Breaking the Delusion

This is the sequel to Jilted so read that first for context. The story starts immediately after Jilted finishes.

Ursula calling her parents mommy and daddy is deliberate. It is very easy to show unfaithful wives as bad people but I like to give them character flaws to show what enabled them to betray their husbands.

Some might find Ursula's transformation a bit quick and might not like the ending but it is my story so it is possible and I like happy endings.

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Chapter 1

Ursula was gently led out of the small chapel by her father, Roger, with her hopes and dreams in tatters. Her fiancé, David, had left her at the altar after her children, Violet and Xander, objected to their marriage.

She couldn't understand it. Why did they do it? They seemed so happy that she and David were getting married. Then they did this and told the whole congregation of her affair with David, telling everyone how much they detested David. Why? Why? Her children? The two people she loved more than anything betrayed her and made her fiancé leave her at the altar on what should have been the happiest day of her life. Ursula felt no pain, she just felt numb. As she was led away her eyes remained fixed on her children who were in tears behind her. All she wanted was to hold them, tell them she loved them, and that she wasn't angry with them, but they had refused to come to her.

Ursula didn't remember how she got from the chapel to the bridal suite. She just sat on the bed, still in her wedding dress. Tears and mascara had left black streaks down her face. Her father sat down next to her and put his arm around her,

"Daddy, why did they do it? Why did they ruin my wedding?" she asked her father in disbelief.

"You gave them no choice," Roger told his daughter. His gentle tone did nothing to soften the bluntness.

"How can that be true? Why didn't they tell me they didn't like David?"

"They did. They did many times, but you refused to listen. Every time they resisted; you brought David even more into their lives."

"Why did David leave like that? We could have worked it out. I could have persuaded Violet and Xander that marrying David was for the best."

Roger gave a small laugh in disbelief and sadness at his daughter's delusion and her refusal to face reality, "Let's not talk about this now. We'll have plenty of time to do that. When your mother comes, you can get changed and we can go home."

Helen, Ursula's mother, came through the door sometime later,

"Violet and Xander have gone with Gary," she told her daughter.

"What? No! They can't I need them here," Ursula protested.

"They are very upset, and you need space to get over what happened. You are in no fit state to look after our grandchildren, Ursula," Helen said firmly.

"They can't go with Gary; I don't want them to. He has a new girlfriend who wants to replace me," Ursula said as she gave the first hints of her fears and insecurities.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ursula!"

"It's true, Mommy, I know it!" and tears began to roll down her cheeks. "They hate me!"

"Who hates you, Ursula?" Helen asked with exasperation.

"Violet and Xander," Ursula sobbed.

"No, they don't hate you. They love you! They are very upset about what they did to you. They could never have known how much what they did would affect you, but you put them in an impossible situation. Let's get you out of that dress so we can go home."

Before they could, there was a tentative knock at the door. Roger opened it and was confronted by David's father.

"Eddie!" Roger said with surprise.

"Hello, Roger," Eddie uncomfortably greeted his son's former would-be father-in-law.

Roger eased himself out of the room so his daughter wouldn't see Eddie.

"Well, what a shit show that was today," Eddie said with a great deal of lament.

"Yep, a lot of chickens came home to roost, I think," Roger agreed.

"How is Ursula?"

"In a bad way as you can imagine," Roger conceded. "I don't think even in her worst nightmares she thought Violet and Xander would have done what they did."

"I very much doubt it. For what it's worth myself and Ingrid are ashamed of David's role in this whole saga, and we have told him as much. As for turning tail and running like a coward, that was beyond belief. We had no idea that Ursula was still married when they were dating. If we had known, we would have told him to stop seeing her but I'm not sure he would have listened. A lot of strange things make sense now."

"What do you mean?"

"Ursula was clearly still married and not even separated when we were introduced to her. When we asked questions about her family and situation, she was very evasive. When we met Violet and Xander, she introduced us to them as their step-grandparents. We were touched and overjoyed at that, but we thought it rude at the time when the children refused to talk to us. We were told that they were excited to meet us so we couldn't understand it and you could have cut the atmosphere like a knife. Now we know the truth, I suppose I can't blame them. Then there was the birthday party, need I say more."

"Yeah, we were furious that they ruined Xander's day. The other guests weren't impressed either. Thank you for not holding a grudge against the children," Roger's eyes welled up with gratitude.

"We can't hold the children to account for the sins of the adults. I think the good book says something about that. I've never been a good Christian, though."

"What can I help you with?" Roger asked wanting to get back to his daughter.

"I've come for David's suitcase. Reception said they moved it in here. It is red with a blue stripe across the middle."

"Let me have a look. You understand that it wouldn't be a good idea for Ursula to see you."

"Of course, I'll wait here," Eddie agreed.

Roger re-entered the room and went looking in the wardrobes.

"Who was that?" Helen asked helping Ursula undress.

"Eddie, he is here for David's suitcase."

"Eddie?" Ursula asked hopefully, standing up, alerted to David's father's name. "I should talk to him. Maybe he can talk to David for me. Make him see sense that we can still get married."

"No, Ursula!" Helen told her daughter, blocking her from the door. "That isn't a good idea. You won't be marrying David ever. What happened today saw to that."

"But-" Ursula began to reply forlornly.

"But nothing. You need to forget about David and start healing amongst other things. Your focus needs to be rebuilding your relationship with your children. You have a very hard road ahead of you."

Roger found David's suitcase and headed back out of the room with it.

"Thank you, Roger. I'm sorry to have intruded," Eddie said apologetically when he took the suitcase. "Have a good life, Roger. I'm sorry again for David's part in all this. We didn't bring him up like this." Eddie offered his hand which Roger took.

"Have a good life, Eddie."

Chapter 2

Roger drove the three of them home. Ursula sat silently in the back seat and stared out of the window the whole way. When Roger looked at her in his rear-view mirror it looked as if his daughter had returned to being a little girl again. Her face was ashen, and she looked lost.

When they arrived, Roger poured a large bourbon.

"Roger, I don't think that would be good for Ursula," his wife scolded him.

"It isn't for Ursula. It is for me," he replied sourly and downed it in one as Helen looked on disapprovingly.

"Roger, can you call Gary and explain everything to him?" Helen asked. "I wasn't able to go into too much detail because the children were much too upset."

Roger sighed deeply. It had been a trying couple of years. He had suspected his daughter of having an affair for a long time and when they met David for the first time it just about confirmed it. They gave away too many memories for a couple who had been dating for a short time. Roger could never take to David. He just appeared like he thought he was too clever for his own good and he was the reason his grandchildren were so unhappy. He had a huge argument with Ursula when he refused to walk her down the aisle and another one when she said she was going to do it with Xander and Violet in the face of his disapproval. Both times he told Ursula exactly what he thought of David. He never told her, but he was ashamed of her and that broke his heart. She was a grown woman with children, yet she still needed him to clean up her mess.

He took a deep breath and picked up the phone to call Ursula's ex-husband,

"Hello, Gary, it's Roger," he said when Gary answered.

"Hello, Roger," was the curt response. Roger felt even more disappointed. He had always liked Gary. He was a good man so hearing Gary talk to him in less than friendly terms drove home further what his daughter did.

"I suppose you know what happened today."

"A little. Violet and Xander are distraught. What did that asshole do to them?"

"That asshole is out of the picture now," Roger assured his ex-son-in-law.

"What? I don't understand?"

Roger proceeded to explain what had happened and was disconcerted to hear Gary laugh and then curse heavily when he realised that he would still be liable for half the mortgage as well as child support, but Roger was sad that he never asked after Ursula.

"So, I think you will understand," Roger continued, "that given the circumstances it would be best if Violet and Xander stayed with you for a while. They can visit their mother when she has calmed down a bit."

"Yes, of course, I'm always more than happy to have Violet and Xander to stay with me. The longer the better. Just keep me posted. I need to fix what Ursula has done to my children," Gary said bitterly.

"I'm sorry," Roger told Gary. He didn't mean to say it, it just slipped out.

"For what?"

"For everything Ursula has done to you. You never deserved it. You were a good husband to her, and you are a good father."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line before Gary spoke,

"Thank you, Roger, that means a lot."

When Gary hung up, Roger ordered some Chinese food to be delivered when his wife came to him.

"What are we going to do about, Ursula?" she asked worriedly. "She has caused so many problems to so many people and ended up with nothing."

"Let's not decide anything today," Roger told her. "Let her sleep on it. I suspect it will hit home, everything she has done soon."

"What about Violet and Xander? She still needs to be a mother to them."

"She hasn't been a mother to them for over two years," Roger said with anger in his voice. "Let's discuss it tonight then we'll tell Ursula after breakfast tomorrow."

The Ursula's numbness left her overnight. She woke up wailing and was inconsolable.

"I've lost my children, I've lost David!" she sobbed repeatedly. Helen stayed with her until her daughter cried herself to sleep.

The following morning, Roger, Helen and Ursula ate breakfast together in a tense silence and once breakfast was cleared away, Roger and Helen began their intervention on their daughter.

Both Roger and Helen looked at their daughter who just looked away. She could feel their disappointment in her.

"Was it all worth it, Ursula?" asked her mother with a simmering anger. "Was everything you've done worth it?"

Ursula didn't reply but a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I want to say that I am disappointed in you but that isn't true," Roger said more harshly. "I am ashamed."

Hearing her father's shame towards her broke Ursula. She began to sob.

"Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" Roger demanded.

"Daddy, I'm sorry," she said between sobs.

"Sorry for what?"

Ursula didn't reply.

"Answer your father!" Helen snapped making Ursula flinch.

"I'm sorry for disappointing you," was all Ursula could say.

Roger and Helen looked at each other in exasperation.

"You have to do better than that, Ursula!" Helen demanded. "You're a grown woman and mother!"

Ursula just sobbed and shook her head.

"If you won't tell us, then we will tell you," Roger told her angrily. "You betrayed a loving husband for two years for a deadbeat."

"David is a good man," Ursula protested unconvincingly.

"When the going got tough he turned tail and ran, he's a deadbeat! In that time, you directed all your energy into that deadbeat and neglected Violet and Xander for that we are ashamed of you. How could you do that to our grandchildren?"

Roger and Helen could see the shame written all over Ursula's face.

"Three years ago, you had a happy life, now it has fallen apart. How could you have let that happen?" Helen asked. "What did Gary do to deserve your betrayal?"

"Nothing," Ursula replied.

"Then why did you do it?"

"I stopped loving him,"

"That isn't a justification!" Helen snapped again. "We didn't raise you to do things like this!"

Ursula was unable to reply and continued to sob instead.

"Your mother and I have been talking," Roger told her. "and we have decided that you are going to have therapy and we will remortgage this house to buy Gary's half of the mortgage and you will [ay us back. It isn't ideal but Gary was probably planning a life without paying half of the mortgage of a house he no longer lives at through no fault of his own."

Ursula looked horrified at her parents, "No! You can't do that! You could lose the house! This is our home. I grew up here!"

"Ursula, when are you going to start to realise how far your infidelity has gone!" Helen told her harshly. "You didn't harm just Gary but your children as well and now us!"

"It isn't fair," Ursula sulked.

"What isn't fair, Ursula?"

"I thought you would be on my side," she mumbled sulkily to her parents.

"For God's sake, grow up you stupid girl!" Helen screamed at her daughter in frustration who recoiled at her mother's wrath. "We are on Violet's and Xander's side. They should be your first and last thoughts right now. Instead, you are pining over a man who ran away! Listen to yourself, you're a forty-three-year-old woman behaving like a teenager! When are you going to be responsible for your actions!"

"Alright, Helen," Roger said putting his hand on his wife's arm to calm her down. "Let's not lose control. It won't help anybody." In then turned to his wayward daughter, "Your mother's right. What you have done is well known. Your children are known as having an unfaithful mother. We are known as parents of an unfaithful daughter and people are questioning our parenting of you. We must have done something wrong for you to have behaved that way, right?"

"When can I see Violet and Xander?" Ursula asked knowing she had no choice but to obey her parents but not comprehending what they were telling her.

"We will try and arrange to have them come over for dinner in a couple of days," Roger said firmly. "Tomorrow we will look for a therapist for you. You need to break out of your delusions. You will come to church with us this evening, hopefully, that will help you start."

Ursula just nodded mournfully and stood up to get changed.

Chapter 3

In church that evening, for the first time Ursula found out just how well-known her infidelity was. She felt hostile eyes upon her. Many of the congregation were families of her children's classmates. Some of them were former classmates of her own from when she was in high school. She had thought her relationship with David was a well-kept secret, but everyone appeared to know. Wives were pointedly getting in between her and their husbands. Her parents were visibly tense. There were mutterings of "Poor Gary," and "She has some nerve." Ursula thought her lies hid everything so she could not understand how everyone knew.

After the service, Helen and Roger went to talk to the pastor leaving Ursula sitting alone. She felt vulnerable and very alone amidst the judgemental eyes on her as the congregation left the church. Ursula avoided eye contact with everybody.

Sitting by herself, she could feel the pastor and her parents looking at her before she became afraid when the pastor walked towards her.

"Hello, Ursula," the pastor greeted her, giving a friendly smile as he sat down. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Simon, the pastor of this church if you hadn't noticed," he said indicating his robes with a laugh, "or by that less than well-received sermon this evening."

Ursula gave a shameful look, "I think it was me who was less than well received."

Simon looked at Ursula with sympathy, "I noticed but I am sure it was more my sermon. My partner told me it wasn't very good before I came here." Simon noticed that Ursula was shaking so he held her hand to comfort her, "Helen and Rodger told me that you have just gone through a very traumatic experience." Ursula nodded. "It can't have been easy. I can't imagine what it felt like." Ursula began to break down and cry. Simon sat quietly with her until she regained control of herself, and he asked, "Do you have faith in God?"

Ursula slowly shook her head, "No, I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter. In the bible, Jesus tells us the story of a good shepherd who at the end of the day grazing his sheep, counts his sheep back in the pen and finds out that one is missing. When all the other sheep were safely back in the pen, he went to look for that lost sheep even though it was getting dark, and the wolves were out. He was determined to find that lost sheep after hours of looking, he finds that lost sheep and brings it back to safety. That is what you are, a lost soul who needs to be brought back to safety."

"I don't understand," Ursula said looking confused.

"I'm not just a pastor. I am also a qualified therapist. Helen and Roger have told me all about you and what happened. I think I can help you if you are open to it. I don't want to brag but I have saved many marriages and helped many other people to overcome their problems. God works in strange ways but think of me as your shepherd and I am searching for you. Would you like me to help you?"

"Will you help me bring my children back to me? Help me win back David?" Ursula asked hopefully.

Simon squeezed Ursula's hand, "We'll see but first we need to work on you. Would you like to visit me, and we'll talk? I bet you're feeling very lonely."

Ursula nodded.

"Excellent!" Simon said brightly as he stood up. "I will send Helen my address and we can talk next week."

"Thank you," Ursula murmured gratefully, relieved at finding someone who wasn't judging her.

Seeing that Simon's and Ursula's conversation had finished, Helen and Roger thanked Simon and the three of them went home.

"That wasn't fair," Ursula complained morosely to her parents once they were in the car.

"What wasn't fair?" Helen asked her daughter tersely.

"Insisting that I go to church after you told everyone about me and David."

"Don't you dare talk to us about being fair!" Helen snapped. "This evening was deeply embarrassing for your father and me. Do you think it's nice to hear people gossip unkindly about your daughter? Do you think we deserved that?"

"Then how did they know, I was so careful."

Both Helen and Roger snorted without amusement, "We suspected you were having an affair for a long time. Gary knew you were having an affair for a long time, and Violet and Xander knew you were having an affair. The whole town knew you were having an affair. Your lies were simply not believable. You were seen out with David too often." Roger told his daughter in no uncertain terms.

"Are you starting to understand yet?" Helen added angrily. "Understand how unconscionable what you did was. How you hurt the people closest to you. Until you understand that then life, my girl, is not going to get any easier for you."

"I couldn't help it if I fell in love with someone else. It wasn't ideal but it was out of my control," Ursula scowled. "I AM still in love with David, you know. I am still hurting from what Violet and Xander did!"