Chapter 3
We'd just set a dinner date, but then Flynn suddenly became insanely busy.
He didn't come home until the middle of the night, every single day.
After three days of this, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
I specially made chicken soup for Flynn but he came home even later than usual tonight.
He had a faint tobacco smell clinging to him.
Smoking was something he'd only do when he was stressed out to the max.
He probably ran into trouble at work.
I didn't dwell on it.
When Flynn saw I was still up, he paused.
"Megan, why are you still awake?" he asked.
I walked over with a bowl of chicken soup.
"I was waiting for you. Don't push yourself too hard at work. Your health matters most," I said. "After all, I still want to spend..."
I didn't finish the rest of the sentence: the rest of our lives together.
Because suddenly, I caught a faint trace of jasmine on Flynn's shoulder—a scent so familiar, and almost undetectable.
It was Tanya's scent.
She always went way overboard with it, all because, years ago, Flynn had offhandedly said, "Jasmine smells nice. It suits you."
And for a full decade, she practically doused that scent on herself.
"Did you work late tonight? Was Tanya there too?" I blurted out.
I mentioned Tanya suddenly.
Flynn's face flickered with a sudden panic.
He fumbled for an explanation, clearly caught off guard.
"N-no idea how she found out we're going to meet your parents, but she showed up today and wouldn't leave me alone," he stammered.
Flynn rubbed his temples and said, "I really thought that she would have left after I worked overtime, but she hung around till now.
"Tanya was really emotional tonight, and I was stressed out too, so I warned her off a couple times," he said.
He hastily added, "Seriously, just a few words with her and I left."
The jasmine scent on him was barely noticeable, so I figured he wasn't lying.
But for some reason, my heart felt heavy.
Flynn and I were openly dating, for crying out loud.
So why did it suddenly feel like we were the ones sneaking around?
I met his gaze, dead serious.
"If she keeps this up, I'm calling the police next time. We can't just let her act out forever," I told him firmly.
Flynn fell silent for a few moments.
He hesitated, lips tight, then gave a small nod.
*****
On the big day when we met my parents, Flynn put on his best suit.
Gone was his usual cool—he looked so tense, even his fingertips were cold.
My eyes glinted with a smile.
Under the table, I quietly slipped my hand into his.
My parents were super understanding, only throwing a few simple questions his way—they didn't pressure Flynn at all.
The vibe around the table was totally chill.
Things were going smoothly, right up until we started debating whether to go with white roses or champagne roses for the wedding.
Out of nowhere, Flynn's phone went off.
It was a number I didn't recognize.
When he answered, I heard a doctor's calm voice on the other end.
I was close enough to overhear.
I could make out words like "cut her wrist," "suicide attempt," and "emergency treatment."
Honestly, I wasn't shocked—I was just fed up.
Every single time Flynn and I were about to take things to the next level, Tanya would show up and stir up drama.
This time, she pulled an even crazier stunt.
I thought Flynn would probably feel just as sick of it as I did, but the very next second, he shot up from his chair, face drained of all color.
He didn't even get a chance to apologize to my parents.
He grabbed his car keys and bolted out the door.
He even forgot to grab his jacket, leaving it draped over the chair.
I watched him vanish through the doorway.
My chest felt like it just collapsed in on itself.
Trying to hold myself together, I quickly made up an excuse for Flynn.
I reassured my parents, dropped them off at their hotel, and dialed Flynn right away.
There was no answer.
He ghosted my texts too.
It suddenly hit me—Flynn and I had phone tracking turned on.
When I checked out where Flynn was, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the hospital name flashing on the screen.
I flagged down a cab and rushed over.
After asking around, I finally found Tanya's hospital room.
The door was left slightly ajar.
Flynn stood there at Tanya's bedside, his back to me.
Tanya was lying there, her face drained of all color.
She now looked even more fragile than before.
Her breath was shallow.
Her uninjured hand shook as she reached shakily for Flynn, her gaze overflowing with desperation and dependence.
"It hurts so much. Can you give me a hug?" Tanya said.
A flash of gold on her wrist made my heart clench.
Tanya was wearing a gold bracelet too, and the charm dangling from it was unmistakably identical to mine.
I looked at Flynn blankly, an unbelievable thought surging up inside me.
My feet felt glued to the floor.
Deep down, I desperately prayed for Flynn to push Tanya away coldly as he had always done.
I hoped that Flynn would tell her this was her own fault, that she should stop acting crazy.
But after what felt like forever, all I saw was Flynn slowly leaning down.
After a barely audible sigh, he reached out and held her in his arms gently. "Tanya, don't do anything stupid again."