CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - WORDS SAID IN SHADOWS

Emma paced her apartment, phone clutched tightly in her hand. She'd called Marcus six times since the charity event, each attempt met with his voicemail. Frustration and worry gnawed at her insides. "Come on, Marcus," she muttered, hitting redial. "Pick up, damn it." The phone rang uselessly. Emma flopped onto her couch, exhausted. Her phone buzzed with a text from James: "Hey. How are you holding up after last night?" Emma smiled despite herself. James had been nothing but kind throughout the Derek debacle. "Been better," she typed back. "Thanks for asking." James's reply came quickly: "Want to grab coffee? No pressure, just a friendly ear if you need it." Emma hesitated, then agreed. She needed a distraction from her Marcus-related anxiety. An hour later, Emma sat across from James in a cozy café, warming her hands on a steaming mug. "So," James said gently, "want to talk about it?" Emma sighed. "I don't even know where to start. My cousin's a mess, my... whatever Marcus is