Across Distant Horizons (In Love With An Heiress Book 2)

The next morning, MJ found herself seated in the corner of a quaint coffee shop, the comforting scent of roasted beans filling the air. She wrapped her hands around her mug, trying to focus on the warmth spreading through her fingers instead of the knots forming in her stomach. She had been thinking about the conversation with Stella and Jeserey all night, and no matter how much she turned it over in her mind, it felt like a battle she wasn't ready for.

The sound of the door's bell jingling pulled her from her thoughts. She glanced up, watching Ember walk in, her face pale and eyes red-rimmed as though she'd been crying. Ember's usually confident stride was gone, replaced with small, hesitant steps as she approached MJ's table.

MJ hadn't expected to see her today, but she knew this conversation was inevitable. Ember had texted her, asking to meet, and despite all the chaos swirling around her, MJ agreed. She needed answers, and maybe, just maybe, Ember had some.

Ember slid into the chair across from MJ, offering a weak smile. "Hey," she greeted softly, her voice cracking slightly. She looked fragile, broken in a way MJ hadn't expected. She looked... desperate.

"Hey," MJ replied cautiously, her brows furrowed as she tried to read Ember's mood. Something was off, but MJ couldn't quite put her finger on it. "You okay?"

Ember let out a shaky breath, her eyes welling up with tears that seemed all too ready to spill. She fiddled with the edge of her coffee cup, avoiding MJ's gaze for a few moments before finally speaking. "I... I don't know, MJ. I don't know what's happening anymore."

MJ sat back, surprise flashing across her face. This wasn't the confident woman she had come to know—the Ember who was always composed, especially around Allyson. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice gentle but laced with suspicion.

Ember wiped at her eyes, sniffling as the tears finally began to fall. "It's Allyson. She's... she's so distant lately. I don't know what to do. I thought we were happy, but every time I try to talk to her, she pulls away. And now, with the engagement and everything... it feels like she's slipping through my fingers."

MJ blinked, her suspicion fading slightly as she listened to Ember's words. The vulnerability in her voice, the heartbreak etched into her face—it all felt too real to be fake. MJ had always known Allyson to be a little distant, but the way Ember described it sounded more intense than MJ had expected.

"I thought you two were doing fine," MJ said, her voice quiet, unsure of where this conversation was going. "I mean, the engagement seemed like it was something you both wanted."

Ember laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "That's what I thought too, but ever since Allyson came back... she's been different. It's like she's keeping secrets from me. I see her staring off into space, lost in her thoughts. And when I ask her what's wrong, she just shuts me out. She won't talk about it. She won't talk to me."

MJ felt a pang of sympathy, her guarded stance softening. She knew that feeling—of being pushed away by Allyson, of wanting so badly to understand what was going on in her head but being met with nothing but silence. "Have you tried talking to her about... us?" MJ asked cautiously. "I mean, about everything that happened between me and her in the past?"

Ember's eyes flickered with something unreadable before she quickly masked it with another tearful expression. She shook her head, her voice cracking again. "No. I don't want to push her too hard, you know? I don't want to make things worse." Ember paused, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "I think... I think she still has feelings for you, MJ."