𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐀 - 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯. [ rewriting ]

002. chapter two.

🌻.｡.:*🌾:*:💨✼✿　

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      Her feeling was ambivalent. She should've been happy. She should've been glad. He's coming back after two weeks have gone. Tatum always anticipated the day Jack came home. Like a child on Christmas morning. Today, she was a criminal held at trial...facing the public eye.

Sucked in a void of silence, Tatum scanned the room from top to bottom; left to right: the faint marbling wallpaper leading to the hallway she'd never noticed before, the vase that apparently now held five tall white lilies instead of four.

      The jiggling of keys interrupted her reflective thoughts and Tatum knew, this was it. Getting up, she brushed off the faint creases fairly visible on the front of her polyester skirt. Her cheeks were burning red, her hands; more sweaty than ever. She felt like crying more than confessing. But to overwhelm Jack, she didn't want to do that. Especially because he was the victim here.

"Honey, I'm home!" Jack sang comedically while ushering his luggage aside. His bright eyes were glad to be back in their humble abode.

      Walking up to Tatum, he didn't hesitate to pull her in the world's longest kiss. Kissing back, she felt that instant pang of guilt strike again, like a timpani.

     "How was table read?" Tatum asked nonchalantly. She sat herself down beside Jack, who placed his feet up on the footstool whilst swinging his arm around his fiancee.

      "Same ol', same ol'," He kissed her again, adding extra pecks on her neck, "But I'm glad to be back here with you."

      Tatum's eyes diverted to their framed photo on their engagement night and stared at it with cold, watery eyes, "Me too, me too."

"I've missed you." He clearly did. Jack was feeling more affectionate than ever before and Tatum couldn't help but get lost in his shower of kisses.

But no.

She can't.

He's the victim who deserves justice.

Standing up, Jack was taken aback.

      "Tates, what's wrong?" His eyes pleaded to know what was bothering her. "We don't have to do it now if you don't wan-"

      "It's not that," Tatum begun. A surge of anxiety ran through her as she tried her best to hold everything together.

      "Jack, I need to tell you something."

He felt perplexed, not knowing what was going on.

      "Sure, Tates, you can tell me anything." He reached out to grab her hands and though she wished she could let go, it was best that she didn't...for now.

      "Just know that I love you and no matter what, please know that I'm always gonna be there for you no matter what because I care for you and respect you and adore you."

His eyebrows furrowed together, "I love you too, Tates, but please, tell me what's going on?"

Tatum felt inclined to take a dramatic breath in before confessing: "I cheated on you."

There was a void of silence yet again. So silent, you could hear a pin drop.

But without seconds passed, Tatum's hands dropped back to her side.

She urged herself to break the silence, by narrating the events of that very night until the next day thoroughly, without missing a single detail.

But try as she may reason, Jack clearly couldn't process anything after. His eyes remained glued to the framed picture of them at their engagement party.

She dared herself not too, but simply couldn't help it, and cried. A cascade of tears flowed down her cheeks and stained the carpet below, but Jack didn't dare to notice.

      "I'm sorry, Jack. I'm such a fucking idiot, I-I..." Her sentences were broken, just like her heart. And his.

      In a whiz, he stood up from the couch. Immediately, he grabbed his phone and wallet sitting on their coffee table, walked back to his luggage left unopened and dashed out the door.

The only sound was of her tears.

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      She gave herself an ultimatum: stay at home and grieve with guilt or, call Nicolah for moral support. And thankfully, she picked the latter.

Nicolah was in no time, waiting at Tatum's apartment door, with two duffels in each hand. She owed her sister her life.

"Guessing you told him?" She asked while hanging up her sweater on the nearest rack. Tatum nodded, not wanting to give her a verbal answer.

And though Nicolah was disappointed and upset at her sister's actions, she knew she was hurting. It would only take a brave person to do what Tatum did. So, she opened her arms and embraced her sister in the tightest hug. Tatum's waterworks operated again.

"Come on, let's watch Sisterhood of Travelling Pants and you'll be better in no time!" Nicolah sat her sister down on the couch and immediately started pulling out thick quilts and pillows.

"Could we order Chinese too?" Tatum looked up, puffy-eyed.

"Duh! What night would be a movie night without Chinese!" Nicolah clapped before dialling the number of the nearest restaurant open.

Tatum rested her head on Nicolah's shoulders. At least for now, she could feel at ease.

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author's note — updating the night before my geography exam lmfao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but enjoy the update i guess :-)