Chapter 17
“You’ve lost so much weight, Jess,” James remarked, giving her a concerned once–over.
Jessica kept her head down, focusing on her food, saying nothing.
But James’s wife, Zoey, who seemed to have heard some news, spoke up, “Jess, I heard you and Cameron split up?
I paused, caught off guard.
I was together with Jessica for five years and she never once let anyone know about us. James and Zoey always assumed we were just friends. But Jessica had only been with Cameron for a few months, and yet all her friends- even her cousin and his wife overseas–knew about their relationship.
So, it wasn’t that Jessica disliked making things public. She just didn’t want to make us public.
I couldn’t help but laugh at what an idiot I was.
Zoey patted Jessica’s shoulder, trying to comfort her. “Jess, relationships can’t be forced. For two people to be together, a lot has to line up. You’ll see you and Cameron just weren’t right for each other…”
“It’s not Cameron,” Jessica suddenly cut in.
Both James and Zoey fell silent, unsure how to respond.
Jessica looked up, her gaze settling intently on me. “I’ve realized…. the one I really care about isn’t Cameron.”
Her eyes were filled with emotions I couldn’t quite recognize.
Months ago, words like these would have sent me over the moon. But now…
Now, the wound had healed. I didn’t feel any pain anymore, though I remembered exactly what that pain felt like. And I wasn’t about to put myself through it again.
James must have sensed the tension and gave me a nudge. “Seb?”
I looked up at him. “I actually have a girlfriend now.”
Jessica’s face turned a shade paler.
The rest of the meal passed mostly in silence on Jessica’s part. As we stepped out of James‘ house, she caught up to me and stopped me in my tracks.
Her gaze was intense, almost desperate, and filled with a kind of need. She stared at me like she was searching for some kind of answer. That face–once so familiar that I knew every line, every little freckle under her eye–now felt like a stranger’s
The face that was once etched in my mind was gradually fading
She had once been the one to pull me out of the dark, and I stayed by her side for five years. Maybe it was time to accept that we were ever
After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, “Sebastian, do you really have to treat me this way?”
I chuckled. All I had done was treat her like a stranger. I hadn’t done anything else.
“Why didn’t you give me this dress?” Jessica asked, glancing down at it.
+15 BONUS
Chapter 17
So, it really was the one I threw away?
Jessica was a proud woman. I never would have imagined she would go digging through a dumpster for something I discarded.
“I bought that dress for your birthday, but you came home drunk that night. As soon as you walked in, you threw your arms around my neck and called me Cameron. You told me he was the only one you would ever love. There was no way I could have given it to you that night,” I said bluntly.
“You could’ve given it to me later,” she pressed, almost childishly, like a kid arguing over a toy.
I found it hard not to laugh.
“You started dating Cameron soon after. Why would I still give you a gift?” I paused, meeting her eyes. “Jessica, no matter how much I liked you, I still had my limits.”
She hesitated, her voice turning cautious, “Well, Cameron and I broke up. Do you… still have feelings for me?”
I shook my head with a smile. “The moment you pushed me away, I stopped loving you.”
Looking at her now, my heartbeat was steady. My heart didn’t race, and there was no more longing.
When I cared, I gave it my all. But once I was done, I was done.
Jessica denied our relationship and pushed me toward Selena. In doing so, it opened a crack between us that only grew wider until it finally broke. There was no fixing it now
I turned to leave, but she caught my arm.
“Sebastian, even if you don’t love me anymore, there’s no need to use Selena to degrade yourself,” Jessica said. slowly.
What?
I turned to look at her, and for the first time, I realized how blind I had been.
I was disappointed.
“Jessica, if anything, those five years with you–that’s what degraded me.”
When I got back home, Selena was waiting at the door for me. We chatted for a bit, then I mentioned Jessica’s cousin. When I did, she froze, and her expression changed instantly.
“Lena, are you okay? Do you know James?”
She averted her eyes and replied, “I’ve heard Jess mention im before. Hasn’t he been living abroad since he got married? Why did he return?”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure of the details, but I’ll introduce you two sometime–he’s like a real big brother to me. Helped me through a lot.”
Selena lowered her eyes, her expression unreadable, “Okay
I didn’t find anything unusual about her response, so I nodded and stood up to go to the restroom.
What I missed, though, was the hint of fear that clouded he downcast eyes.
