EMMA'S POV
I couldn't breathe.
Damian was looking at the man like he'd just seen a ghost, no, like he'd just seen the person who shoved him into the darkest chapter of his life. His jaw tightened, the air around him turning cold.
I knew enough about him in the short time I'd met him to recognize that change.
The man said nothing more, just kept smiling in a way that made my skin crawl. Damian's eyes flicked back to me, as if remembering I was still here.
"You should go," he said finally, voice flat.
"What about..."
"Go," he repeated.
I swallowed the questions bubbling in my throat. He'd just offered me a place to stay, but now his tone left no room for discussion. I didn't want to linger here under the gaze of whoever that was.
So I left.
The city air felt sharper now, slicing into my cheeks as I hurried down the street. My heart was still pounding from seeing Jessy and Ethan together.
Jessy, my roommate and my supposed friend.
Ethan, my boyfriend. The man who'd told me he couldn't wait to come home to me.
And now both of them were tangled up together in my mind, their kiss looping in my head like some twisted highlight reel.
I tried to push it away, but it stayed there, stubborn. The laugh Jessy gave him. The way his hand had cupped her jaw like she was something fragile and precious.
And the worst part?
They looked comfortable. Like it wasn't their first time.
By the time I reached our apartment building, my legs felt heavy, my body sluggish with dread. The idea of walking through that front door and pretending everything was normal made my stomach twist.
The elevator ride up to the sixth floor was silent except for the faint hum of bad fluorescent lighting. My reflection in the metal doors was pale, my lips pressed tight, eyes haunted.
I unlocked the door to our shared apartment and stepped inside.
The familiar scent of Jessy's coconut hair mask drifted toward me. Her voice followed a second later.
"Em? That you?"
I froze in the doorway, my grip tightening around my purse strap. "Yeah."
She emerged from the kitchen, holding a wine glass like she didn't have a care in the world. Her silky black robe clung to her curves in that way that always seemed… calculated.
"Hey, you're home early," she said, taking a sip. Her eyes scanned me briefly. "Rough day?"
If she only knew.
I forced a small smile. "You could say that."
She shrugged, glancing back toward the kitchen. "Well, I opened a bottle. Want some?"
My throat was dry, but the thought of drinking with her made me feel like I'd choke. "No, thanks."
She tilted her head, studying me for a beat longer than I liked. "Suit yourself."
It was like she hadn't seen me or she was pretending.
I don't know which was worst
I walked past her toward my room, trying not to replay the scene in the car. But every time I saw her in my periphery, the way she tucked her hair behind her ear, the curve of her smirk.
It felt like a slap.
I shut my bedroom door behind me and leaned against it, letting out a shaky breath, my chest hurt.
How long had it been going on?
Had she laughed behind my back every time Ethan called me "baby"? Did they text when I was in the shower? Did they meet up when I thought she was out with friends?
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my phone. I could text Ethan and demand an explanation but I knew what that would get me, excuses, half-truths and denial.
And if I confronted Jessy right now…
I wasn't sure I could keep my voice steady.
***********************
A knock at my door startled me.
"Em?" Jessy's voice was light. "You sure you don't want wine? You sound… tense."
Tense.
I bit my lip hard enough to taste copper. "I'm fine."
"Okay…" she sang, drawing out the word before her footsteps retreated.
Fine, sure.
I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Damian's voice echoed in my head. "You don't have to go home tonight."
God, if only I'd taken him up on that offer.
But instead I was here, with her and to make it worse she is pretending. It was like she wanted to gaslight me that what I saw wasn't true or like she wanted to pretend not to see me.
I didn't know how much time had passed when I finally wandered back into the kitchen. Jessy was perched on one of the bar stools, scrolling through her phone. The wine bottle was half empty.
She glanced up at me with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "There she is. I was starting to think you were mad at me."
I forced a small laugh. "Why would I be mad?"
Her gaze lingered on me like she was searching for something. "No reason."
I grabbed a glass of water, my hands steady even though my pulse was anything but.
"I saw Ethan today," I said casually, without looking at her.
The pause was so slight most people would've missed it but I didn't.
"Oh?" she asked, her tone carefully neutral.
I nodded slowly, finally meeting her eyes. "Yeah. He was… with someone."
Jessy's smile was tight now. "Oh? That's weird."
Weird, that was all she had to say.
I sipped my water, holding her gaze a second too long. "Yeah, weird."
The air between us felt heavier now, like a storm rolling in.
She shifted on the stool. "So… what are you saying?"
I set the glass down gently. "I'm saying… I saw you, Jessy."
Her face went still. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
For a moment, we just stared at each other, with me daring her to deny it; her, deciding how to play this.
Then, as if on cue, my phone buzzed on the counter.
Both our eyes flicked to it.
It was Damian Cross.
Jessy's expression sharpened instantly, curiosity flashing in her eyes before she schooled it into something unreadable.
I didn't move to answer it.
The buzzing stopped… then started again.
Jessy arched a brow. "So… Damian Cross is calling you now?"
The way she said his name, slowly, deliberately and it made my skin prickle.
I kept my voice even. "Yeah. He offered me a place to stay tonight."
Something flashed in her eyes then, quick but unmistakable, it was not surprise, not confusion.
It was jealousy.