Page 77 of Deeply Examined

I’ve been keeping tabs on him, so I already knew his rich family cut him off. I figured that might be his wake-up call, but nope, he’s only spiraled further. Evicted from the building he shared with Jessica, now he’s here, lurking like a Z-grade villain who hasn’t realized he’s only supposed to be a one-scene side character.

I swear, Jessica attracts trouble like a magnet. First me, now Brad. What is it about her? Her beauty? Her innocence? Honestly, it’s a little insulting.Iput in the work—learning her routines, syncing my schedule with hers, and, of course, monitoring her emails. It’s called commitment. Brad, meanwhile, just stumbles back into her life uninvited, no finesse, no strategy. It’s amateur hour, and I’m offended by the association.

I’ll have to deal with him at some point…preferably before he escalates his creepy lurking intoactualdanger. Not because I’m worried about competition, but becauseIam the gold standard in this obsessive dynamic. If anyone’s going to be the shadow in her life, it’s me. Not him.

That’s a problem for later. Right now, my focus is where it belongs: Jessica. I pull up the app on my phone, the familiar hiss of static crackling before the microphone connects. The first sound I hear guts me.

Jessica. Crying.

Muffled, shuddering sobs, like her face is shoved into a pillow to stifle the sound. My entire body tenses, a knot of despair tightening in my chest. Unable to bear it, I half rise from my chair, ready to sprint up twenty-seven flights of stairs, break down Monica’s door, and take her in my arms.

I sit back down when I hear Monica’s groggy voice. “Jess? What’s wrong?”

At least she isn’t alone.

I’ve never met Monica, though Jessica had planned to introduce us before…well, before the tracker debacle. Still, from what I’ve overheard through the earrings, I like her. She’s feisty and clearly loyal to Jessica.

Jessica sniffles, her voice trembling. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Sorry.”

“I wasn’t asleep yet,” Monica replies gently. “What’s going on? Why are you crying—again? Scratch that. It’s West, isn’t it? Are you missing him?”

Miss me. Please God, say you miss me.

I hold my breath, leaning closer to the phone.

“N-no,” Jessica stammers, and I hear the lie in her voice. It wavers, breaking at the edges. “It’s…I got some news today. I was going to tell you at dinner, but then I decided to think on it.”

“What news?” Monica presses.

Jessica hesitates. “Remember that job I applied for in New York? The first one?”

“The one near Sarah’s apartment?”

“Yeah.” Jessica sighs. “The one I really wanted.”

“What about it? I thought they already rejected you,” Monica asks cautiously, like she doesn’t want to dig up old wounds that might make Jessica even sadder.

“They did,” Jessica says, exhaling shakily. “Months ago. But today the administrator called. The woman they hired, an internal candidate, her husband’s job got transferred to California. She had to back out, and I’m next in line.”

“You got the job?” Monica doesn’t sound any more excited about this idea than I am.

Go, Monica. Talk Jess out of it!

Jessica’s voice cracks. “They want me to start in two weeks.”

Too soon.

My stomach drops, and panic spreads, burning like a firestorm through my chest. Two weeks? How am I supposed to fix this mess in two weeks?

A pause, which I guess means Monica is gathering her thoughts. When she talks again, her voice rings with false enthusiasm. “That’s great, right? You wanted to go to New York? To be with Sarah?”

Jessica cries harder, not bothering to hide it now. There’s rustling sounds, and when Monica speaks again her voice is louder, like she’s moved closer to comfort Jessica.

“Hey, Jess. Shh. It’ll be okay.”

“Nothing’s okay,” Jessica chokes out. “You’re right. I should be happy. This is exactly what I wanted. Buthe’sruined it.”

“Who?” asks Monica. “West?”

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