Broken Mirrors

Chapter Seven

Vincent stepped into his house, surprised to see Jessica sitting in a chair by the dimly lit lamp.

"Jess? How the hell did you get in here?" he demanded, shrugging off his jacket and loosening his tie.

Jessica crossed her legs, her expression icy. "The guards let me in."

Vincent sighed. "Of course they did. Idiots. What do you want?"

Jessica scowled, her eyes narrowing. "What do I want? Vincent, we need to talk."

Vincent laughed bitterly. "Now you want to talk? Fine. Let's talk." He sat opposite her, leaning back in his chair. "So?"

Jessica stood up, her voice rising with frustration. "You decided to get engaged to my best friend's sister without ending things with me first? I've done nothing but love you, Vincent! And you throw an engagement in my face?"

Vincent rubbed his temples, the tension in the room palpable. "You told me you needed a break. You ran off! Don't blame me for moving on."

Jessica's voice cracked as she yelled, "It's been only two months!"

"Two months?!" Vincent shot back, his voice rising. "You expect me to wait around while you decide whether you even want to be with me? I proposed to you, and you took two months to think about it. Two fucking months!"

Jessica turned her face away, trying to hold back tears. "You were moving too fast..."

Vincent stood, walking over to her, gently turning her to face him. "You didn't have to run off, Jess. We could've worked things out."

Jessica bit her lip, whispering, "I'm sorry."

Vincent sighed, his voice low. "It's too late for that."

Jessica looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "What do you mean?"

He gave her a grim look. "Me and Dinah... we're back together."

Jessica shoved him, fury in her eyes. "Fuck you, Vincent!"

"This isn't my fault!" he said, his voice soft but firm. "Don't blame me."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Jessica mumbled, "I thought... I thought I could fix this." She burst into tears and stormed out of the house.

"Jessica!" Vincent called after her, but she was already speeding away in her car.

The next morning, Clair was up early, packing her suitcase after a restless night. She showered, set her hair, and applied her makeup, trying to push aside the lingering thoughts of yesterday's drama. As she scrolled through her phone, a scream echoed through the hallway.

Clair rushed out and burst into Dinah's room. "What happened?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

Dinah shoved a tablet into Clair's chest and stormed out, groaning. Clair straightened the tablet and read the headline. "Jessica was spotted leaving Vincent Lupo's house at 1:30 a.m. Rumors suggest late-night secret meetings."

"This is trash," Clair muttered, following Dinah into the living room.

Dinah collapsed into a chair, her hand rubbing her forehead. "We're back together," she said quietly.

Clair blinked in disbelief. "When did you get so irresponsible?"

Dinah groaned, closing her eyes. "After I had sex with him."

Clair's jaw dropped. "Did you talk to him about all this?"

"No," Dinah said with a heavy sigh, grabbing an apple but then setting it down again.