"Jason, if you care about her so much, then stay with her!" I yelled, the words burning in my throat. "Forget the wedding. Just cancel it!"

I felt this wave of emotion rising like I was going to break down at any moment, but no tears came. I just reached for another drink.

One glass after another, I drank until the world spun around me, a kaleidoscope of light and noise, each color blending into the next.

I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point, I felt someone supporting me, warm hands pressing against my back. The faint smell of laundry powder filled the air.

It was Chase Thompson.

"Em, you’ve had too much to drink," his voice was soft, full of concern.

His hands steadied me as the world around me continued to swirl. I closed my eyes, grateful for the warmth, even if it was temporary.

Emma's POV

I struggled to open my eyes, and there, inches from me was Chase's face. His chiseled features looked unusually gentle under the dim light.

"Chase..." I whispered his name, and just like that, the tears I’d been holding back flooded out.

"He... how could he do this to me?" The words came out broken, as the full weight of everything hit me all at once.

Chase didn’t say anything. He just wrapped his arm around me, gently patting my back, like he was trying to comfort a child.

I leaned into him, crying in a way I hadn’t in years, letting go of all the hurt and frustration I’d been bottling up for the past seven years.

Chase didn’t rush me. He just quietly led me away from the noisy bar, his presence a steady anchor as we stepped into the cool night air. The breeze on my face helped clear my mind, just a little.

"Emma, let me take you home." His voice was soft, almost tentative like he didn’t want to disturb me more than I already was.

I shook my head, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don’t want to go back... it’s all his memories there..."

Chase was silent for a beat, then he spoke again, his tone gentle but firm. "Come to my place. I’ll make you some hangover soup."

I nodded without much thought, still in a daze, and let him guide me.

The hangover hit harder than I expected. I woke up in an unfamiliar bed, my head pounding like it was being drilled into. I groggily sat up, grabbed the water cup on the nightstand, and drank it all in one go.

Only then did I realize—I wasn’t at my place. I was at Chase’s.