Chapter 3

Emma Lang POV:

Frankie's eyes, wide with a fake innocence, met mine. It was a performance, a deliberate jab. She wanted me to react. She wanted a scene. I felt a familiar pang, but it wasn't pain. It was a dull ache of memory, of all the times Collin had chosen her over me.

There was the time he canceled our Valentine's Day plans to judge a last-minute culinary competition he later admitted Frankie was also competing in. He said it was a "professional obligation." The time he missed my birthday dinner because Frankie needed help with a pop-up kitchen. He' d apologized, of course, promised to make it up to me. And I, like an idiot, had always believed him.

I used to argue. I used to beg him to see how much he was hurting me. He' d always twist it, make me feel like I was the insecure, jealous one. "You're suffocating me, Emma," he'd say, his voice strained. "Why can't you just trust me?" I would back down, convinced I was the problem.

But that Emma was gone. Replaced by someone colder, sharper. Someone who had learned, painfully, that some apologies are just words, and some promises are made only to be broken.

I took a deep breath, the expensive wine a comforting warmth in my stomach. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction. I wouldn't play her game.

I rose from my table, smoothing down my dress. My steps were slow, deliberate, each click of my heels echoing in the quiet restaurant. I walked directly to their booth. Collin's head snapped up, his jaw dropping in shock. Frankie's smirk widened, a predatory gleam in her eyes.

"Everything alright here?" I asked, my voice calm, almost sweet. I looked directly at Frankie. "Need me to take a picture? You two look so... cozy."

Collin stammered, "Emma! What are you... what are you doing here?" His face flushed a deep crimson, a mix of embarrassment and anger. "Are you following me now? This is ridiculous! You're being suffocating!"

I turned my gaze to him. "Following you, Collin? Don't flatter yourself. I'm having dinner. Alone. Which, as you can see, is clearly going much better than yours." I paused, letting my words sink in. "And for the record, we broke up. Remember? I believe I made that quite clear."

Frankie, ever the manipulator, reached for Collin's hand. "Oh, Emma, darling. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you two were still... working through things. Collin told me you were just being a little emotional." Her eyes, however, sparkled with malicious glee.

I ignored her completely. My eyes remained fixed on Collin. "Enjoy your evening, Collin," I said, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper. "You've earned it." Then, without another word, I turned and walked away, back to my own table.

I ordered dessert, a rich chocolate lava cake, and another glass of champagne. I ate slowly, savoring each bite, the distant murmur of Collin and Frankie's agitated whispers a faint backdrop to my newfound peace. I could hear snippets of their conversation, their voices rising and falling.

"You handled that terribly, Collin!" Frankie hissed. "Why didn't you just make her leave?"

"What was I supposed to do?" Collin retorted, his voice strained. "She just showed up! And she was... so calm."

Frankie scoffed. "Calm? She's just being passive-aggressive. She wants a reaction. She wants you back."

"No," Collin said, his voice softer, almost thoughtful. "No, she didn't. She looked... different. She wasn't begging, Frankie. She wasn't even upset. She just looked... done." He sighed. "She's not like the others. She's not easy to, you know, just get rid of."

A small, sharp ache pierced my chest. Not pain, not regret. Just a quiet understanding. He still didn't get it. He still thought I was just another problem to be "gotten rid of." But his words, "she's not like the others," resonated with a surprising clarity. Maybe, just maybe, I had always been more than he deserved.

I finished my dessert, paid the bill, and left the bistro without a backward glance. The night air was cool and crisp. I felt a profound sense of lightness, a liberation I hadn't thought possible. I wasn't hurt anymore. I was free. Free to be myself, free to pursue my own dreams, free from Collin and his toxic orbit. The pain had finally morphed into clarity.