Oct. 24, 2024

Haunted Hearts (Part 3) - "Halloween Heartache"

Show Notes
Transcript

As Halloween approaches in Mystic Falls, Emma and Jack's budding romance is put to the test during the Haunted Harvest Festival. The spooky celebration takes an unexpected turn when ghosts from their pasts suddenly appear – Dylan, Emma's ex-husband, and Melissa, Jack's old college friend. Amidst corn mazes and haunted attractions, Emma and Jack must confront unresolved feelings and face their fears. Meanwhile, their children, Zoe and Max, find themselves in the middle of a real Halloween adventure. As the night unfolds, both Emma and Jack discover that the scariest part of Halloween isn't the decorations – it's confronting their own hearts.

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Calarogu Shark Media, Hello and welcome to Romance Weekly. This

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episode is titled Haunted Heart's Part three, Halloween Heartache.

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The crisp October air nipped at Emma's cheeks as she

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hung the last of the cobwebs on her front porch.

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Halloween was just days away, and Mystic Falls had transformed

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into a veritable wonderland of spooky delights. Jack's influenced, no doubt.

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The thought of him brought a smile to her face,

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quickly followed by a flutter of nerves in her stomach.

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Since the ghostly Gala, things between them had been different.

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That almost kiss, interrupted by the mysterious apparition, hung between

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them like an unspoken question. They'd barely had a moment

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alone since, between work, kids, and last minute Halloween preparations.

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Mom Mom Zoe's excited voice broke through her reverie. Can

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we go to the Haunted Harvest Festival tonight please? Emma

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turned to see her daughter, practically vibrating with excitement, already

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decked out in her witch costume. The What now the

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Haunted Harvest Festival. It's at mister Cooper's haunted house. There's

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going to be a corn maze and bobbing for apples

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and a haunted hayride. Zoe's eyes sparkled with anticipation. I

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don't know, sweetie, it's a school night and please, ma'am.

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Max says his dad made a special not so scary

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section for kids, and well, Zoe's voice dropped to a

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conspiratorial whisper. I think mister Cooper was hoping you'd come.

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Emma felt her cheeks warm. Oh and how do you

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know that? Zoe rolled her eyes in that way only

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preteens can perfect because Max told me his dad keeps

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talking about you.

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Duah.

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Before Ema could formulate a response, her phone buzzt a

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text from Jack. Hey, Emma, hoping to see you and

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Zoe at the Harvest Festival tonight. I've got a special

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surprise planned if you're up for a little Halloween magic.

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Emma's heart did a little flip. She looked at Zoe's

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hopeful face and made a decision. All right, little witch,

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let's go see what kind of trouble we can get

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into at this festival. The excitement on Zoe's face was

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worth any potential trouble they might encounter. As they pulled

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into the parking lot of Cooper's creepy castle. Emma's jaw dropped.

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Jack had transformed the area around his haunted house into

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a Halloween lover's dream. Twinkling lights were strung between towering

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corn stalks, creating a magical pathway to various attractions. The

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smell of caramel apples and pumpkin spice wafted through the air,

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mixing with the earthy scent of hay and leaves. Wow,

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Zoey breathed, her eyes wide. This is so cool, Emma

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had to agree. As they made their way towards the entrance,

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she found herself getting caught up in the festive atmosphere.

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Maybe Halloween wasn't so bad after all, Emma, zoe you

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made it. Jack's voice called out. He jogged towards them,

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looking unfairly handsome in a flannel shirt and jeans, a

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Jack O lantern baseball cap perched on his head. We

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wouldn't miss it, Emma said, hoping her voice sounded steadier

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than she felt. This place looks amazing, Jack. He beamed

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at her, and Emma felt that now familiar warmth spread

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through her chest. Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I

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was hoping I could give you the grand tour. He

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trailed off, looking suddenly unsure. That sounds great. Emma said quickly, Zoe,

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why don't you go find Max. I'm sure he's around here, somewhere.

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Zoe didn't need to be told twice. With a knowing

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grin at her mother, she dashed off into the crowd.

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Shall we, Jack asked, offering his arm with an exaggerated bow.

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Emma laughed, linking her arm through his. Lead the way,

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mister Halloween. As they strolled through the festival, Emma found

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herself relaxing into Jack's presence. He showed her the corn Maize,

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complete with hidden speakers playing spooky sound effects, the pumpkin catapult,

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which launched gorge at zombie targets, and the Witch's brew

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stand serving non alcoholic potions that changed color and bubbled.

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This is all so incredible, Jack, Emma said, as they

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paused by a crackling bonfire. The kids must love it. Thanks,

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Jack said, a hint of pride in his voice. It's

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been a lot of work, but seeing everyone enjoy it

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makes it all worth it, especially, he trailed off, his

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eyes meeting hers. Emma felt her breath catch this was

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it the moment they'd been dancing around since the gala?

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She leaned in slightly, her heart pounding, Jack, Jack Cooper,

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is that you? They sprang apart at the sound of

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a woman's voice. Emma turned to see a striking blond

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woman approaching her designer boots clicking on the gravel path.

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Jack's face had gone pale. Melissa, sir, what are you

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doing here? The woman? Melissa smiled, though it didn't quite

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reach her eyes. I was in town and heard about

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this charming little festival. I had no idea it was yours.

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You've certainly come a long way from our college days.

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Emma felt a cold knot form in her stomach. This

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woman clearly knew Jack from his past, and there seemed

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to be some unresolved history there. She glanced at Jack,

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seeing the tension in his jaw. Melissa, this is Emma,

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Jack said, his voice strained. Emma, this is Melissa, an

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old friend from college. Melissa's eyes flicked to Emma, assessing

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charmed I'm sure, Jack, do you think we could talk

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privately for a moment. There are some things we need

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to discuss. Before Jack could respond, another voice cut through

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the awkward tableau. Emma, babe, is that you? Emma froze,

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She knew that voice. Turning slowly, she came face to

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face with a ghost from her own past.

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Dylan.

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She gasped. Her ex husband stood before her, looking exactly

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as he had the day he'd walked out on her

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and Zoe three years ago. His leather jacket and carefully

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touzled hair screamed wannabe rock star. But there was something

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different in his eyes, something almost desperate. What are you

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doing here, Emma asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

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Dylan ran a hand through his hair, a gesture so

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familiar it made Emma's heart ache. I I came to

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see you and Zoe. I've been doing a lot of

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thinking and well I miss you guys. Emma felt like

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the ground was shifting beneath her feet. She looked from

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Dylan to Jack, seeing the confusion and hurt in Jack's eyes.

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Melissa stood to the side, a slight smirk playing on

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her lips. I need some air, Emma mumbled, turning and

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fleeing into the darkness of the corn maze. Her mind

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raced as she wandered through the twisting paths. How Could

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this be happening? Just when things with Jack were finally

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moving forward, the past had come crashing back into both

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their lives. She thought of Zoe, of how excited she'd

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been about Jack and Max. How could she tell her

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daughter that her father was back? Lost in thought, Emma

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didn't notice the figure approaching until she collided with a

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solid chest. Whoa easy there, Jack's voice rumbled, His hands

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steadied her, and Emma looked up to meet his concerned gaze.

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Are you okay? Emma let out a shaky laugh. I

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don't know, are you, Jack sighed, running a hand over

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his face. Not really. I'm sorry about Melissa. I had

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no idea she was in town. I'm sorry about Dylan,

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Emma said softly. I haven't seen or heard from him

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in years. They stood in silence for a moment, the

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sounds of the festival muffled by the towering corn. What

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do we do now, Emma asked, hating how small her

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voice sounded. Jack was quiet for a long moment. When

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he spoke, his voice was gentle but firm. We remember

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why we're here, this festival, Halloween. It's about facing our fears, right,

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Maybe it's time we face these ghosts from our past.

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Emma nodded slowly. You're right, we can't run from this.

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Jack reached out, taking her hand in his. The warmth

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of his touch grounded her. Whatever happens, Emma, I want

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you to know that these past few weeks have meant

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a lot to me. You and Zoe. You've brought some

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back into my life that I thought i'd lost after

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Sarah died. Emma felt tears prick at her eyes. Jack

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I A scream cut through the night, followed by the

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sound of running feet. Zoe burst through the corn her

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face pale. Ma'm mister Cooper, come quick. It's Max. He's

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stuck in the Haunted House and the animatronics have gone

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crazy without hesitation, Jack and Emma sprinted after Zoe, their

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personal dramas momentarily forgotten in the face of a new crisis.

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As they emerged from the Maize, Emma caught sight of

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Dylan and Melissa, both looking lost and out of place

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amidst the Halloween chaos. For a moment, Emma felt a

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pang of what might have been. But as she ran

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towards the Haunted House, Jack's hands still clasped in hers,

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she realized something important. The past might have come knocking,

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but the future, uncertain and thrilling as it was, lay ahead,

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and in Mystic Falls on the eve of Halloween, anything

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was possible.

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Romance Weekly is a production of Calaroga Shark Media executive

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producers Mark Francis and John McDermott. Portions of this podcast

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may have been created with the assistance of AI

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Calaroga Shark Media

Haunted Hearts (Part 3) - "Halloween Heartache"

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