Love in a different language

Chapter three

Emily's pov

I woke up that morning feeling numb. I still couldn't believe my boyfriend and my best friend had betrayed me.

The music from Chloe's party still echoed in my ears, but all I could see was Jason's hands gently cupping Chloe's face before he kissed her. No matter how hard I tried to push the memory away, it kept replaying in my mind like a cruel reminder of everything I had lost.

Sometime during the night, Michael had come into my room and left a glass of water and a couple of painkillers on my bedside table. I was grateful because I woke up with a pounding headache after crying myself to sleep.

I told myself that they didn't matter anymore. I went downstairs to find something to eat. I hadn't eaten much yesterday.

Michael was already downstairs making pancakes, which was rare.

“Well, good morning,” Michael said with a smile.

“Good morning. Who are the pancakes for? You don't cook,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“I felt like I should after yesterday's incident,” he said.

“Oh, that's sweet,” I said, smiling.

“Just so you know, I taught your ex a very good lesson,” he said.

“What did you do?” I asked, laughing.

“I may have scratched his precious car a little,” he said with a mischievous smile.

I burst out laughing and pulled him into a hug. We might not get along very often, but I know my brother always has my back.

“Hey, you deserve better. They don't deserve an awesome soul like yours,” he said.

“Thank you, Michael,” I said softly.

“And our flight is tomorrow, so a fresh start is what you need,” he added.

I smiled. Maybe he was right. Maybe leaving everything behind was exactly what I needed.

I had just finished packing the last few things when I noticed I still had some stuff left to pack. Jason had tried reaching out to me, but I refused to pick up. I was hurt, no doubt, but I was even more hurt that Chloe hadn't reached out.

We had been best friends since kindergarten. I didn't know how to make friends back then, and she was the one who walked up to me with a pretty smile and introduced herself. I still couldn't process her betrayal.

I was carrying some of my things downstairs when I heard the doorbell ring.

It was Jason.

He was standing at the door, holding a bouquet of flowers. The moment I saw him, tears immediately filled my eyes.

Michael had also heard the doorbell and came downstairs. The moment he saw who was at the door, his expression changed.

“Go upstairs, Emily,” he said calmly.

“I can face him. You don't have to worry,” I said, wiping my tears and hiccupping.

“Just do what I said. Now.”

“Alright,” I mumbled, making my way upstairs.

But when Michael thought I had left, I hid behind the stairs. I needed to hear what Jason had to say.

“Oh, hi. Where's Emily?” Jason asked.

“What do you want with her? You cheated on her with her best friend. I trusted you with my sister, and you let her down,” Michael said angrily.

“That's why I'm here. To apologise,” Jason replied.

“You're only here to apologise so you can make yourself feel better,” Michael said. “You don't care about her enough to understand how badly you hurt her. Leave now before things end badly.”

I couldn't hold back my tears anymore.

I still couldn't believe Jason had thrown away three years of our relationship and cheated on me with my best friend.

Looking back, there had been signs.

Chloe always wanted to be around us. She would sometimes accompany us on our dates, and I never thought much of it. I assumed she just felt left out because Jason and I had started dating.

I never imagined she was the reason everything would fall apart.

I was leaving tomorrow. Mom and Dad would be back in an hour, and I already missed them so much.

Two hours had passed since Jason left when Michael caught me crying. Without saying anything, he pulled me into a hug.

When my parents came home, I told them everything about the breakup. They comforted me, reminding me that I deserved better and that I'd eventually find someone who truly valued me.

Their words helped more than they probably realised.

Tomorrow, we were moving to New York.

I couldn't believe I was finally leaving.

And somehow, for the first time since everything happened, leaving didn't feel like running away.

It felt like exactly what I needed.