Jessy. Jessy, pressed into the embrace of a guy who looked all too comfortable with his arms around her. My brain short-circuited, before starting up again and firing in all directions.
So, this was Ross. The famous ex-boyfriend. Or perhaps less of an ex and more like the current boyfriend. The one who had treated her badly. The one her mother had hated and her sister had warned her about. And she had clearly ignored both of them.
‘Jessy.’
Ross turned to look at me as I spoke, her name tugged from my lips before I could stop it. His brow wrinkled as Jessy stepped out of his embrace.
‘Patrick, you got here quickly –’ Was the surprise in her voice from having been caught?
‘Patrick who?’ Her ex folded his arms and looked me up and down with a territorial glare that I recognized. It was one I’d seen on my own face.
Possessiveness.
‘He’s no one,’ said Jessy quietly. ‘You need to go, Ross.’
‘He’s no one.’
Fire burned in my chest. ‘Yeah, you should go.’ I directed all my anger at Ross. I needed to direct it somewhere, why not at him?
‘Or what?’ he spat, stepping towards me, chest out in a poor imitation of a threat. ‘You going to get one of your people to fight for you?’
I laughed in his face as I shoved his shoulders, heat boiling in my veins. ‘I don’t think I’ll need any help getting rid of you, you pathetic shite –’
‘Ross!’ Jessy screamed as the man lunged at me.
I stepped back, dodging the swing, tempted to hook my right but forcing myself not to.
There would be paps outside before you know it. Best not to get photographed after a brawl.
Jessy was speaking in a low, urgent voice. ‘Just leave – go, Ross, get out –’
‘Fine.’ Ross shrugged and moved to draw Jessy in again, but this time she stepped back, her cheeks pink – with embarrassment or anger I wasn’t sure. ‘I’ll see you later, Jessy,’ he threw over his shoulder as he left the room.
He had walked out of the room before I could say anything, but when the door clicked shut, I breathed out slowly.
Silence filled the room. A silence I couldn’t let go on any longer.
‘I can’t believe it,’ I said quietly. The adrenaline that had pumped through me not even a minute ago was suddenly gone. The only thing I felt now was empty.
Jessy had wrapped her arms around herself, her gaze far away. ‘What?’ Even her voice sounded distant.
‘I –’ My mouth was dry, and I swallowed again before I continued. ‘I can’t believe you would do this to me.’
I sounded so pathetic. Here I was, standing in a living room with two beat-up sofas, a bookcase with hardly any books, and a TV that looked like it had seen better days, in front of a woman I had thought I was in love with and maybe loved me back.
Where the fuck had it gone so wrong?
‘What are you talking about?’ Jessy asked, genuine confusion written across her face. ‘I … I saw your message, but Ross –’
‘Yeah, you were busy.’ My tone was cold. It had to be. All my hopes of finding some kind of explanation for Jessy’s behaviour had disappeared. Now I was in protection mode.
A state I knew all too well.
‘Patrick, is there something wrong? Last night –’
‘Last night was a mistake.’ I cut across her, hardly able to believe she could even refer to it.
Jessy Donovan was not the woman I thought she was.
