Chapter 2: Damage Control

Emma’s POV

“Hannah’s here.”

The words hit me like ice water.

Luca’s body went rigid against mine, every trace of heat draining from his face in an instant. For a split second, neither of us moved. The music downstairs thumped on, oblivious. My heart slammed so hard I thought it might give me away.

“What?” I whispered, already scrambling.

“She’s at the door,” he said quietly, eyes flicking to the handle like it might explode. “Hide. Now.”

I didn’t ask where. I didn’t think. Panic took over.

I grabbed my dress, hands shaking so badly it took me two tries to get it over my head. Luca opened the wardrobe and pushed me gently inside. It smelled like clean laundry and his cologne—too familiar, too intimate. He slid a finger to his lips.

“Don’t make a sound,” he mouthed.

The door closed.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

I pressed my hand over my mouth, trying to slow my breathing as the doorknob rattled.

“Luca?” Hannah’s voice floated in, bright and tipsy. “Why is your door locked?”

I heard him clear his throat. “What do you want, Han?”

“I’m looking for Emma. She just vanished.”

My stomach dropped.

“Oh. Yeah,” he said, too casually. “She went home.”

“What?” Hannah scoffed. “No way. She wouldn’t just leave.”

“She said she had something to attend to early tomorrow. Some… thing.” He hesitated just a fraction too long.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“That’s weird,” Hannah said. “She didn’t say anything to me.”

“Maybe she forgot,” Luca replied. “You know how she is when she drinks.”

Silence stretched. I could hear Hannah shifting on her feet, probably frowning.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “You sound off.”

“I’m fine,” he snapped, sharper now. “I was sleeping.”

“At a party?” she teased.

“Go away, Hannah.”

Another pause.

“Wow,” she muttered. “Okay. Rude. I’ll find her myself.”

Her footsteps retreated. The front door opened. Closed.

I sagged against the wardrobe wall, legs trembling so hard I had to crouch.

A few seconds passed.

Then my phone vibrated.

Loudly.

The ringtone sounded like a siren in the small, silent room.

“Oh my God—” I lunged for it, silencing it with frantic taps, heart climbing straight into my throat.

Too late.

Footsteps again. Faster this time.

The door rattled.

“I swear I just heard Emma’s ringtone,” Hannah said, suspicion sharp now. “Luca.”

“For fuck’s sake,” he barked. “No, you didn’t. Stop imagining things and stop disturbing me.”

There was an edge in his voice I’d never heard before—hard, final.

Silence.

Then, reluctantly, footsteps moving away again.

I didn’t breathe until the front door shut for the second time.

Luca opened the wardrobe.

We stared at each other.

I’d never seen his face like that—tight, drawn, all the earlier softness gone. The reality had landed for both of us at the same time.

“I should text her,” I whispered.

“Do it,” he said. “Now.”

My fingers flew.

Emma: Hey babe, sorry! I went home quickly to grab some stuff. I’ll be back soon 😘

Three dots appeared almost immediately.

Hannah: You scared me. Hurry back.

My stomach twisted.

“Done,” I said.

Luca nodded once. “Wait a bit. Let things settle.”

So we did.

We didn’t touch each other.

We didn’t speak.

The silence felt heavier than the lies.

As minutes passed, the adrenaline drained out of me, leaving something cold and hollow behind. My body started to ache in places I didn’t want to think about. The weight of what I’d done began to press down on my chest, slow and suffocating.

I had just slept with my best friend’s brother.

In his room.

While she was downstairs.

The realization hit harder now than it had before. Before, everything had been heat and instinct and want. Now there was no hiding from it.

I felt sick.

“I need to go,” I said quietly.

Luca looked at me. For a moment, it seemed like he might argue. Then he exhaled and nodded.

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s probably best.”

I dressed quickly, hands steadier now but movements mechanical, like I was watching myself from outside my body. When I was done, I stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do with my hands, my eyes, my guilt.

“Emma—” he started.

“Don’t,” I said, a little too fast. “Please. Not right now.”

He stopped.

I slipped out of his room, heart pounding again as I crept down the hallway. Laughter floated up from downstairs. The party was still alive, unaware that something had already broken upstairs.

I made it out the front door without being seen.

The night air slapped my face, cold and sobering. I walked fast, then faster, like the house might chase me if I slowed down.

Halfway down the street, I ran into Mia.

She was dressed for the party—tight top, glossy lips, excitement written all over her face.

“Emma?” she said, surprised. “What are you doing out here?”

My brain scrambled.

“I—uh—forgot something at home,” I lied smoothly, too smoothly. “I’m just heading back to grab it. I’ll be back.”

Mia raised an eyebrow. “You okay? You look… flushed.”

“Tequila,” I said quickly. “Bad idea.”

She laughed. “Tell me about it. Alright, don’t take forever. Hannah said the night’s just getting started.”

“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. “I won’t.”

She headed toward the house.

I turned the opposite way.

As I walked home alone, the silence closed in around me. Each step felt heavier than the last. Shame curled in my stomach, sharp and persistent.

What had I done?

And worse—

What had I just started?

Behind me, the music pulsed on, distant and careless. Ahead of me was my bed, my phone, and the inevitable moment when this night would stop being a secret.

I didn’t know which scared me more.

The walk home felt longer than usual.

Every step echoed with the same thought, looping, relentless—I slept with Luca.

I had slept with him. He had disvirgined me.

By the time I reached my room, my hands were cold and my head was buzzing. I locked the door behind me, leaned my forehead against it, and stayed there longer than I should have, just breathing. My body still felt… aware. Sensitive. Like it hadn’t caught up with my brain yet.

I slid down until I was sitting on the floor.

And that’s when the memories started coming.

Uninvited. Vivid. Ruthless.

Not just the bedroom. Not just his voice, his hands, the way he had looked at me like I was something precious and dangerous at the same time.

But everything before tonight.