms wrapped around herself, she felt like a part of her was leaving. She felt nauseous.

"I'll call you," he said, his gaze lingering on her, he tried to stay strong.

Blue nodded, tears threatening to spill. "When next?" She said moving to him

Jack was unsure, "i love you, Blue. We should keep in touch"

He hugged her and moved away.

As the door closed behind him, Blue felt a pang of regret. She had let him go without telling him the truth about Ivy. But she knew she couldn't hide forever. 

For now, she could only hope that when the moment came, Jack would still feel the same way about her—and about Ivy.

Jack's flight back to New York felt like a blur. The city's bustling energy greeted him, but the weight of leaving Blue behind dulled everything. As he entered his penthouse apartment, Myrtle, his wife, was waiting. 

"oh goodness you're back," Myrtle said coldly, her arms crossed. "Did you handle the deal ?" 

Jack ignored her tone, setting his suitcase down. "The deal is fine. Don't worry about it." 

Myrtle stepped closer, her voice sharp. "Don't play games with me, Jack. You've been distracted lately. Is it her? Did you find her?" 

Jack froze, his jaw tightening. Myrtle's awareness of Blue wasn't surprising; her family had a way of knowing things.

"You should be more worried about your role in this mess," Jack shot back, his voice low. "Your threats, your games—they don't work on me anymore." 

Myrtle smirked, her eyes narrowing. "Oh, Jack. You think you're free to love whoever you want? You forget who holds the power here. Tell me, what decision have you taken?"

Jack halted, quiet for a moment, and looked back on her. "Myrtle, this is not the time for this, I just got off a trip, I need to rest." He walked out..

Myrtle stood there confused, in awe of how he snapped back at her, there was a rush of emotions and thoughts running through her mind, what's her next move, she thought. "Blue will pay for this" she whispered to herself with a grin expression as she took a sip of whine. That's the only wpant she could get a hold on Jack. That's the only way she could keep him on his toes.

Jack got into his room, with an unsettled mind, he sighed heavily. Threw his suitcase on the bed. took his shirt off and laid on the bed. He clenched his fists, snatching his tooth, his mind flashing back to the moment years ago, when his family made him enter into a hell of a marriage just to secure the company and the family's integrity. They had threatened Blues life if he didn't comply.

But now, he couldn't stay silent. Not anymore.

…knock, knock…

Myrtle pushes the door open, without Jacks approval. She walks into the room with a lingerie. She stood at the door for a moment, and stare seductively at Jack.

"I'm not in for this Show" Jack sighed.

"You can't tell me you don't want to have me, this body, my heat, the way I say your name." Myrtle softly speaks, walking towards the bed. "I've missed you" she mutters

"Jack, can we make love? The right way?"

"I just got back from a trip, Myrtle. We can do this later. I'd like to have my rest now"

He snapped back, face the other side of the room.

"All I've ever wanted, was for us to be a happy couple, even before we got married. I've always loved you, I thought you saw it. I felt like our marriage agreement will give you reasons to love me, but it just keeps getting worse. I don't spend time with my husband, I'm sex starved, I'm not cared for! It feels more like a shared apartment to me. How can this even get better?"

"oh don't you dare bring that up. That's what you get for not keeping yourself off other people's family business . All I ever wanted was to have a happy family with the woman I truly love and not have my life tied down to one journalist just to protect some silly family dark side. If you thought changing an agreement to love will work out, then, I'm really sorry for you" Jack retorted and walks out on her.