warning ⚠️; [domestic?] violence in this chapter. I am in no way supporting violence against women but we all know how their world works if anyone is a threat to their family. So please don't come at me after reading this one, I'd never support anything like that in real life! Thank you 😬🤎

ᅳ

JAX STUCK HIS HEAD out of the kitchen and into the hallway when there was a knock on the front door. Before he wanted to look for Tara, he wanted to make sure that Jade could rest as much as possible and not have to do much; which is why he was just preparing breakfast for her and the kids while Jade played with the boys in the living room.

"Can you answer the door, please?", Jade's soft voice called through the house alongside the boys' happy giggles.

"Already on my way", Jax hollered back, smiling to himself. He could get used to this; feeling at home here. "Breakfast's almost ready by the way", he added quickly before strolling into the hallway, unsuspectingly opening the door.

Jade had ordered a few new things for the house, so he had assumed it was the postman rather than his mother. With a remorseful expression and kneading her hands, she stood there, looking like a deer in the headlights.

Gemma cleared her throat softly, taking a step closer. "Chibs told me you were here. Can I come in?"

The audacity of even showing up here drew a bitter scoff from Jax, his features falling into an angry expression. "You have nerves to show up here, Ma", he spat, gripping the doorknob tightly as anger rose within him. "The hell are you doin' here?"

"So she told you", the matriarch hummed, but somewhat surprised. "Snitching on me, nice move."

"Are you serious?" Jax shook his head with a bitter snort, stepping out of the house and closing the door behind him, his swagger dangerously slow as he came quite close to Gemma.

"You know that Jade isn't a snitch. Telling me what happened to her has nothing to do with her loyalty", the blonde seethed, his breath trembling with anger as he looked down at his mother, the woman already noticeably smaller under his menacing gaze. "You're lucky Jade needed me. If I had found you yesterdayᅳ"

"Don't talk to me like that, I'm still your mother", Gemma hissed under her breath as she placed a stubborn hand on her hip and pointed a scolding finger in Jax' face. "Another woman you're blind in love with? She kept your son from you and you drop everything for her just because she batted her eyelashes at you once?"

"You really don't get it, do you?" Running his hands down his face, he looked down at Gemma in disappointment, shaking his head. "Jade thought I didn't want Thomas because I told her that I wasn't ready for a second child. She could've just as easily stayed, demanded child support that she was entitled toᅳ but she didn't. Instead she raised our child on her own, making sure Thomas had everything he needed. Meanwhile I was here in Charming playing family with someone else while hoping Jade would come back one day."

He took another step toward her, causing her to take a step back, almost landing in one of the rose bushes. "If I can forgive her, why can't you, huh? Since when are you on Tara's side anyway?"

"She took my grandchild away from me, from you", Gemma argued, raising her voice. With a scoff, she shook her head, shifting on her feet. "I don't have a choice if I want to be part of the family, you made that clearᅳ because of Tara, you pushed me out in the first place."

"Not everything is about you", Jax barked loudly before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, running his hands over his slicked back hair. When he opened his eyes again, he looked around briefly, making sure no neighbors had heard him. "I didn't shut you out back then because of Tara, but because you could've killed my son with your reckless bullshit, driving high and drunk. But you don't understand that either, right?"

Gemma flinched briefly, but immediately returned to her confident position. "And you have no idea how bad I still feel about it! People make mistakes, including you, Jackson. Would I forgive you? Always!"

"Oh, don't even try to guilt trip me now, mom. When are you finally gettin' sick of your manipulative bullshit?" Jax stepped back, the disappointment once again too great. "Why are you even here?"

"I'm just trying to save my family", she hissed. Apparently no one wanted to understand that she only wanted the best for her son. Whatever, she just waved it off. "Tara was arrested last night. Was it you who called the cops?"

"You're only making it worse. Tara and I are no longer a family and you've taken the wrong side", Jax said dryly, shrugging his shoulders before clenching his jaw the next moment, rubbing his thumb against his chin. "You know, I'm pissed, so much that I'm scared of what I'm going to do when I see Tara. But talk to the cops? Come on, you know me better than that."

"I'm not sure I even know you anymore." Gemma crossed her arms, about to keep arguing when they were interrupted by Jade suddenly appearing in the doorway.

"Jesus Christ," the matriarch muttered, genuinely shocked at the sight.

She never expected Tara to lose control so much. The sight made the older woman feel a pang of guilt in her chest, a guilt that she couldn't just shake off and that annoyed her.

"Get the fuck off my property", was all Jade said, the normally cheerful look in her eyes replaced by anger. "To play with me is one thing, but to use my father who I had to bury the day before; that was low, even for you, Gemma."

"Don't", Jax warned, grabbing Gemma's arm roughly as the woman stepped in Jade's direction. "You stay away from herᅳ and from my boys."

"Jax please, you can't do this", Gemma pleaded, her tough facade long since fallen. The woman gulped hard, placing a hand over her mouth. "I just wanted to do the right thingᅳ I didn't want it to come to this."

"And yet you didn't do shit!" Jade shot forward, pushing past Jax. The anger boiling inside, so much that she lunged and slapped Gemma across the face, something she would never normally do. "Feels humiliating, doesn't it? Now get out of here before I drag you off my property myself!"

With a gasp, Gemma brought a hand to her burning cheek, her eyes wide with shock; or surprise? Or even respect? She hadn't expected Jade to have so much courage in her.

"Jade, please, let meᅳ"

"You heard her", Jax repeated, not even letting his mother finish, his stare cold as a hint of disgust flashed in his piercing blue eyes. "Like I said, you stay away from all of us. Jade, the kids and the club. I'm sick of your games."

"You can't shut me out again", Gemma muttered, her voice a mix of anger and desperationᅳ but she deserved it, Jax had warned her back then that this was her last chance. "What are you going to do about Tara?"

"I can and I will", Jax replied dryly, not impressed by Gemma's pity act. "Let Tara be my concern. And don't even think about visiting her, planning new shit", he warned, nodding towards the beautiful white garden gate. "Now go."

"I won't give up that easily, Jackson." What was meant to sound more like a promise sounded more like a threat; like almost everything that came out of Gemma's mouth.

Her gaze slid to the couple once more, Jade slipping her hand into Jax' after he had pulled her closer, his tall figure standing protectively in front of her as he waited angrily for his mother to finally leave the property; which she eventually did with a disappointed shake of her head and strutted to her SUV, guilt gnawing at her as she couldn't stop thinking about Jade's bruised face.

Maybe she had really gone too far this time and somehow she needed to fix it.

ᅳ

WHEN THE AFTERNOON finally rolled around, Jax was on his way to give Tara a visit after he had told Rat to keep an eye on Jade's house and make sure not to let Gemma or anyone unknown near the door.

His appointment with Ally Lowen had been quick, after all he had only asked her for the divorce papers and asked her not to represent Tara; and he hoped the lawyer would comply with his wishes, otherwise they would soon need a new club lawyer.

Dismounting his bike, he pulled the papers out of his black hoodie, rolled them up, and took off his sunglasses and helmet before walking toward the large, gray building, hating the feeling that was boiling in the pit of his stomach.

He hadn't planned on seeing the inside of a prison anytime soon, but he couldn't wait until Tara was out, which might not be for years. Maybe that was the universe's way of making his soon-to-be ex-wife pay for her actions.

After a brief pat-down, leaving his gun at home for once after he had changed into fresh clothes since he had none at Jade's house, he was led through the halls and to one of the rooms where Tara would be in.

The heavy door opened with a loud creak, revealing Tara. Slowly Jax stepped inside and shortly after, the door got closed behind him. The blonde had bought himself fifteen minutes alone with Tara, nothing unusual here.

Her blank gaze met his, her glassy eyes completely lifeless and dull. Her hair was short, definitely self-cut, making her look older and harsh.

The muscles in Jax' jaw twitched violently as his gaze landed on Tara's hands, which rested folded on the table, her knuckles swollen, cracked and bruised.

"What do you want here?", she asked, finally breaking the agonizing silence. "I told Ally I didn't want to see anyone."

"I know, I talked to Ally today", Jax explained coolly, sitting down in the chair across the table. "But I don't give a shit about what you want, Tara."

"Jade told you", the brunette stated, barely able to force a humorless laugh as she let her gaze wander around. "She deserved it. Maybe I lost control, but this isn't just my fault."

"No, it's not. It's my fault too, I slept with her and started this." Jax leaned forward slowly, unrolling the papers on the table before pushing them across the table, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's why you should've taken your anger out on me, not Jade. What the hell were you thinkin'?"

"Nothing, I didn't think anything of it. I just wanted to show her that you belong to me." Tara hummed softly as she could practically smell the anger radiating from Jax, not really impressed or intimidated by it.

"What's that?", she asked, nodding at the papers.

Jax laughed bitterly, sniffling aggressively as he looked at the brunette with disdain. "I'm not yours anymore, Tara. Be honest, how many times have you thought about leaving? You hate this life, me."

"I'm not going anywhere without Abel, he's my son too", she muttered, shifting in her chair to take a closer look at the papers. Her eyes grew, looking up at Jax in horror. "You want a divorce? After all we've been through? Because of that bitch?"

"Careful", Jax warned with a low growl that rattled through his chest. To let off some steam, he stood up to stretch his legs, pacing the room. "Abel is not your son, he never was. For you, raising Abel with me was always more of a duty."

"That's not true!" Tara shot up as well, grabbing the papers only to throw them at Jax' feet the next moment. "You can't take this away from me, not after everything I've given up for you! I'm not signing shit!"

Jax had had enough. He felt nothing but pure annoyance towards the woman he had loved so much back when he was a teenager. Maybe what he was doing now was wrong, but he didn't care.

In the heat of the moment, he shoved her into the nearest wall, his forearm against her throat to hold her in place while his other hand rested next to her head, his nostrils flaring with anger.

"Here's what's goin' to happen", he spat dangerously, locking eyes with his soon to be ex-wife. "You're signing these papers and you're going to jailᅳ don't even try to get out of this mess. Once you're out, which will be in about five to ten years, you better run fast", he pulled her back a little just to shove her back into the wall again, collecting his spit which landed on her face shortly afterwards. "You have two hours to tell a lawyer that you pleaded guilty, you understand?"

The brunette shook her head, lips trembling and tears forming. "And all this because of her? Because of a woman who can never give you what I can give you? That's pathetic, Jax!"

Tara's body began to shake beneath him, unable to suppress her strangled sobs as she had no choice but to endure her husband's humiliation. She tried to push him away, but to no avail; he only shoved his arm harder against her throat, making her gasp before holding her breath.

"Do you understand?", he repeated, not even responding to her words. His eyes darkened, the blue visible only through two narrowed slits. "What do you want it to be, huh? Mommy went away, or Mommy passed away?"

"You can't be serious!" Tara frantically searched the room for anything that could help her, but she could barely move. "You would kill me for a future with Jade?", she asked, coughing a few times due to the pressure on her throat.

"More like to protect my family, my sons", Jax spat, suddenly letting go of her.

Before she could bang on the door, already ready to sprint towards it, Jax grabbed her arm, picked up the papers and slammed them on the table, pulling a pen out of his kutte and pushing it into the hand of a whimpering Tara. "Sign them, Tara, you decide your fate."

Jax was smart enough not to kill her, of course, that would only send him back here, or to another prison. He didn't know why, but seeing Jade all beaten up had increased his anger at Tara so enormously that he felt nothing but hatred towards the woman. It was almost as if all the emotions he had swallowed up over the last few months were finally boiling up.

"I'm not going to throw my life away because of you", she choked out between sobs, signing the papers with a shaking hand. "I'm not going to stay in here."

"That's up to you, but then you'll have to face the consequences", he croaked dangerously calmly, letting his hand slide from her arm to her neck, silently studying the woman as she flinched under his touch. "I'm serious, Tara, this ends here. Now it's up to you what I tell Abel in the next few days."

Tara slowly lifted her glassy gaze, her nose red and her eyes bloodshot. "I hate you", she said, her words only a whisper.

"I know; we started hating each other a long time ago, but neither of us wanted to admit it", Jax replied dryly, squeezing her neck slightly before slamming her face down onto the table once.

He was already a monster, hurting one more person wouldn't change anything; but it would intimidate Tara enough to make the right decision in the end.

Tara sank to her knees after Jax released her, trembling violently as loud sobs filled the room. Holding her bloody nose, the red liquid already dripped onto her orange prison suit.

"You were always a monster", she cried out, her voice cracking mid-sentence as she almost choked on her own spit. "All the lies, the violence; it changed you, turned you into someone you weren't before I left Charming twelve years ago."

"Our relationship shaped me too, made me who I am today, not just my club or Ope's death", he spat disdainfully as he collected the signed papers and carefully rolled them back up, looking down at the misery. "All I needed was a supportive wifeᅳ but somehow you could never be that, it was always just about your dreams and changing me. Guess what, that's not your concern anymore."

"Just get out of here", Tara screamed at the top of her lungs, glaring at him. "Get out!"

Sucking on his teeth,Jax finally nodded and knocked on the heavy door, which was opened for him a moment later by the same guy from earlier. Confidently, he left the room and shortly after the gray, depressing building before heading back to Jade's house.

He had to find his way back, choose the right path and let some light and positivity back into his life before he would completely lose himselfᅳ and he just knew that Jade was the right one to ground him, his perfect match and he had ignored that for far too long; which would now end.

word count; 2881