Work Text:
Monday 16 December 1918
Rose scrubbed the dishes, making sure everything was clean and polished. She had just had dinner with Jack and their daughter, and normally she would feel relaxed after. But no, something was wrong. Jack was being off. He had turned into a cold and standoffish man after arriving from war. At first, the woman had assumed that he had some sort of form of PTSD, so she tried her best to remain a good and loving wife towards him.
She would wash his clothes, clean his plates, polish his shoes, surprise him with him favourite dinners each time he returned home. The woman found herself exhausted with all her efforts not being returned. Recently, it’s been feeling like Rose could move heaven and earth for Jack, and he wouldn’t even spare her a single glance.
When she brought it up with fellow housewifes, she was told by almost everyone that Jack was just traumatised and need time. So she gave him time, yet his behaviour only got worse. He got into a habit of coming home late, almost every night in fact. She vividly remembers a week earlier when Jack had returned home at 2AM. She winced as she remembered the harsh argument they got in.
_____________________________
Sunday 8 December 1918
Jack staggered through the door, anyone who would've seen him in this state would have immediately clocked that he was drunk off his face. His wife furiously rushed down the stairs, dressed in a white satin nightgown. Folding her arms over her chest, she glared daggers at him.
“Jack! Where were you? You made Evelyn so worried!” She hissed, watching as her husband ignored her and took of his jacket and kicked off his shoes. “Jack? Look at me!” She ordered, grabbing his arm. The man harshly pulled away and shot Rose a nasty look.
“I was out drinking with a f-friend,” he slurred “now get off me!” He begun to wander upstairs, when Rose pulled him back, using all of her strength to make sure he didn’t set a foot on the second floor. “No! What’s gotten into you? You come home late every night and you don't even make an effort in our relationship anymore!” She cried out angrily.
Jack blankly stared at her. “Y-you know, I never fucking loved you.” Rose hesitated to reply. She wasn’t sure if Jack meant it, but it felt like a knife to the heart hearing those words come out of her husbands words.
”You don’t mean that, Jack. You don’t mean that because if it was the truth you wouldn’t have fucking took my virginity that night on that blasted ship and you wouldn’t have convinced me to elope with you and have a child with you.” She argued, watching as Jack slammed his hands against the yellow walls of their house, some of the paint beginning to peel off.
Jack eyed her up and down before he spoke again. “No, I do mean that. You looked easy on the Titanic. And you were easy,” he let out a gruff, unfriendly chuckle. “So easy to get into your pants. But after we docked in New York I couldn’t leave you because you were fucking pregnant.” He pointed an accusing finger at Rose. “You and that stupid child trapped me in this no good miserable life.” He declared, slurring on his words again.
Rose gasped. If Jack telling her he never loved her was a stab to her heart, this was a knife deep inside of her, twisted and pulled out, only to be thrusted back into her again. Harsh jabs at her emotional health. And she hated it.
”If you really m-mean that..” her voice broke. “Then don’t even bother fucking coming home.” Jack didn’t like this, because what happened next is something Rose would never forget. He threw a beer bottle in her direction, hitting Rose’s head. The glass pierced her skin and a waterfall of crimson-red blood trickled down her cheeks. She felt everything, and mostly she felt lightheaded.
“S-sick bastard..” she murmured before she fell unconscious.
_________________________
Jack lay on the couch. He wanted one day without Rose's nagging…but of course..
”Jack. You can't just lay on the couch from the time you get back to the time you leave for the work.” His wife stated bitterly. He did his best to ignore her. Rose had gotten increasingly irritating since he got back from war, and really he just wanted her to leave him alone for once.
”Leave me alone Rose.”
Rose rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you get your ass off of the couch and go spend time with Evelyn. She’s your daughter, have you forgotten that?” She complained.
Jack let out a frustrated sigh, provoking Rose more. He abruptly stood up and just glared at rose.
”I can’t fucking stand you right now, Rose.” His wife could only scoff at that.
”What’s that mean to mean?”
Jack let out another frustrated groan before he pulled his wedding ring off of his finger and threw it at Rose, just missing her and landing next to her foot. In shock, she picked it up and stared at Jack with an unreadable expression on her face.
”Jack…what does this mean?” She gasped, her voice barely above a whisper. Tears pooled up in her deep blue eyes.
“It means I'm done, Rose. I've had enough of your nagging. I've been through something completely unimaginable and all you have for me is negativity.”
It was the red-haired woman’s turn to be angry now.
”What the fuck, Jack? Ever since you got back, I moved heaven and earth for you. I did everything for you. And this is how you repay me?”
Jack tossed his head in the other direction. “No. You did the bare minimum. Im done. Goodbye Rose.”
25 minutes later, every trace of Jack was missing from the house, and so Rose cried, she cried her eyes out. The new loss hung heavy in her heart. A part of her had been carved out and taken with Jack. The only thing she had left of him was his daughter.
”Mommy? Where’s daddy?” The little girl innocently asked, her bright blonde curls framed her little face and her dark blue eyes stared back at Rose. She couldn’t bring herself to respond, tears running down her cheeks as her new harsh reality settled in on her.