Chasing After My-Ex

Chapter 5

Emily was never supposed to leave.

That was the thought that Matt could not get rid of from his head no matter how much he tried as he stared at the screen of his laptop without really seeing anything. And it was killing him.

The idea that she’d just walk away from him—not crawl back, not beg, not even glance back over her shoulder? It seemed like the most impossible thing. Three months ago, he’d thought the breakup was just a temporary detour. She’d come back. She always came back. But now? Now, three months without a single word from her and the slow-burning ache inside him was becoming unbearable.

Matt had been so sure she’d return.

The first day after she left , he’d laughed it off. No big deal. He’d thrown himself into his life, his work and his new girlfriend, Lila. Everything had been fine. He had it all under control.

But the second day, that’s when the doubt started creeping in. She wasn’t texting him. She wasn't calling him either…just nothing.

He knew she was stubborn, but this… this was different.

What the hell was happening to Emily? To his Emily that always came back?

By the third day, he was calling and sending messages to her line: "We need to talk. Call me."

Yet nothing.

Then, just when he thought he couldn’t feel any worse, his sister, Alice, called. And that’s when his world flipped upside down.

“Matt,” her voice had been tight like she was holding back a laugh or a sob—he couldn't really tell. "You need to see this."

He had rushed over while trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in his gut…the one that told him everything was about to fall apart. A smug look on her face, his sister had handed him her phone.

There, clear as day, was Emily, looking as beautiful as ever. And she wasn’t alone.

She was holding someone’s hand. A hand that was not his.

His heart almost stopped.

The man in the picture was tall, with messy dark hair and a look of quiet confidence that made Matt’s blood boil with crazy jealousy.

“Who the hell is that?” he had growled out loud as he glared at the picture.

“He looks familiar,” Alice said in a tone that was anything but reassuring. "Isn't that the guy who owns that vineyard in Napa?"

He squinted at the picture as he remembered the man’s face now.

Derek Langston. Matt had seen him on the news several times before. He was a b****y rich vineyard owner in Napa. And he was holding Emily’s hand. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the genuine smile on her face—the smile he had never been able to evoke in months. No, scratch that. Years. He’d seen it occasionally of course but he hadn’t been the one to put it there.

His fingers trembled as he scrolled through her social media. He couldn’t stop himself, even as it felt like he was losing his mind.

“Matt, let it go,” his sister warned. “She’s moved on.”

He’d laughed it off nervously, of course. “She’ll come around. She’s just having fun. She’s not serious. She will come back to me, sis. I am like her air. She can't do without me. She will come back.”

But three months later, she had not come back and despite himself, he was starting to feel the cracks in his confidence. He couldn’t ignore the fear any longer.

He had a girlfriend now, right? Lila. She was sweet and uncomplicated. She gave him what he needed: physical affection, comfort and distraction. But she wasn’t Emily.

No one was.

It didn’t help that his friends, all these cocky, self-assured assholes, were still laughing about it.

“She’ll come crawling back, man. Just wait,” Marcus had said in an arrogant voice when they partied together in a club. He’d clinked his drink against Matt’s like they were celebrating some victory. "Women like her? She’ll be back. You know it. So don't lose sleep over it.”

But more days passed and each of them without Emily at his beck and call felt like a bigger slap in the face.

No texts. No calls. Nothing. He couldn’t reach her…he couldn’t find her.

Damn it.

But it wasn’t until today, on a guy’s trip to San Francisco, that everything completely unraveled.

Together with his friends , Matt had been walking through the streets after dinner, joking around while he pretended to be fine. But in the pit of his stomach, the idea of Emily out there living her life without him continued to gnaw at him like a parasite.

And then he saw her.

Right there, in the middle of a crowded street, with Derek Langston.

And they were kissing.

Right there for everyone to see.

Matt’s pulse spiked and blood began rushing in his ears. His feet stopped. Everything around him went silent as if the entire world had stopped turning just to watch him break. Emily’s lips were pressed to Derek’s in the kind of kiss that wasn’t a casual peck. No. This was the kind of kiss that had desperation behind it…the kind of kiss that had heat behind it.

She had her hands tangled in Derek’s hair…her fingers gripping tight like she couldn’t get enough of him.

And Derek? His hands were around her waist, pulling her flush against him like she was his—like she was his in a way Matt had never had a claim on her.

Matt couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t just the kiss that was breaking him—it was the way she looked in Derek’s arms...the way she radiated happiness. She was glowing in a way he hadn’t seen in years. Months. Ever.

It was like someone had stabbed him right in the chest. His lungs wouldn’t cooperate. He couldn’t think straight. This couldn’t be happening.

Not now. Not ever.

Marcus, noticing his frozen state, slapped him on the back like it was just another day. “Dude, what’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Ghosts. Damn ghosts. Yes, he had seen ghosts.

“Shut up, Marcus,” Matt growled through clenched teeth. He wanted to smash something,...he wanted to scream in frustration but instead, he turned away without doing anything, his mind spinning as bile rose in his throat.

His friends didn’t notice Emily and Derek that were just some distance away. They kept laughing and kept walking like it was just another night.

But for Matt? It wasn’t just another night.

It was the night that he realized that he had messed up beyond repair.