Chapter 10
643 Words
Fiona didn’t want to snoop.
She told herself that a dozen times as she sat in Jared’s room that Friday night, waiting for him to grab takeout from the Chinese place down the street. He’d left his laptop open, music still playing softly, like he trusted her completely.
But trust—hers and his—wasn’t whole anymore. Not after Jason’s words. Not after the texts.
She didn’t want to look.
But she did.
Just one search. One peek.
She opened the browser, just intending to clear her head. But the history was still there.
And it said more than any text message ever could.
> f*******: search: Emma T.
Instagram DM: “You look amazing. Hope you’re okay.”
Email draft (unsent): “I never stopped caring.”
Fiona’s stomach dropped.
She clicked on the draft.
It wasn’t finished, but it was enough.
> “I think about you more than I should. I don’t know if this is something I should act on, but I hate pretending I don’t miss you. Things with Fiona are… real. But it’s not the same.”
– Jared
She slammed the laptop shut.
Her ears rang with silence, heart thudding in her chest like a trapped animal.
Who is Emma T.?
Why is he writing this?
Was I always second?
---
She didn’t wait for him to come back.
She grabbed her coat, her bag, and walked out into the night with her phone pressed to her ear and tears stinging her eyes.
He called three times.
She didn’t answer.
Instead, she went home. Locked her door. Sat on her bed for hours, reading that email over and over in her mind until the words became poison.
---
The next morning, he was at her door.
“Fiona,” he said, voice cracking. “I need to explain.”
She didn’t want to see him. But she opened the door anyway.
“Who is Emma?” she asked, no emotion in her voice.
He swallowed. “She was my ex. Before you. Before everything. We ended badly. And she reached out a while ago, and I—I didn’t answer. I swear. I wrote something, but I never sent it. I was just—confused.”
“About me?”
“No!” he said quickly. “About what I felt. She was my past, Fiona. And I didn’t realize I wasn’t over her until you made me see what real love looks like.”
Fiona crossed her arms. “So you wrote an email saying you miss her while dating me, and I’m supposed to believe I’m the one who showed you what love is?”
Jared stepped forward, eyes pleading. “I never cheated. I never lied. I messed up. But I love you. That’s the truth.”
She stared at him, every inch of her torn between anger, heartbreak, and the memory of how safe she’d felt in his arms.
“You told me to be sure,” she whispered. “But now I’m not sure about you.”
Silence.
“I’m sorry,” Jared said. “I can’t undo what I wrote. But I’d tear it up a thousand times if it meant keeping you.”
Fiona looked at him, truly looked at him. The boy she’d fallen for. The man who had made her feel seen. And the flaw that now stood between them.
“I need time,” she said, stepping back.
Jared’s face crumpled.
“I understand,” he said softly. “I’ll wait. I’ll wait as long as you need.”
---
She closed the door slowly.
Then leaned her back against it, eyes shut tight.
Her heart was breaking all over again—but this time, it wasn’t because someone didn’t love her.
It was because someone did—and still managed to hurt her anyway.
- Writer
