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Chapter20
The Fire Inside.
Jason stood just outside the coffee shop, his hand gripping the edge of the doorframe so tightly his knuckles turned white. Through the window, he could see her–Sophie–sitting across from a man A man he didn’t recognize. She was smiling, her eyes light, her posture relaxed in a way that she
hadn’t been with him in what felt like weeks.
He didn’t l
know why, but the sight of her with this stranger made something inside him burn. Jealousy? Guilt? Maybe both. His mind spun, anger bubbling up before he could even make sense of it. Who the hell was this guy? And why did Sophie look so comfortable around him? That easy smile she wore was something Jason hadn’t seen in a long time.
His heart pounded in his chest, a sick, uneasy feeling twisting in his gut.
He wasn’t in a position to feel this way. Hell, he was the one sneaking around. He was the one on the phone with someone who wasn’t Sophie just earlier today, making plans he had no right to make. And now here he was, losing it over seeing her with some other guy? The hypocrisy of it made him stop for a moment, blinking against the flood of emotions.
Jason stepped back, shoving his hands in his pockets as he watched them. He should walk away. Shouldn’t let this eat at him. But the sight of Sophie laughing, her face lighting up in a way he
hadn’t seen in forever, made his blood boil all over again.
Maybe it wasn’t just guilt. Maybe he was scared.
What if Sophie was seeing someone else? What if this was her version of revenge? He had been
distant. Sneaky. Maybe Sophie had caught on. Maybe she had found someone better, someone who
could give her what Jason wasn’t anymore.
He shook his head, trying to push the thought away, but it clung to him like a shadow. He turned and walked away, his heart pounding, his mind
With the idea of confronting her. The thought
terrified him, but he couldn’t shake it.
He had to find out.
Later that night, at home.
Jason sat on the couch in the living room, staring blankly out of the window. The twilight sky had
darkened into night, the apartment filled with the quiet sounds of Sophie in the kitchen, prepping dinner with the groceries she had brought back.
His chest felt tight, every breath strained with the weight of his suspicions. Sophie moved around the kitchen calmly, humming softly under her breath, completely oblivious to the storm raging
inside him.
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He couldn’t take it anymore. The image of Sophie with that man–Ryan, whoever the hell he was- burned in his mind. Jason clenched his jaw, forcing the words out.
“Who was that guy?”
The question hung in the air, heavier than he intended. Sophie glanced over her shoulder, seemingly unfazed by the abruptness of it.
“Ryan,” she said casually, as if it were nothing. “An old cx of mine. We ran into each other at the
grocery store.”
Jason’s stomach churned at the mention of her ex. She had never talked about Ryan before. And now, here he was, back in her life, sitting across from her like it was no big deal?
Jason’s voice came out tighter than he intended. “Ex–lover? And you just…. had coffee with him?”
Sophie paused, setting down the knife she was using to chop vegetables, then turned to face him fully. Her eyes were calm, unwavering. Almost too calm, Jason thought, his paranoia growing.
“Yes,” she replied matter–of–factly, walking over to the table where she had set up for dinner. “There’s nothing going on. We just caught up. That’s all.”
Jason’s mind screamed at him to keep pressing. Every logical part of him knew that he had no right to accuse Sophie of anything, not when he was the one sneaking around. But the irrational part of him the part drowning in jealousy and guilt–didn’t care about logic.
“How can you be so sure?” he asked, his voice lower, but there was an edge to it, a thin line of accusation. “What if he’s trying to get back into your life?”
Sophie’s expression remained unchanged, as if she had been expecting this. She gave him a small,
almost amused smile and shook her head.
“He’s not,” she said firmly, turning back to her cooking. “Ryan’s back in town for business. That’s it. You don’t have to worry about him.”
Jason sat back on the couch, his jaw clenched as he watched her move about the kitchen, so cool, so unbothered. Why wasn’t she more affected by this? Why wasn’t she more defensive? Maybe it was because there was truly nothing going on. But maybe… maybe she was just better at hiding it than he was.
“Are you sure I don’t have to worry?” he asked, pushing just a little further.
Sophie sighed, turning to face him again, this time with a slight frown. “Jason, seriously. There’s nothing going on. You’re reading way too much into this.”
She went back to prepping dinner, her back to him once more. The casual way she handled the situation only made his own guilt feel heavier. Was this how she would react if she knew about his affair? Cool. Calm. Unbothered. Or would she be shattered?
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Jason’s mind whirled with conflicting emotions–guilt, suspicion, fear. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to trust that she was telling the truth, that Ryan was just a harmless piece of her past. But the more he thought about it, the more that jealousy gnawed at him, twisting his thoughts into
knots.
As Sophie finished preparing dinner and set the plates on the table, she glanced over at Jason. “You coming to eat?” she asked, her voice light, as if the conversation they just had hadn’t rattled him to
his core.
Jason nodded, though his heart was still heavy. He stood and made his way to the table, sitting across from her, his thoughts still circling back to Ryan. His paranoia clung to him like a second skin, and yet, there was a part of him that knew–deep down–that he had no right to feel this way.
Not when he was the one who had something to hide.
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