"You did have sex with her? Rot in hell!"
When Brittany Cartwright repeated those words to Jax Taylor this season on Vanderpump Rules, viewers truly thought this was the end for one of SUR's longest running couples.
Perhaps it was the fact that Jax cheated on Faith Stowers who Brittany once considered a friend. Maybe it was because there was an audio recording that was too scandalous to play on TV. It may have been the fact that the cheating happened at the home of a 95-year-old woman. Or perhaps it was simply because Brittany did nothing to deserve such a betrayal.
Whatever the case may be, viewers went on a roller coaster as the pair broke up, got back together and then split again in a matter of months.
But as part three of the Vanderpump Rules reunion airs tonight, Jax and Brittany appear to be in the "best place you could possibly be." So how did they get to such a positive point? It didn't exactly happen overnight.
"He was very persistent and just did not give up. There were some times—sorry to say this Jax—where I'd have 30 missed calls from him. He just wasn't going to give up on me," Brittany revealed to Morgan Stewart and Carissa Culiner on E!'s Daily Pop. "I knew that I loved him still. I was trying to act like I didn't. In the end, I'm just so glad where we are right now because we are so much better than we ever have been."
At times on the show, however, viewers got a sense that Brittany was handling the cheating scandal a little too well. In addition to planning a cast trip to Mexico to celebrate Jax's 38th birthday, Brittany also threw him a birthday party at Hooters in Downtown Los Angeles two months after learning he was unfaithful.
"My hope for this relationship is that Jax will be the person he is whenever we have so much fun together. I mean, we laugh all night long sometimes. But whenever he goes and acts like an asshole, that's not the person I want to be with," Brittany explained on the show. "That's not the person I love. So hello! Your girlfriend's still really hot and there's going to be other guys who want me. So either buck up or sit down Jax."
Some fans couldn't hold back their frustrations. In fact, viewers flooded Andy Cohen with the same question for Brittany on Watch What Happens Live: Why don't you understand that leaving Jax would be the best decision you could ever make?
"Because I'm following my heart and it's my life," Brittany said in her strongest voice possible. "I'm the one who's living it and being with him every single night and nobody else out there is so it's my decision."
That mindset came with support from many cast members who simply wanted Brittany to be happy. And while they may not have given Jax a second chance if they were in the same situation, they wanted to support her.
"With Brittany, she's a grown woman. She's going to make her own choices. She's not in a situation that's unsafe. She's happy and that's what matters," Ariana Madix shared with E! News' Zuri Hall back in January. "I can't tell someone what they should or shouldn't do."
But just when fans were getting a bit more understanding of the reconciliation, another curveball was thrown when Jax broke up with Brittany. And spoiler alert: People were not impressed with his explanation.
"This has 150 million percent nothing to do with you. I need to make some changes," he shared in the scene filmed in August 2017. "I'm not happy with myself. I don't like who I am and it's not because of you. Look at all the s--t I've caused this summer…You deserve a lot better than me. I just don't think we can be together anymore."
Brittany replied, "How dare you do this to me? How dare you put me through all this s--t and let me go through all this heartbreak then for you to sit here and act like you're the one to give it all away. After everything I've been through? This is bulls--t! This is complete bulls--t."
Didn't we warn you this was going to be a roller coaster ride?
A three-month break followed before something happened that nobody could predict. Jax's father passed away, which caused the SUR employee to reevaluate everything around him.
"To be honest, I was at the bottom of the barrel, lost, insecure, my father was dying…I hated myself and I thought it was the right thing to do because I was bringing her down," Jax shared on Twitter after the split aired. "I am not perfect and I will never be but I am working very hard on myself."
He added, "I realized later that @BNCartwright is my angel and she makes me want to be a better man."
Jax and Brittany's co-stars and best friends appear to back him up. "He's charming. He's a gentleman. It's true love. Sticking it out is true love," James Kennedy shared with E! News.
Scheana Marie added, "After his dad passed away, they've been through these life-changing moments together. I do see a different side of him that has come out and I see a lot of growth in him. I see a lot of remorse and I think he's being the best man he can be for her."
Today, you can likely find Jax and Brittany vacationing together and sharing thoughtful messages about the other on social media. In fact, there's even talk about Jax being a good father if the opportunity presents itself in the future.
And for those who can't believe how happy the pair is today, even Brittany is surprised by how much has changed in this love story.
"Never would I have imagined my life to be like it is today. We definitely have our ups & downs, but today we are happier than ever," Brittany shared on Twitter earlier this month. "I know people are skeptical and think I'm crazy for sticking around but I know I did the right thing for me."
Vanderpump Rules airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. only on Bravo.
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