Ember's POV - TWO WEEKS EARLIER
I can't stop smiling.
The acceptance letter crinkles in my hand as I race up the steps to Jason's house. Ashford University. Full academic scholarship. Everything I've worked for since freshman year—every late night studying, every extracurricular activity, every sacrifice—it all paid off.
And the best part? Jason will be there too. We'll finally be at the same school, building our future together.
I can already picture his face when I tell him. The pride in his eyes. Maybe he'll finally stop making those jokes about me caring more about grades than him. Maybe now he'll understand that I did this for us.
The front door is unlocked.
Strange. His parents are in Europe for the month, and Jason always locks up when he's alone.
Jason? I call out, stepping inside. You home? I have the best news!
Silence.
Maybe he's upstairs. I climb the curved staircase, my heart pounding with excitement. Four years of dating, and I still get butterflies when I'm about to see him.
His bedroom door is cracked open.
I push it wider, already forming the words. Guess who got into Ashford?
The words die in my throat.
Jason is in bed.
He's not alone.
Tangled in his sheets, blonde hair spilling across his pillow like she belongs there, is Madison Cole. My best friend since seventh grade. The girl who helped me write my college essay three weeks ago. Who promised she'd always have my back.
They both freeze.
Jason's eyes go wide—shock, maybe panic, maybe nothing at all.
Madison's lips curve into a smile. Slow. Deliberate. Satisfied.
Surprise, she says, like she's been waiting for this exact moment.
The acceptance letter slips from my fingers. It floats down, landing on the hardwood floor that probably costs more than my entire apartment.
Ember— Jason starts, scrambling to sit up. The sheet falls, and I see too much. See everything I didn't want to see.
How long? My voice sounds far away, like it belongs to someone else.
Madison stretches like a cat, not even bothering to cover herself. Does it matter?
Three weeks, Jason says quickly, his voice pitching higher. Baby, it doesn't mean anything. It was just—
Three weeks. The number hits like a physical blow.
Three weeks ago, I was at Madison's apartment, stressed about my college essay. She made me tea. Told me I was going to get in because I deserved it. Hugged me when I cried about how scared I was of failure.
Three weeks ago, while I was pouring my heart out to my best friend, she was already sleeping with my boyfriend.
You're pathetic, you know that? Madison sits up, completely unbothered by her nakedness. Standing there with your mouth open like a shocked little girl. Did you really think Jason would stay interested in someone who cares more about books than actually living?
The words are designed to cut. They do.
Madison, shut up. Jason finally finds his pants, yanking them on. Ember, listen to me. This isn't what it looks like
Really? The laugh that escapes me sounds broken. Because it looks like you're in bed with my best friend.
It just happened, he says, like that explains anything. We were hanging out, and things got out of hand, and
Three weeks isn't 'just happened.' My hands shake. Three weeks is a choice. Multiple choices.
You're always so busy, Jason says, and now there's defensiveness creeping into his voice. Always studying, always stressed about grades. What was I supposed to do?
Not cheat on me! The words explode out. You were supposed to not cheat on me!
Madison examines her nails, bored. Honestly, Ember, you should thank me. I'm doing you a favor. You two were so boring together. At least now you can stop pretending.
That's when I see it.
Her phone. Propped on the nightstand. Screen facing us.
Recording.
The little red light blinks innocently.
You're filming this, I whisper.
Madison's smile sharpens. For the memories. Though honestly? You should see your face right now. This is going to get so many views.
Views.
She's going to post this. She's going to put my humiliation, my worst moment, online for everyone to see.
You can't I start.
Can't what? It's my phone. My video. Public space. Madison shrugs. Besides, people deserve to know the truth. That perfect Ember Hayes isn't so perfect after all.
Jason reaches for me. Ember, wait. Don't leave like this. We can talk
Talk? I back away from his outstretched hand. You want to talk while she's in your bed? While she's recording me?
You're being dramatic, Madison says. It's just sex, Ember. Grow up.
Just sex.
The words echo in my head.
Three years with Jason. Three years of believing he loved me. Three years of thinking I'd found someone who saw past the scholarship kid, the girl who didn't belong in this wealthy neighborhood, and loved me anyway.
Just sex.
I bend down and pick up my acceptance letter. It's crumpled now, one corner torn.
Four years of perfect grades. Four years of sacrificing sleep and social life and everything teenagers are supposed to enjoy.
For this.
Ember, Jason's voice cracks. Please. I love you. We can fix this.
I look at him—really look at him—and realize I don't know this person. Maybe I never did.
We're done, I say quietly.
Then I turn and walk out.
Down the stairs. Through the front door. Into the blinding afternoon sunlight.
My car is parked at the curb, the beat-up Honda that looks pathetic next to Jason's BMW. My hands shake so badly I drop my keys twice before getting the door open.
Jason appears in the doorway, half-dressed, shouting something I don't hear over the roar of blood in my ears.
I drive.
No destination. No plan.
Just away.
My phone starts buzzing before I've made it three blocks. Text after text after text.
I don't look.
Can't look.
If I look, if I see whatever Madison has already posted, I'll fall apart completely.
The tears come at a red light—ugly, choking sobs that make my whole body shake. A car honks behind me when the light turns green. I drive through blurry vision until I reach my apartment building.
Small. Cramped. Nothing like Jason's mansion.
But mine.
I make it inside and lock the door.
Then I pull out my phone.
Seventeen notifications. All Instagram.
My stomach drops, but I have to know. Have to see what she did.
Madison's story loads.
The video shows me standing in Jason's doorway, face pale with shock, acceptance letter falling from my hands in slow motion. My expression is devastated—raw and broken and pathetic.
The caption reads: When you realize you were never the main character
347 views already.
Comments flood in as I watch.
OMG is that Ember Hayes??
I KNEW something was going on with Jason and Madison
She looks so stupid just standing there
Poor girl had no idea
This is brutal
Wait isn't she going to Ashford? Same school as Jason? AWKWARD 😂
My vision blurs.
Ashford.
The acceptance letter is still clutched in my hand, wrinkled and torn.
In two weeks, I start at the university where Jason will be. Where Madison's family donated enough money to guarantee her admission despite barely passing high school.
Where everyone will have seen this video.
Where my humiliation is already going viral.
I slide down to the bathroom floor, knees pulled to my chest, and let myself break.
This was supposed to be the best day of my life.
Instead, it's the day I lost everything.
My phone buzzes again. A text from an unknown number.
Hey, it's Riley. Your roommate? I just saw what happened. You okay?
Before I can answer, my apartment door opens.
Riley bursts in like a hurricane, spots me on the bathroom floor, and immediately drops beside me.
Oh, honey, she says softly, wrapping her arms around me. I'm so sorry.
Everyone knows, I choke out. The whole town has seen it by now.
Jason Hartley is a cheating bastard, Riley says fiercely. And Madison Cole is a snake. That's what people should be saying.
They're saying I was stupid for not seeing it.
Then they're idiots too. She squeezes tighter. You trusted people you loved. That's not stupid. That's human.
Fresh tears spill down my cheeks.
Riley pulls back, looking at me with determination. You know what? Screw them both. Screw their pathetic need to hurt you. Tonight, we're going out.
Riley, I can't
Yes, you can. Her eyes gleam with something dangerous. When was the last time you did something just because you wanted to? Not for a grade. Not for Jason's approval. Just because.
Never.
The answer is never.
Let's go to The Edison, Riley continues. That fancy bar downtown. Let's get dressed up, get drunk, and do something completely reckless. Let's make tonight about you choosing what you want instead of what everyone expects.
I should say no. Should stay home and cry and process this trauma responsibly.
But something dark and reckless is stirring inside me.
Something that's tired of being good.
Tired of being careful.
Tired of being the girl who always does the right thing and gets destroyed anyway.
Okay, I hear myself whisper.
Riley grins. THAT'S my girl. Go shower. I'll pick your outfit. We leave in an hour.
I stand on shaky legs and head for the bathroom.
Behind me, my phone buzzes with another notification.
Jason has created a new account. Already following me.
We need to talk. This is childish. Call me.
I block him without reading further.
Then I step into the shower and let the hot water wash away my tears.
When I emerge twenty minutes later, something has changed.
The girl who walked into Jason's bedroom doesn't exist anymore.
Riley is waiting with a black dress I've never had the courage to wear.
Perfect, she says. Trust me, Ember. Tonight is going to change everything.
She has no idea how right she is.
In three hours, I'm going to meet a stranger in a bar.
A man with storm-gray eyes who makes me feel alive.
A man who will whisper promises against my skin.
A man who—two weeks from now—will be standing at the front of my classroom.
But I don't know that yet.