She Took My Money, Then Slapped Me

I got up to open the door, and there stood Ryan Foster.

“What are you doing here?”

Ryan ignored me and called into the apartment, “Emily, are you awake?”

I went to shut the door, but he stepped forward, blocking the doorway. “I’m here to see Emily, not you.”

“What are you doing here?” Emily Carter came out in her pajamas.

Ryan brought his hands from behind his back, revealing a gift. “I meant to give this to you yesterday, but we were having such a good time at dinner that I forgot. Remember last time I tore your stockings? This is the same kind—you’ll love them.”

Tore her stockings?

Emily had never once worn stockings in front of me, yet another man had torn them—and now he was giving her a new pair right in front of me.

I noticed a faint blush on her face, her expression almost shy.

“Have you no shame? Being a homewrecker this openly?” My temper finally boiled over. Last night, I’d been convincing myself to try to salvage this relationship, but they’d already crossed this line.

“Homewrecker?” Ryan looked at me. “Get this straight—when it comes to love, the one who’s not loved is the real outsider. Emily, if you won’t tell him, I will.”

He locked eyes with me and said, “A toad like you could never deserve Emily.”

I’d been holding it in for so long, but now I couldn’t anymore. My blood surged, and I slammed a fist into Ryan’s face, sending him stumbling back a few steps.

Smack—

Emily’s slap landed on my face right after my punch. She glared at me. “What the hell are you doing?”

She struck me to protect this man. The fire in my chest roared higher. “I’ll kill you both!”

Shouting curses, I lunged at Ryan, eyes burning red. I really wanted to end him.

We grappled, and Emily jumped in, holding me back.

Ryan was tall, broad-shouldered, and clearly kept in shape. With Emily helping him, the two-on-one left me at a disadvantage.

Neighbors, hearing the commotion, came out to break it up.

I’d always gotten along well with them, lending a hand whenever they needed it.

“Emily, why are you helping an outsider beat Jason?”

“Yeah, what’s going on here?”

“Who are you?” someone demanded of Ryan.

“He hit me first,” Emily said coldly, shooting me a glare before rushing to check on Ryan.

Blood trickled from his nose, and his lip was split. Emily fussed over him. “Does it hurt?”

My own injuries were worse, but she didn’t spare me a glance. Her eyes were only for him.

Ryan gave me a taunting look. “Just a scratch—no big deal.”

The neighbors were starting to piece things together; one of them quietly asked me what had happened. I didn’t answer, my face dark.

“Apologize to Ryan, or we’ll call the cops,” Emily said, dabbing at his blood with care before turning a cold gaze on me.

“You want me to apologize to him?”

“Yes,” she said firmly. “Apologize to Ryan.”

“Oh no…” Ryan suddenly exclaimed. “Emily, I’m sorry—I broke the watch you gave me.”

Only then did I notice the cracked watch on his wrist. I didn’t know the brand, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that Emily had given it to him.

All these years, she’d never bought me a single thing. Back when she was in school, she’d said that once she started working, she’d buy me a watch. I thought she’d just forgotten. Turns out, it wasn’t that—she’d never planned to.

“It’s fine, I’ll buy you another one,” Emily said soothingly.

“This Rolex Submariner isn’t cheap—it’s about fifteen grand,” Ryan added, giving me another provocative look.