Chapter 8: Emily’s Challenge

As I walked out of Jason’s office building, Emily’s voice called from behind.

"Ms. Melissa."

She caught up to me in a few steps, deliberately tucking her hair behind her ear.

Her heels clicked on the concrete, each step sharp and deliberate, as if she wanted the whole lobby to notice her.

"Thanks for setting us free, Melissa. Seriously."

I saw the bright smile on her face, her eyes sparkling—the look of a victor flaunting her success.

"You’re welcome. I just hope you won’t end up like me."

I smiled faintly, a warning from someone who’s been through it.

The smile on Emily’s face faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered.

"How could I end up like you? Haven’t you already seen how Jay feels about me?"

She was referring to something from a long time ago.

Back then, Jason had brought Emily to a get-together with his buddies. Jason’s buddies lounged on sagging couches, empty beer bottles scattered everywhere, ESPN muted on the TV. One of his friends accidentally brought up me and Jason.

Someone said,

"Once, Jay was working late, and Melissa waited for him outside by the flowerbed, then got harassed by a homeless guy."

At the time, Emily was nestled in Jason’s arms. When she heard that, she wrinkled her pretty nose and made a disdainful noise.

"Isn’t that gross?"

Who knows if she meant me sleeping in the park, or being harassed by a homeless guy. Either way, the room erupted in laughter.

I was just outside the door then. I’d planned to catch them together, but hearing that, I felt like I’d fallen into an icy hell—both cold and burning, tormented.

What made me freeze even more was Jason’s attitude. He sat on the sofa, loosely holding Emily, and as everyone laughed and joked, he just smiled, silent and dismissive—as if they were mocking someone irrelevant, not the person he once protected so fiercely.

And in the final drinking game, Jason happily drank the beer Emily passed to him from her mouth. At her playful urging, he said the words, "Melissa, gross."