Ethan's Pov
The drive home was silent. Jessy sat beside me, her perfume filling the car, it was sweet, heavy, and suffocating. The image of Emma's hand in that guy's hand replayed in my head like a broken reel. Her laugh, the way she leaned into him, the way his arm wrapped around her waist like she belonged there.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"Ethan, are you seriously mad right now?" Jessy's voice broke through the silence.
I didn't answer. I pulled into the driveway, the headlights cutting across the perfectly trimmed hedges before fading out as I killed the engine.
"Ethan," she said again, irritation dripping from her tone. "Don't tell me you're upset because Emma was there with someone."
I turned to look at her slowly. "You knew she would be there?"
Her lips parted slightly. "What? No, of course not."
But I could see it, the flicker of guilt in her eyes. Jessy always had a tell. She blinked too much when she lied.
I got out of the car without a word, slamming the door harder than necessary. She followed me inside, her heels clicking against the marble like nails on glass.
"Ethan!"
I stopped halfway up the stairs, my voice low and sharp. "Don't yell my name like that."
"What's your problem? You're acting like I dragged her there myself!"
I spun around, meeting her glare. "You might as well have."
Her jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," I said, walking toward her slowly. "You think I don't see what's going on? You think I forgot how this started?"
"Oh, here we go again," she muttered, folding her arms. "Blame Jessy. It's always my fault."
"It is your fault!" I snapped. "You were supposed to be her friend, Jessy. You were supposed to have her back but no, you couldn't handle that she had me, could you?"
Her eyes widened. "You're insane. I didn't do anything!"
"Didn't do anything?" I laughed bitterly. "You flirted with me when she wasn't looking, you touched me, whispered things in my ear. You wanted me to look at you the way I looked at her."
"That's not true!" she shouted, her voice breaking.
"Isn't it?" I stepped closer, close enough to see the panic in her eyes. "You seduced me, Jessy. You made me think I wanted you when all I wanted was her."
She shoved me in the chest, her face flushing red. "You didn't say no, Ethan! Don't put this on me. You could've stopped it!"
I stumbled back, anger flaring. "I did say no at least, until you showed up in her clothes, acting like her, saying the same things she used to say. You knew what you were doing."
Her eyes glistened with something, it was shame, anger, maybe both. "You were drunk," she said quietly. "You kissed me first."
I froze. The memory hit me like a punch to the gut, it was Emma's birthday party when all these started. I had too many drinks. Jessy's hand on my arm. The soft, familiar scent of Emma's perfume… because Jessy was wearing it.
"Yeah," I muttered, bitterly. "Because you made sure I would."
She looked away. "You're rewriting history, Ethan. You've been obsessed with Emma ever since she left, and it's pathetic."
"Obsessed?" I repeated, my voice rising. "You think I'm obsessed because I still care about the woman I love? The woman you helped destroy?"
Jessy's face twisted. "She was boring, Ethan! Always serious, always working. You were miserable, and you know it. I just gave you what she couldn't."
I laughed harshly. "What, betrayal? Lies?"
"Passion," she shot back. "Something real."
I stared at her, disbelief washing over me. "Real? You call this real? Watching her with someone else tonight, that was real. Because for once, she looked happy."
Jessy's mouth fell open. "You're defending her? After everything? She's flaunting some random guy in your face!"
"That random guy," I said, cutting her off, "made her smile and I haven't seen her smile like that in years."
Her lip trembled. "You're unbelievable."
I turned away, running a hand through my hair. My chest ached with a mix of guilt and fury. "You made me think she was the problem. You told me she didn't care, that she was using me and like an idiot, I believed you."
"She was using you!" Jessy cried. "She was going to leave you, Ethan. I was trying to protect you."
I faced her again, eyes cold. "Protect me? Or keep me?"
She froze, her throat working as she swallowed.
"I saw the messages, Jessy," I said quietly. "The ones you sent her. The things you said to push her away. You played both sides until she broke."
Her eyes darted toward the floor. "You went through my phone?"
"I didn't have to," I said flatly. "She showed me before she left."
The room fell silent. The only sound was the faint hum of the air conditioner, cutting through the tension like a knife.
"So what now?" she whispered. "You're going to run back to her? Pretend none of this happened?"
"I can't run back to someone I already lost," I said, voice low. "But I can stop lying to myself."
She laughed bitterly, blinking back tears. "You think she'll ever take you back after what you did?"
"No," I admitted. "She shouldn't."
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Jessy's mascara had begun to smudge, her chest rising and falling unevenly. She looked smaller somehow, less like the confident girl who used to walk into every room as if she owned it.
Finally, she whispered, "I love you, Ethan."
I closed my eyes, the words slicing through me. "No," I said quietly. "You love winning."
She flinched as if I'd struck her. I turned and walked toward the door, grabbing my jacket from the couch. "I'm going out."
"Where?" she asked, voice shaking.
"Anywhere that isn't here."
I stepped outside before she could say another word. The night air hit my face, cold and heavy. I leaned against the car, staring up at the dark sky.
All I could see was Emma—her laugh, her smile, the way she looked at that guy like she was finally free and for the first time since she walked away, I realized something terrifying.
I didn't just lose her.
I drove her straight into someone else's arms.