JAKE POV

I stared at the closed bedroom door, rage simmering violently beneath my skin. How the hell could Kay do this? The way he acted around Vanessa—as if she already belonged to him, as if he had every right to shut me out—made something ugly twist inside my chest.

Like I wasn’t her fiancé.

Like I was the outsider now.

A scoff echoed beside me, dragging me from my thoughts. I closed my eyes briefly in annoyance before turning toward Emily, forcing my expression back into something neutral.

“What?” I asked flatly.

Emily crossed her arms over her chest, staring at me with sharp amusement. “You’re losing control of the situation, Jake.”

My jaw tightened instantly.

“He’s probably already convinced Vanessa that she’s his,” Emily continued, a smirk tugging at her lips. “And the hickeys?” Her eyes glittered with cruel satisfaction. “Please. I’m sure Vanessa is enjoying herself.”

I scoffed quietly, trying to appear unaffected even though panic was clawing violently inside me.

“That doesn’t matter right now,” I replied calmly. “What matters is figuring both of them out before this gets completely out of hand.”

Emily stared at me like I was the stupidest person alive.

“What exactly are you trying to figure out, Jake?” she asked incredulously. “It’s literally right in front of your eyes.”

I looked away from her, my gaze falling to the marble floor beneath my feet.

“And why do you even care?” she pressed. “You said you were ending the engagement once Kay finished this whole fake relationship act.”

A heavy sigh left my lips.

“You’re right,” I muttered under my breath. “But the public won’t react well.”

Emily blinked at me in disbelief. “You’re a superstar, Jake. Why do you care so much about what the public thinks?”

I stared at her like she’d completely lost her mind.

“Because public opinion is everything, Emily,” I snapped. “If people find out the real reason Vanessa and I broke up, they’ll destroy me. I could lose my career. My contracts. My reputation. Brands would drop me overnight.”

I thought she understood how this industry worked. One scandal and everything collapsed.

“And who’s going to expose you?” Emily argued. “Vanessa wouldn’t drag this into public. She still cares about you, you know.”

I rubbed my hand over my face tiredly.

“But she still hasn’t gotten her memories back,” I admitted quietly. “And once she does…” My throat tightened painfully. “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to say to her.”

Without waiting for a response, I started walking downstairs. Emily followed close behind me.

“You’re unbelievable, Jake,” she muttered, frustration rising in her voice.

I stopped halfway down the stairs and turned toward her sharply.

“Shut up, Emily. You’re no better than me.”

The harshness in my tone clearly shocked her.

“You pretended to love Vanessa for years while sneaking around with me behind her back,” I continued coldly. “And let’s not forget your entire career only exists because of Vanessa. So don’t stand there acting like I’m the only horrible person here.”

Satisfaction flickered briefly inside me when hurt flashed across her face.

“Why don’t you go tell her everything yourself?” I challenged bitterly. “You won’t. Because you’re scared of Vanessa too.”

I walked toward the couch and dropped onto it heavily, rubbing my eyes in exhaustion.

“What? I’m not scared,” Emily argued defensively. “And I’m talented, Jake.”

I raised an eyebrow slowly.

“Yeah, you can dance and pose for Instagram,” I said dryly. “But you can’t sing, and you can’t write lyrics either, Emily.”

The second the words left my mouth, I realized I was being unnecessarily cruel. But I couldn’t stop. Everything about this situation was suffocating me—the pressure, the lies, Kay’s threats, Vanessa’s missing memories.

I thought this break would finally let me relax.

Instead, it felt like everything was collapsing around me.

“You still love Vanessa.”

Emily’s quiet words froze me completely.

I slowly looked up at her. “What?”

“You heard me,” she replied softly. “You love Vanessa. You’re always comparing me to her. Saying she’s better at everything than I am.”

I stared at her silently, unable to answer.

“You only cheated because Vanessa wouldn’t sleep with you,” Emily added bitterly, folding her arms tighter around herself.

“That’s not true,” I said quickly, my voice sharper than intended. “And I wasn’t comparing you to hurt you. You’re just… lazy sometimes. You barely practice until the day before performances.”

Even to my own ears, the excuse sounded weak.

My expression softened slightly as I sighed. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m just stressed.”

Hopefully she would believe that.

But then Emily said something that made my blood run cold.

“Then let’s just get rid of both Vanessa and Kay.”

I stared at her in shock.

“What?”

Her expression remained completely serious.

“I mean we hire someone to kill them,” she said darkly. “Then all our problems disappear.”

Horror slammed into me so hard my chest tightened painfully.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I snapped, staring at her like I didn’t even recognize her anymore. “Are you insane?”

“No,” she argued immediately. “It’s the smartest solution for both of us.”

I let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking my head.

“Emily, are you hearing yourself right now?” I asked. “We can’t do something like that. The police officer already knows Vanessa and Kay are staying with us. We’d immediately become suspects.”

Emily went strangely quiet after that, looking away from me.

A sick feeling settled heavily in my stomach.

“Have you thought about this before?” I asked carefully.

Her eyes widened instantly. “No.”

But she answered too quickly.

“I’m just exhausted,” she muttered. “Everything always revolves around Vanessa. We never even get to enjoy ourselves anymore.”

I studied her silently for a moment before nodding slowly, even though I didn’t believe her at all.

Then suddenly, the front door opened.

Both of us looked up just as the same bodyguard from before walked inside carrying several expensive shopping bags before heading straight toward the stairs.

“What the hell?” I muttered loudly.

The bodyguard didn’t even acknowledge us.

Emily scoffed beside me. “Looks like your best friend bought Vanessa food.”

Bitterness dripped from every word.

I clenched my jaw hard as I watched the bags disappear upstairs.

And for the first time, something painful twisted viciously inside my chest.

Maybe Emily was right.

Maybe Kay really was in love with Vanessa.

Maybe Vanessa had already given herself to him completely.

The thought alone made me feel sick.

Because no matter how badly I had messed everything up…

I still couldn’t bear the idea of her belonging to someone else.