Emma's Pov
The knock on my office door was sharp, impatient, and familiar enough to make my stomach twist.
"Come in," I said, already bracing myself.
The door flew open, and Jessy stormed in, heels clicking like gunfire against the marble floor. Her hair was perfect, of course it was but her eyes were wild, rimmed red, and full of fury.
"We need to talk," she snapped.
I leaned back in my chair, forcing a calm I didn't feel. "You're a few weeks late for that."
She slammed the door shut. "Don't start with me, Emma. I'm not here to play games."
I smiled faintly. "Good because I stopped playing the moment you decided to crawl into my life and destroy it."
Her lips curled. "Destroy it? Please. You were already ruining it yourself. I just… sped things up."
I stood up slowly. "You slept with my boyfriend, Jessy."
Her chin lifted, defiant. "Your ex-boyfriend and if you really want to be honest, he kissed me first."
I laughed, but it came out hollow. "Oh, that's your story now?"
"It's the truth," she said, crossing her arms. "You act like you were this perfect saint, but you weren't. You pushed him away, Emma. You made him miserable."
I took a step forward, my pulse ticking faster. "I worked late because I was trying to build something real. Something stable. Meanwhile, you were whispering poison into his ear."
Jessy's nostrils flared. "I was there for him. You weren't."
"You mean you were waiting," I shot back. "Waiting for the moment he'd be weak enough to fall into your trap."
Her eyes flashed. "You think too highly of yourself. Not everything is about you."
"Really?" I tilted my head. "Then why are you standing in my office, on my time, still talking about my relationship?"
She blinked, caught off guard for a second. "Because you're still ruining everything!"
I frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"You were at that carnival last night," she hissed. "With that guy, who even is he?"
I let out a sharp laugh. "You mean James? My date? You've been stalking me now?"
Her jaw tightened. "Ethan and I saw you. You were practically glued to that guy!"
"And why do you care?" I asked, my voice cutting like glass. "You got what you wanted, didn't you? You have Ethan. You won. So what are you doing here?"
"I didn't come here to be mocked."
"No," I said coldly, "you came here because even with him next to you, you still don't feel like you've won."
Her expression cracked. "You think you know everything, don't you?"
"I know enough," I said quietly. "Enough to know you were never my friend."
Jessy scoffed. "Oh, get over yourself. You're acting like I stabbed you in the back."
"You did," I snapped. "Every lie, every text you sent, every time you told me Ethan didn't care, yeah, that's a knife, Jessy and you made sure it went in deep."
For a second, she didn't speak. Then she smirked. "Funny, I don't remember you fighting that hard to keep him. You just… walked away."
"Because I was done fighting for someone who didn't see me anymore," I said. "I loved him, Jessy but love doesn't survive betrayal."
She rolled her eyes. "You act like you're so righteous. You don't even know the whole story."
"Oh?" I raised a brow. "Enlighten me."
"He was miserable with you," she said, voice trembling with anger. "You treated him like a project, not a person. Always fixing, always correcting, always making him feel like he wasn't enough."
I froze, then stepped closer. "And you thought sleeping with him would make him feel better?"
Her face twisted. "At least I made him feel something!"
I stared at her, my voice low and cold. "You made him feel guilty. That's not love."
Jessy's hand shot out suddenly, gripping the edge of my desk. "You think he's some innocent victim, but he's not. He could've stopped it, Emma. He didn't. He wanted me."
"Then why are you here?" I demanded. "If he really wanted you, why are you standing in front of me instead of him?"
She blinked rapidly, color rising in her cheeks.
I took another step, lowering my voice. "Because even if you know it, he never looked at you the way he looked at me."
Her breath hitched. "Shut up."
"That's why you wore my perfume that night, isn't it?" I said quietly. "You wanted him to think he was touching me."
Her eyes widened. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, I do," I said, each word sharp as glass. "I can still smell it on him when he came to apologies It was my type of perfume, my scent on him."
Jessy's voice cracked. "He's mine now."
"No," I said softly. "He's just lost and the saddest part is, you know it."
She slammed her hand on the desk. "You think you're better than me? You're not! You're cold, heartless, and selfish. You think being alone makes you strong? It just makes you pathetic."
I met her glare. "At least I can sleep at night."
That did it. Jessy lunged, shoving papers off my desk. "You ruined everything!" she screamed.
I grabbed her wrist, shoving her back hard enough that she stumbled. "You need to leave. Now."
She steadied herself, breathing hard. "He'll never forgive you, Emma. He told me himself, You're like poison to him."
I smirked faintly. "Funny. He said the same thing about you last night."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"Yeah," I said, folding my arms. "He showed up at the Carnival after you left. He looked miserable and he finally realized what you did."
Jessy's mouth fell open. "You're lying."
"Believe whatever helps you sleep," I said quietly. "But deep down, you know he's done."
For a moment, she just stood there, trembling, lips parted like she wanted to say something but nothing came out.
Finally, she whispered, "You think you've won?"
I sighed. "No, Jessy. Nobody won."
She stared at me for a long moment, eyes glistening with something close to heartbreak, before she turned and stormed out.
The door slammed shut. Papers were still scattered across my floor.
I sat down slowly, my hands shaking even though my voice hadn't.
And for the first time in months, I didn't feel angry anymore.
I just felt… tired.