“Relax, Emma,” he had said, rubbing his temples like I was the one being unreasonable. “Lily fainted. I was just helping her.”
And I—like a fool—had let it slide.
Because Noah was in the room. Because I didn’t want to believe it. Because I was a goddamn idiot.
But now?
Now I knew the truth.
They had been screwing behind my back for who knows how long.
I let out a sharp breath, shaking my head. The worst part? I still loved him. Even after all this, my stupid heart still ached for him. I wanted to scream. To throw something. To hurt the way I was hurting.
And as if the universe wasn’t done tormenting me, my phone rang.
Mom. I should have ignored it, but the pathetic, desperate part of me still wanted to believe she’d be on my side.
I pressed answer. “H-hello.”
Her voice was calm, like she wasn’t the mother of the woman whose life had just been shattered. “What now, you're still crying? Come on, Emma, stop being dramatic!"
I choked on my own breath. “What?”
“Lily is younger than you,” she continued. “She deserves happiness too.”
My grip tightened around the phone. “And what about me?” My voice was barely above a whisper. “Don’t I deserve it?”
A sigh. Then my father’s voice, “Don’t be selfish, Emma. Think about Noah. Jason is going to be Lily’s husband now. It’s best if you cooperate.”
Something inside me snapped.
I threw the phone across the room. It hit the wall with a crack before falling to the floor. And then I buried my face in my pillow and screamed until my throat felt raw.
This wasn’t just Jason’s betrayal. It was everyone’s. My mother. My father. My sister. My husband. Every single person I had ever loved had thrown me away like I was nothing!
But if they thought I would just accept this?
If they thought I would just cooperate?
They were dead wrong.
I woke up to an eerie silence. I hadn’t noticed when exhaustion pulled me under, whether I had cried myself to sleep or simply passed out. My body ached. My head throbbed like I’d been hit by a truck. But none of that mattered. Because the moment I sat up, I realized—
Noah wasn’t in his bed.
My heart dropped. I bolted out of the room, calling his name. “Noah?” I ran down the hall, checking the bathroom, the living room—everywhere. “Noah!”
Silence.
My hands shook as I grabbed my phone and dialed my mother.
She picked up after the third ring, her voice calm, almost bored. “Oh, Emma. Finally awake?”