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“I’m not your son. Just leave me alone. We’re done. I don’t want to talk to you or have anything to do with you.” Jeremiah hopped out, slamming the door.
The abrupt slam of the car door echoed like a thunderclap in Luke’s ears as Jeremiah’s words replayed in his mind, each syllable cutting through him like shards of glass: “We’re done.”
The finality of those words sent chills down his spine. Luke found himself at the crossroads of disbelief and regret, grappling with the reality that his choices had led them here.
I should’ve told him earlier.
Luke watched Jeremiah storm into the house and shut the door with a loud thud. He paused for a moment, debating his next move. Memories of past confrontations with his son flooded back. Each time he’d tried to chase after him, it had only escalated, often ending in shouting matches or prolonged silent treatments.
With a pained breath, Luke resisted the urge to follow inside. Now wasn’t the time. Jeremiah needed space to cool off, then maybe later they could sit down and talk.
While heartbroken for his son, he couldn’t overlook Emma, who was caught in the crossfire of a situation she didn’t create and didn’t deserve.
Guilt twisted his gut as he recalled Principal Kennedy’s account of the events.
Without another moment’s hesitation, he reversed the car out of the driveway and sped toward Emma’s cottage.
33
Emma
“It’s over.”
Her relationship with Luke, the man she loved—and who loved her—was truly over. If Jeremiah wasn’t ready for Luke to date again, she couldn’t in good conscience continue with their relationship.
With that thought, a heaviness fell on Emma’s chest as tears poured down her cheeks, blurring her vision. Emma wiped her eyes and pulled over on the side of the road. The sight of the shoreline spread out before her brought back a flood of memories with Luke, amplifying her sense of impending loss.
Collecting herself, she took a deep breath, turned the key in the ignition, and merged back onto the road. The journey home felt longer than usual, with every streetlight and landmark reminding her of Luke.
Arriving home, Emma shut the door behind her. Wagging his tail, Riley bounded over to greet her, offering the type of comfort only an animal could provide.
Emma set her keys and purse on the table, then headed to her bedroom. The clothes she had worn that day, a pencil skirt and blouse, felt suffocating. She changed into a comfortable, oversized t-shirt and sweatpants and pulled her long hair up into a messy bun.
She sank to the floor, leaned against her bed, and closed eyes. Riley sat by her side, placing his paws on her lap, and licked her face.
She reached up with both hands and rubbed behind his ears as she leaned her head on him. “Thanks, boy. I love you too.”
This wasn’t the first time Riley had been there for her. He was a constant for Emma and had a charming way about him that always brought her reassurance.
Her mind raced as her thoughts tumbled over one another.
Jeremiah’s discovery of her relationship with Luke confirmed Emma’s deepest fears. As if that weren’t enough, it would only be a matter of time before the entire town was aware of the events that transpired in her classroom today.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Riley barked and sprinted to the door. Emma stood and followed behind him.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Emma stepped over to one of the front windows and pulled back the curtain only enough to peek outside.
It was Luke—of course, it was Luke.
He’d probably already gone up to the school and heard about everything that had happened.
“Emma, I’m so sorry about what happened,” he said through the door. “Can we talk?”
Emma retreated to the couch, curling her feet beneath her. Although it broke her heart to leave him standing there on the porch, she couldn’t face him right now.
