One More Yesterday

Episode 5: The Night It All Fell Apart

(Jack’s POV)

The night Emma left had started like any other—quiet, cool, a whisper of autumn in the air. Jack had just finished fixing the back gate on the farm, the sun long gone, when headlights swung across the gravel drive. He didn’t think much of it—this was Willow Creek. People dropped by unannounced all the time.

But when he stepped out onto the porch and saw **Lila Hayes** stumbling toward him, mascara smudged and her jacket slipping off her shoulders, something in his gut tightened.

“Lila?” he asked, stepping forward. “What are you doing here?”

She sniffed hard, wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I didn’t know where else to go.”

Her voice was slurred—too many drinks, maybe pills, maybe both. He caught her as she nearly tripped up the steps, guiding her gently inside.

“Sit down. I’ll get you some water.”

She dropped onto the couch with a sigh, burying her face in her hands. “Everything’s falling apart, Jack. Drew cheated on me. Said he never loved me. I feel like... nothing.”

Jack handed her the water and sat on the armchair across from her. “You’re not nothing, Lila. You’ve just got to get out of that mess. You deserve better.”

She looked up at him with wide, wet eyes. “You’re always so good. Why weren’t you the one I fell for?”

Jack froze. “Lila—don’t.”

But she was already moving. She stood too fast, crossed the room, and before he could react, her hands were on his chest.

“You’re still in love with her, huh?” she whispered. “With Emma?”

He pulled back, gently but firmly. “I am. And this... whatever you’re doing—it’s not right. You need sleep, not a mistake you’ll regret.”

Lila’s face crumpled. “I’m sorry,” she said, backing away. “God, I’m so sorry.”

“I’ll set up the guest room,” he said softly. “Get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

She nodded and disappeared down the hall. Jack stood in the dark for a long while, heart pounding. The whole thing had left a sour taste in his mouth. It wasn’t just the messiness of it—it was the way it could all be misunderstood. Twisted. Especially by someone like Emma, who’d been growing more distant, more unsure.

He thought about calling her right then, but it was late. She’d be asleep.

The next morning, he dropped Lila off at her cousin’s place without incident. She barely said a word.

When he got back, he went straight to Emma’s.

But she was already gone.

Her father didn’t have any answers. Her number had changed. His letters were never returned.

He spent **weeks** trying to reach her. Months writing. Eventually, he gave up trying to rewrite what had clearly been erased.

And now—ten years later—she thought he had betrayed her.

All because of **one night**, and one woman’s pain twisted into something it was never meant to be.

Jack stared out at the same old hills that had watched him grow, a hollow ache in his chest. He had lived every day with that misunderstanding hanging between them, and now, maybe—just maybe—he had a chance to set it right.

If Emma let him.