Chapter 5
671 Words
The sunlight slipped through the curtains, warm against my skin. I blinked awake, the first thing I saw was Jacob beside me. His arm was draped lazily across my waist, his chest rising and falling in slow rhythm.
For a moment, I just lay there, staring at him. The man who’d always been untouchable, out of reach—now tangled in sheets with me.
His eyes opened, hazy at first, then sharp as they landed on me. Morning, Emily. His voice was rough, deep, still carrying the echo of last night.
Heat spread across my cheeks as flashes from the night came back. His touch. His voice. His body pressed against mine.
Morning. I whispered, softer than I meant.
He smirked, brushing a strand of hair from my face. You’re blushing.
I pushed his hand away, rolling my eyes. Don’t flatter yourself.
But we both knew. The way his fingers traced my bare shoulder, the way his eyes lingered at the mole he’d seen last night he was remembering too.
For a second, his gaze turned serious. His jaw clenched. I need to figure out what to do about Ava.
The mood shifted. I sat up, clutching the sheet against me. Right. Ava.
She’s been around too much, Emily. He raked a hand through his hair. I don’t buy her story completely, but she’s not letting up.
I stayed quiet. A strange twist formed in my stomach. Ava, her tears, her story—it didn’t add up. But Jacob didn’t press further, and neither did I.
Three days later, I picked up the phone, nerves rattling through me. Fallon was right—I couldn’t keep avoiding this. I needed clarity.
The call connected. But it wasn’t Jacob’s voice.
Jacob… oh Jacob… don’t stop…
It was Ava. Moaning his name like she owned it.
My stomach dropped. My knees buckled. I gripped the counter just to stay upright.
No. No, this couldn’t be happening. Not after everything.
The phone slipped from my hand. My chest hollowed out.
I didn’t wait for explanations. I didn’t want to hear them.
No. I couldn’t stay.
By nightfall, the decision was made. Celine’s things stuffed into a suitcase, my hands trembling as I folded the last of her tiny dresses. I didn’t even check the mirror — I couldn’t bear to see myself like this. Weak. Shattered.
The letter sat on the nightstand when I left. Words that tasted like ash even as I wrote them.
Jacob,
I can’t do this anymore. You don’t love me. Maybe you never did. Don’t look for us. Goodbye.
I pressed the paper flat with shaking hands. Then I was gone, Celine’s small hand tucked in mine as we disappeared into the night.
*****
Jacob’s POV
The house was quiet when I walked in, later than usual, exhaustion hanging on my shoulders like lead.
Emily?
I dropped my keys on the counter. No reply.
Upstairs, the silence gnawed. I opened the bedroom door. Empty. Drawers pulled out. Closet bare.
And then I saw it — the envelope on the nightstand.
My fingers tore it open, scanning each line.
Every word was a blade.
She was gone.
I sat heavily on the edge of the bed, the paper crumpled in my hand, my throat burning with a rage I didn’t know how to contain.
She didn’t even wait for an explanation. Didn’t even let me fight for her.
Emily.
The phone was in my hand before I thought. I barked into the line, voice hoarse.
Find her. I don’t care how. Use every contact, every resource. Don’t stop until you bring her back to me.
Silence pressed down after the call ended. I dragged a hand down my face, chest tightening.
Behind me, the floor creaked. I turned.
Ava stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with practiced innocence.
Jacob, are you okay?
I wanted to throw her out, to burn the entire world down until Emily came back. But instead I just stared, hollow and furious.
No, Ava. I’m not.
- Writer
