Elijah spent the rest of the day mulling over Valerie's words. He thought of nothing but for the rest of Monday, Tuesday and even on Wednesday. And before he knew it, it was finally Thursday. The day before their wedding and he'd still not found the balls to speak to Jess.

He felt the warmth of a pair of arms wrap around his torso, "It's so crazy to think that this is the last time I'm actually going to see you before we're married." Jess whispered, her breath hitting the nape of his neck, sending small shivers down his spine.

"Yeah I know what you mean, are you all ready to go over to Pattie's?" He asked, turning his body around to face her, his arms setting down on her hips.

"Yeah, I guess. I've packed a few things to take for the night." Jess sighed, appearing slightly at unease.

"What's wrong?" Elijah asked. After being with Jess for what would be eight years in a few short weeks, he could tell when she was feeling down. It was that same way her shoulders would appear hunched over, the very way she'd appear slightly more wide-eyed or the way her freckles would writhe around her face when she spoke.

"Mum's just told me that daddy's not coming back for the wedding. My own dad is going to miss my big day. He's been away for so long and he hasn't even been here for the preparations, but I really thought he'd at least show up for his own daughter's wedding day. He didn't even bother to call to explain or even apologise, he just...doesn't care enough to even bother showing up." Jess scowled in annoyance.

Her father hadn't always been so dismissive of his children and his wife. She reminisced a time when she'd been a child and they'd been the epitome of a perfect family, spending nearly every waking moment together. But somewhere in her late teens, her father had stealthily been absent, away on long business trips that seemed never-ending. She'd never questioned him, how could she when he'd given her a life of riches?

"I'm sorry Jess. I know how much tradition means to you and I know you were banking on him to be the one to give you away. But I guess you could always ask Cody?" He suggested.

"Yeah, my stupid little brother who couldn't care less about my wedding either." She sighed in exasperation before she allowed her lips to curve back into her toothy grin, "actually, you know what? fuck them. It really doesn't matter. Nothing is going to ruin tomorrow for me. Absolutely nothing. We've had so many ups and downs and at times I thought we wouldn't get this far but we've made it. We made it through everything, Elijah!" She squealed, excitedly.

Elijah returned the grin but there was clear hesitancy in the expression. He felt Valerie's words wash over him.

"Do you even love Jess? Tell me, do you actually love her? I never had the chance to ask my husband before he left me after cheating on me for months, so I'll ask you. Does a cheater ever love the one he's actually with or is everything always a sham?"

He shook his head gently, in an attempt to remove the memory from his mind.

"Listen, Jess, how about you stay home today, we can talk and...spend the night together before the wedding? Forget the stag and hen do, let's just spend this night together, please?" Elijah almost pleaded.

He'd tell her tonight if he had the chance. Valerie was right, no one cheats if they're truly happy in their current relationship. He'd be trapping himself in a life that wouldn't only include Jess but would also include Pattie. And he knew that he'd never truly find solace in life if that old hag was always in the picture.

"No, Elijah! It's traditional for me to not be with you on the last night before our wedding. I want to stick to traditions, even if daddy isn't going to be the one to walk me down the aisle. Plus...we'll have plenty of time to spend night's together anyway." Jess winked, her scarlet coloured hair falling in front of her eyes.

Elijah sighed, admitting defeat, "fine. I'll see you tomorrow then." He said, enveloping her in one final hug before the red-headed girl was due to leave the home for the last time before the wedding.

"Everything's going to change tomorrow. For the better, I can feel it." She said as she turned for the door, "I love you, Elijah." She yelled back to him as she exited the house.

Elijah made no effort to respond to the words of affection heard from his fiancé.

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Kylie laid on the bed in Libby's home, internally debating with herself, deciding what was the best way to tell Jess the truth.

She'd barely got any shut-eye the night before, her mind drifting, picturing all the different reactions that Jess would have when she found out. Would she still marry Elijah? Would Love conquer all? Would she be able to forgive them both? It was nice to think that maybe, Jess would forgive them both, but deep down Kylie knew that this was wishful thinking. And even if this did somehow happen, how could Kylie allow Jess and Elijah to walk down that aisle anyway, when her own feelings towards him had changed?

The hours were rapidly swinging by and now with less than twenty-four hours until the wedding was to take place, she knew she couldn't afford to waste any more time.

Kylie knew she owed it to Jess to tell her the truth directly to her face and to beg for her forgiveness, no matter how futile it may be. And maybe it was the fear within her that prevented her from doing so, because here she was, preparing to tell her over a phone call.

She flicked through the text messages that Jess had left her, wishing her well after Jax's death and repeatedly asking whether she'd be coming tonight for the hen party. She felt a gush of disappointment rush over her at the thought that her best friend hadn't made any effort to visit her after her brothers' death but she knew she didn't even deserve that much.

She breathed in deeply, pressing the call button beside Jess's name and placed the phone gently to her ear.

"Hello, I can't answer the phone right now. Leave me a message and I'll call you back when I can!" The upbeat voice that could only be associated with Jess spoke.

Kylie wanted to internally scream. It was a sign, she knew it. Telling your best-friend you've been having an affair with their fiancé over a phone call was the wrong thing to do. A stupid thing to do, even. But it didn't stop her from dialling the number a second time.

It went straight to Jess's voicemail again but this time, Kylie didn't end the call. She took a deep breath in preparation to speak. "Hey Jess, I'm really sorry that I haven't been replying to your messages. And I'm even more sorry for what I'm about to tell you next." She continued, finally letting the truth slip out of her mouth.

She hadn't noticed the exact moment she'd started crying. But as the words continued to escape, she wept and wept and wept.

Once she'd finished recording the message, she felt a sense of relief. As though she'd been carrying this huge burden on her back. A burden that'd cause pain to all those around her. That'd been part of the reason that Jess had had the miscarriage and that Jax had left the World.

And she finally felt free. As though nothing was holding her back.

She quickly stuffed the few clothes she'd worn whilst living at Libby's back into the bin bags. She knew she wouldn't really be needing them and so she'd planned to leave them in the room. She quickly wondered around the room, cleaning up any messes she'd made earlier that day.

Then she prepared to leave the house. She made her way down the staircase but as she opened the door, she heard a voice from behind her.

"Are you leaving?" Gen spoke timidly.

"Yeah, it's time for me to go."

"Will we ever see you again?"

"No. You won't." And with that, she left the house.

Later on, as Gen recalled Kylie's final words to her mother, Libby's worry grew and she knew she had to do something but she wasn't sure what she could do to help anymore. She had no clue where Kylie was, all she knew was that she wasn't okay and whatever she was planning to do next could cause even more harm to herself and those around her.

And so, she found herself scurrying through her deceased husbands' old clothes, she knew he'd kept a picture of both Jax and Kylie in one of his jacket pockets and she'd never had the heart to throw it away. She'd remembered there'd been an address scribbled on the back of one of the pictures. So he'd never forget where to send the birthday cards, he'd told her when she'd asked why he kept it.

Finally, she found it.

After she'd ensured all three of her children were sound asleep and had placed gentle kisses on all of their foreheads, she popped her coat on and made her way to a place she never thought she'd ever go.

The house of the woman's whose life she destroyed.

Timidly she knocked on Valerie's front door, first gently. But when no response came, she knocked again, more urgently this time.

And there she stood. Valerie.

She'd seen her a few times before, years ago, from when she'd snuck into their home behind Valerie's back but seeing her up close was a different feeling. She saw how cruel the years had been to the older woman, how they'd aged her. She'd wondered if the pain of her husbands' affair had added to her ageing process.

Valerie slammed the door as soon as she caught a glimpse of Libby's face, clearly recognizing who she was.

"No, wait, please! I know you hate me but I wouldn't have come here if there wasn't a reason!" Libby shouted, pushing the door inwards, preventing it from closing.

"I have absolutely no interest in anything you have to say." Valerie screened, all her strength concentrated in trying to close the door.

"Please. It's about Kylie, I'm really worried about her!" Libby yelled in response.

Despite everything, Kylie was still her mothers' weakness. Libby felt the door give as soon as she spoke her name. Valerie appeared baffled at Libby's word and before she had a chance to try and throw her out of her home, she hurriedly spoke, "she stayed at my house for a few days after you threw her out, and she was behaving so strangely. Saying things that just weren't right. I think she might..."

"You think she might what?" Valerie responded angrily, although a pained expression painted the entirety of her face.

Libby breathed in sharply, "I think that if we don't find her soon, you could end up without a daughter as well as a son."

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"Clubbing?! We're going clubbing for my hen party?" Jess said, clearly appearing miffed at the very prospect as she stood in the queue leading to the club. Her friends were scattered around her, all discussing what they would be wearing to the wedding tomorrow.

"Well, I hardly had much time, did I?" Lola retaliated, annoyed.

"Yeah, I know. I guess it's fine. It's a good thing the wedding's in the afternoon then, right." Jess let out a small laugh as they finally stepped foot into the club.

"I spoke to Abdul too, apparently they're just taking Elijah to a club on the other side of town too."

"Oh, right." Jess answered. It seemed as though none of them would be having a particularly nice night tonight. As far as she could remember neither of them had been huge fans of clubbing. It'd always been more a Kylie type of activity.

Jess allowed her body to sway along to the music, but she couldn't help wishing Kylie had been there with her, today. What with her continually spouting inappropriate sexual jokes, and flirting with everything that breathed, it'd definitely have been a night to remember.

She sighed and pulled her phone out of her bag, preparing to call Kylie and tell her how lame Lola was. Instead, she noticed the one new voicemail notification on her phone.

She made her way through the plethora of sweat-riddled bodies around her, as she held down on the notification and placed the phone next to her ear. She settled the index finger of her opposite finger into her ear to help her hear better and was welcomed with Kylie's voice.

"Hey Jess, I'm really sorry that I haven't been replying to your messages. And I'm even more sorry for what I'm about to tell you next...I've done something so stupid, that I don't think you'll ever be able to forgive me for. But I owe you the truth." Jess could just about make out that Kylie was crying on the other side.

"I've been lying to you for a while. I've been having..."

Jess felt the phone being snatched from out of her hand.

"Hey!" She yelled, before realizing that it was Lola.

"What are you doing? This." Lola pointed to Jess's phone, "can wait. You're supposed to be enjoying yourself. It's the night before your wedding!"

"It was Kylie, it sounded really important!" She argued back, trying to grab the phone.

"It always is, when it's her, isn't it?" Lola guffawed, placing the phone into her back pocket, "I'll keep your phone safe for tonight, okay? You can listen to whatever stupid excuse she's going to give you for not turning up after tonight. Or better yet, don't listen to it at all. She doesn't deserve your time if she couldn't even be there for you tonight."

Jess sighed, nodding in agreement before joining Lola and the other girls on the dance floor.

For the rest of the night, Jess continued to remain oblivious to the lies fed to her as well as failing to hear her friend's cry for help.

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Authors Note: Ahh, Jess was so close to finding out, but will she listen to the voicemail tomorrow? Or will she find out another way?

Will she find out before she marries Elijah?

What's Kylie's planning? And will anyone be able to stop her?

Guys, I'm feeling slightly emotional cos now that Jess is about to find out, it really is nearing the end :O

Let me know what you thought of this chapter, and please do vote! Thank you all xo