Chapter Twenty-three
Emma
I touch the call button, my heart pounding painfully like a wounded animal in my chest.
Alex answers, his voice upbeat, but something feels... false... about his tone. And I wonder if Kade is right; maybe Alex does know.
“Alex, I won”t make it to the club tonight.” I feel awful for letting him down, but my mind is so scattered I’d be more of a hazard at work than a help.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, his tone suddenly worried.
“Yeah, I’m just tired - I didn’t sleep last night.” I realize how the words sound after I say them, and I squeeze my eyes shut. What a dumb thing to say.
“Alright, take care of yourself,” he says, and I’m grateful he doesn’t press for answers to whatever questions he has.
The call ends and I stare at the screen, the image of Kade and Stella locked in that too-close embrace coming to mind.
I wish I hadn’t asked him to leave. But he’s gone now, and I need someone to talk to, to figure all of this out with. So, I find Lila”s number and touch the green phone icon.
“Hi, Em! How are you?” she sounds excited, and I instantly burst into tears.
“Em, are you okay?” she asks, her concern flooding her voice.
I sniffle, trying to find my voice. “I’m...struggling,” I whisper.
“Tell me everything.” Her tone is so nonjudgmental that I do. The dam within me bursts, and I let everything that has happened flow out. And when I finally stop talking, she exhales.
“Well, that’s unexpected,” she says. “But you’ve got to do what feels right.” Her voice is gentle, yet firm.“You need to sort things out with Kade. Trust is everything.”
I swallow hard, my throat tight. I know she’s right. “It’s just so much more complicated than I ever expected.”
“Isn”t it always with love?” She lets out a soft laugh.
“And I won’t tell your secret, but I need you to promise me that you”ll tell Alex the truth.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me. “I will.” It won’t be a fun conversation, telling my brother that I’ve been hiding something huge - a crush on his best friend. But I need to do the right thing.
“Good, good.”
“Thanks, Lila. For being here for me.”
“Of course, that’s what big sisters are for.”
My fingers tremble as I lower the grainy photos onto the coffee table, the matte images making my heart ache even more. The room card lies beside them, a shiny, white evil I don’t know how to handle.
But still, something doesn”t feel right. “It”s just... the timing of these photos, the room card—it feels like someone”s playing a game with us.”
Through the receiver, I hear Lila”s steady breathing. I can believe the hug is innocent. Kade”s posture in the photo is stiff, his face not quite discernible yet unmistakably awkward, and he’s not leaning into her - he seems to be leaning away. I squint at the blurred edges, the pixelated figures—a deliberate smudge? “And the quality is garbage but seems almost... intentional.” Like someone had to blur them so they’d be more believable.
And then it strikes me; Kade standing inside his home with his front door wide open, inviting scrutiny from anyone who might pass by. Obviously, this was nothing more than an innocent gesture, or he wouldn”t have invited the whole world to watch. It’s just all too convenient. “I think it’s a setup, or a game.” But I don’t understand why.
“Games are only fun when you know the rules,” Lila says, her tone indicating she’s not paying me total attention. “Maybe it’s time to change the game. Confront the source. You and Kade need to talk to Stella.”
I suck in a deep breath, my teeth grazing my lower lip. The idea of facing Stella fills me with dread, but Lila”s probably right. As much as I don”t want to admit it, we can”t let this go.
“Okay,” I say, feeling validated that she thinks so, too. “We”ll talk to her.” We have to clear this up to move forward.
“You’ve got this, Em.” In the background, I hear a child start to cry so we say quick goodbyes so she can go put out whatever fires are happening over there.
I exhale, long and hard, the weight on my chest easing just a fraction. My sister’s advice echoes what”s been circling in my mind and what Kade had said but hearing it from an uninvolved third party makes me more confident it’s the right way to do things.
But the more I puzzle over everything, the less it all makes sense. Stella can”t possibly think ruining Kade’s relationship will swing Kade back her way... unless she”s lost touch with reality altogether.
The keycard catches my eye again, its magnetic strip glinting dully under the lamplight. A plan creeps into my thoughts, an almost evil plan.
Kade said Stella invited him to her room.
What if we take her up on that invite together?
My fingers are calling him before I second-guess myself. It rings once, twice, then his voice—low, and a little rougher around the edges than usual—fills my ear.
“Em?”
“Hey, Kade.” I can’t stop the upward curve of my lips as I pick up the room card. “Stella invited you to her room, right?”
There’s a pause at the other end of the line. “Yeah, she did. What’s up?”
“Let”s both go and confront her together.” I catch myself holding my breath and force my breathing into an artificial pattern.
“Sure.” My heart leaps at his single word answer.
“Alright. Give me ten minutes to get ready.”
“I”ll be there,” he says.
“Okay.” We end the call and a bolt of pure adrenaline sears through my being.
I have ten minutes to get ready. Ten minutes until Kade is here, close enough to touch; his scent, voice, and touch filling my world.
But was he right about her just lying if she did this?
What if this just leaves us with more questions than answers?
I rush around and get ready, my heart jackhammering in my chest every second of the way.
The quiet roar of Kade”s engine warns me he’s here before he even parks. I see him through the window, his jaw set, eyes serious. I’m excited, scared, and unsure all at once as I leave my place, locking up and making my way to his car quickly.
He leans over and opens the door for me, and I slide into the passenger seat.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask, I don’t want to force him, but I realize I didn’t really ask what he wanted. And I feel bad for that.
He nods, his expression determined. “Let”s see what we can find out.”
His answer doesn”t inspire confidence - he clearly thinks she’s not going to be honest, even if we call her out with proof. But he’s still here, going with me to do this, and that’s important to me.
We”re on the road the second my seatbelt clicks into place, the city lights streaking past us like shooting stars. I try to focus on anything else but what lies ahead, but my mind is a tornado of doubt and what-ifs.
“Gosh, when did our lives become some trashy, reality show?” I say with a chuckle.
“I don’t know, but I didn”t sign a consent form.” He jokes right back.
I gasp. “Me, either!”
The back and forth makes me feel better, makes this moment between us feel more normal.
I watch the tendons in his forearm flex with each turn of the wheel, wondering why even that is sexy to me. The man gets me all fired up inside, but now really isn’t the time to be thinking about that. But if I think about what might happen next, I’ll explode from the pressure.
The silence stretches between us. I reach out and lace my fingers with his, to reassure both of us that whatever happens, we”ll face it together.
“It doesn”t make sense,” he says suddenly, breaking the stillness. His voice is low, almost as if he’s not talking to me. “Stella wouldn”t do this. It”s too cruel, even for her.”
“Or maybe you don”t know her anymore,” I say in a gentle tone. “People change, Kade.”
I mean, the people we knew as teens have all changed so much. We’ve changed so much. Why would it be impossible to believe that she has become bitter and angry toward him? Or that she’s a stranger now, at the very least.
“Maybe,” he says. The word sounds like he’s letting go of something, maybe a piece of the past that no longer fits into the puzzle of his present.
The drive feels like it’s going on forever, but I know that’s just anxiety playing tricks on my mind.
“Whatever happens...” I say, unsure where I’m going with this line of conversation.
“We”ll handle it.” Kade seems to know exactly what I’m thinking as he finishes the statement. And knowing that we’re on the same page and hearing him say those words... it’s all the reassurance I need.
The hotel lobby buzzes with people going about their business, and we slip past everyone to the elevators. He presses the button with more force than needed, and I sense that he’s as stressed as I am, even though he doesn”t otherwise show it.
The elevator dings open, and we step inside. Silver walls encase us, and as we rise, so does the tension in my neck and I rub the spot with one hand, hoping to relieve some of the pressure. It doesn”t work.
“Room 306,” Kade says.
I nod in response.
When the doors slide open again, we”re met with a quiet hallway that seems to stretch on forever. Each step toward room 306 feels harder and harder, like trudging through thick, sticky mud.
We stop before the door marked with delicate gold numbers, and Kade”s hand hovers in the air, millimeters from the wood. His eyes meet mine. “Are you ready?” he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.
I swallow the lump in my throat and nod, the comfort that this whole situation might be over in a few moments flooding me. “Maybe this will be the end of the whole thing,” I say.
Kade’s knuckles tap on the door. The sound seems to echo in the empty space between us, and for a heartbeat, I worry she’s not going to answer. Or maybe we missed her and a stranger will open the door. What if we never get answers?
The door swings open and there she is.
Stella stands before us, a vision in a simple dress that clings to her like a second skin. Her red hair cascades down around her shoulders, framing her pretty face as her wide, startled, blue eyes bounce from Kade to me and back again. And for a moment, nobody moves, nobody breathes.
“Kade... Emma,” she says, her voice betraying nothing but shock.
Stella”s face transforms, her surprise melting into composure. “What can I do for you?” she asks, then studies Kade. “I didn’t think you’d come, and I never even considered that you’d bring Emma.” She says the words with the poise of an actress taking center stage.
“Come in,” she says, opening the door wider and moving into the room. She settles on a seat, motioning us to the couch. My gaze darts around, searching for clues, but it”s disappointingly ordinary—neat, impersonal, a typical, sterile, hotel room with no soul.
“Why, Stella?” Kade”s voice gives away the absolute betrayal he’s feeling. His jaw ripples as if he’s gritting and relaxing his teeth. “Why send those photos? Why the room card?”
“What?” Stella”s brows knit together, her confusion seeming genuine. If she”s lying, she deserves an award. “I didn”t send you photos or a key card. Why would I do that?”
My breath catches as one little detail slips through; she doesn”t know the evidence was sent to me. Doubt that she’s responsible creeps in, and I glance at Kade, trying to see if he caught her words.
She lets out a strained laugh. “I hate the thought of you with someone else, Kade, but I didn”t do whatever it is you”re accusing me of.”
Kade”s dark eyes lock with mine, the questions in them echoing my own turmoil. He lifts his eyebrows as he studies me, saying without words that he doesn”t think she’s responsible, and I agree.
“Who else would play these sick games?” I reach into my purse and pull out the manila envelope. Offering her the whole thing, she takes it with hesitation. Then she opens the flap and pulls out the images. The hollow at the base of her throat bottoms out, then she looks at me. “This was an innocent hug, I swear. He’d just told me there was no hope for a future between us and I asked for a hug.”
The hurried, almost panicked way she says the words leave no doubt in my mind. Not only was the hug innocent, but she’s not the one trying to hurt us with this info.
“Thank you,” I whisper around a lump in my throat.
“When you find out who’s doing this, let me know.” Stella sounds angry. “I don’t like being used like this, and I’m not a homewrecker.” I can feel the fury radiating off her, and her hands tremble as she pushes the images back into the envelope.
We thank her, and as we leave the room, I feel relieved... and even more concerned. If not Stella, then who?