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He was honest with me,saying Emma ended it to pursue studies abroad.
"I couldn't hold her back.And she wasn't right for me."
James seemed at peace,but the sadness in his eyes betrayed him.
I assumed he was just struggling as they had broken up only revently,unable to let Emma go.
Later,when we met his parents,his mom mentioned Emma too.
Only then did I learn learned Emma hadn't gone abroad to study but had married a wealthy businessman overseas.
Before leaving,she had used a beautiful lie to deceive James.
Thankfully,James was a devoted boyfriend,memorizing the things I liked and my habits,and he was always willing to compromise whenever we had a fight.
I gradually forgot about Emma—until she returned,and James invited her onto the cruise.
My anxiety flared again.
Nightmares haunted me all night,leaving me drained.I thought swimming might help.
But I couldn't find my swimsuit.
Had I left it at the pool after swimming yesterday?
Puzzled,I went to the open-air pool,only to find my swimsuit lying on the ground, being stripped to pieces.
Everyone on the cruise was a friend of James or me— yet someone had shredded my swimsuit!
I rushed to James,demanding to check the surveillance cameras near tha pool.
He refused,saying it was too much trouble for the staff.
How could asking for only yesterday’s footage a trouble?
I raised my voice.
"You know what this swimsuit means to me.Why won't you help with this small thing?"
This was the first swimsuit my late coach gave me,my battle armor that had me undefeated everytime!
James knew that.
He turned around with guilt written all over his face,avoiding my question.
Emma appeared from nowhere,eyes red,and said softly,
"Claire,blame me.I forgot my swimsuit and wanted to swim.James just lent me yours."
The ship had plenty of spare swimsuits.Why took mine?
And if she just used in for swimming,how did it end up shredded?
A thousand questions popped up in my mind,but James cut me off coldly.
"Enough!It's just a swimsuit.I'll buy you another.Claire,don't be so petty!"
I froze,my heart sinking,cold and trembling.
James had never spoken to me like this.
Was Emma's return enough for him to side with her completely?
Realizing that his tone was harsh,James softened.
"Claire,be a good girl for once please.I'll get you a new one,a one better than that."
I said nothing and walked away.
That day ended sourly,and I didn't see James for a while.
He avoided me,not returning to our room.
For days,I had meals delivered to my room.
But today,after waiting over an hour for food,I went to the dining room.
There,I found James scolding all the chefs.
"What's going on?Didn't I say no carrots on this ship?Why's there carrot in the juice?"
"You could've killed Emma!"
The chef who delivered my meals stepped forward.
"Miss Evans drinks a cup of carrot juice every dayI made it for her.Miss Larson drank it while I wasn't looking.It's not my fault."
True—carrots help improve my eyesight,and it's a habit all my friends know.
Yet James banned carrots on this ship to protect Emma from getting an allergy.
Even so,was Emma a child,unable to watch out for herself?
James,red with anger,shouted,
"I'm the captain,I own of this ship!How dare you take orders from Claire instead of me?"
Emma,with just a small red patch on her face,had James in a frenzy.
She tugged his sleeve.
"James,it's my fault.Don't blame them."
I stared at them,my heart numb.
