Emily let out a snort. “If you keep going on about this, I’m really going to get annoyed—and then I won’t answer any of your questions at all.”
Tristan parted his lips, his voice a little rough. “Emily.”
She replied, “Yeah?”
He looked down, his voice barely audible. “...Did you ever have feelings for him?”
The question had been eating Tristan alive, haunting his days and keeping him wide awake at night. He was desperate—almost to the point of madness—to know if Emily and Andrew Lane had ever been more than just family friends. Had their relationship ever crossed that line?
Emily was silent for a moment, not giving him an answer.
Tristan could feel his heart sinking, a tightness gripping his throat. He could hardly breathe.
Then, after a pause, he heard Emily’s answer as clear as day.
In that moment, Tristan almost wished his hearing wasn’t so sharp—wished he couldn’t make out her words.
But he’d asked the question. No matter how much it hurt, he needed to know.
Emily said, “Yes.”
Tristan felt his heart plummet, hitting rock bottom.
He tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat. He just stared at Emily, dumbfounded, for what felt like an eternity.
The truth he’d been dreading was now undeniable.
After a long silence, Tristan forced a smile. “...Is that so? Then did you two ever—?”
“No,” Emily cut him off, her tone crisp and certain. “Nothing happened between us. We never dated, never crossed that line. Liking him was just something from the past. You don’t need to overthink it.”
Tristan tried to play it off, joking weakly. “Well, that’s a relief. At least he didn’t get the upper hand.”
The silence in the car grew heavier. Tristan wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel or what kind of expression to wear.
Every time he thought about Emily having feelings for Andrew—even just for a while—about the years she’d spent with the Lanes, about all the things that happened between them, things he’d never know and didn’t want to know... it drove him crazy with jealousy.


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