Maya stared at Emma as if she had just suggested jumping off a cliff together.
Her lips parted slightly, and she blinked in disbelief.
"Em—Emma, you're joking, right?"
Emma shook her head, her face calm but her lips trembling ever so slightly. She smiled softly, but it was the kind of smile that hinted at a storm brewing beneath the surface.
"No… I'm not joking."
Maya wiped her tear-streaked face with her sleeve and broke out of Emma's gentle embrace.
She crawled backward slightly, shaking her head.
"You don't have to do this…"
Maya sounded very firm, very sure.
"I've had my chance to enjoy Scott—to have him all to myself. I'm the one who messed it up. You don't have to make such a drastic decision just to make me feel better."
Emma sighed, then placed her hands on her knees to push herself upright.
She stood tall as her soft eyes looked down at Maya.
