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The next morning, Peter woke up convinced that the whole thing had been a stupid idea.
He almost called Emma to cancel.
Then he opened his phone.
Sarah had posted a picture.
She was having dinner with her new boyfriend.
Peter stared at the photograph.
His stomach tightened.
He immediately remembered the promise he had made to himself the night before.
He wasn’t going to beg Sarah to come back.
He wasn’t going to chase her.
If she wanted to see what she had lost…
he would give her something to look at.
Peter sent Emma a message.
“Are we still doing this?”
Her answer came less than a minute later.
“Absolutely.”
They met that afternoon.
Emma arrived wearing a dress Peter had never seen before.
He looked at her and smiled.
“You look different.”
“I need to look like someone who has completely moved on.”
Peter laughed.
“So we’re really doing this?”
Emma nodded.
“Step one: we need pictures.”
“Pictures?”
“Lots of them.”
They spent the next hour taking photographs.
One at the coffee shop.
One walking down the street.
One laughing together.
And finally, one where Emma rested her head against Peter’s shoulder.
They posted the pictures that evening.
Neither expected what happened next.
Within minutes, Sarah had viewed Peter’s story.
Then she viewed it again.
And again.
Daniel—Emma’s ex—also saw the pictures.
He didn’t like them.
He didn’t comment.
But he watched every single story.
Emma smiled when she noticed.
“It’s working.”
Peter tried to hide his excitement.
“Too early to celebrate.”
But inside, he was thrilled.
For the first time since Sarah left him, he felt as though he had some control over the situation.
The next day, Sarah sent Peter a message.
“Who’s the girl?”
Peter showed Emma.
She grinned.
“Don’t answer immediately.”
“Why?”
“Because we want her curious.”
So Peter waited.
One hour.
Then two.
Finally, he replied.
“Someone I’ve been spending time with.”
Sarah responded almost instantly.
“Already?”
Peter looked at Emma.
They both smiled.
The plan was working.
But something unexpected happened that neither had prepared for.
Sarah started calling Peter.
She asked where he was.
Who he was with.
Whether he was happy.
She even asked if he still thought about her.
Peter knew exactly what she was doing.
She was getting jealous.
And it felt good.
Too good.
Meanwhile, Emma’s situation was getting even more complicated.
Daniel suddenly appeared at the coffee shop where she worked.
He hadn’t visited her there in months.
He stood near the entrance and watched her talking to Peter.
Emma noticed him.
Their eyes met.
Daniel looked away.
Peter whispered:
“That’s him, isn’t it?”
Emma nodded.
“Don’t look.”
Peter immediately looked.
Emma laughed.
“You’re terrible at this.”
Daniel eventually walked over.
“Emma.”
She turned.
“Daniel.”
His eyes moved toward Peter.
“Who’s he?”
Peter stood up.
“Peter.”
Daniel shook his hand.
But the smile on his face wasn’t friendly.
“So… you two are together?”
Emma looked at Peter.
For a second, neither said anything.
Then Emma smiled.
“Yes.”
Daniel’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
But Emma noticed.
Peter noticed too.
Their plan was working.
Their exes were jealous.
Exactly what they wanted.
That evening, Peter and Emma celebrated.
They ordered dinner and laughed about Daniel’s reaction.
For a few hours, neither mentioned their old relationships.
They talked about their childhoods.
Their dreams.
Their embarrassing habits.
The little things they had never told anyone.
At some point, Emma became quiet.
Peter looked at her.
“What?”
She shook her head.
“Nothing.”
“You’re smiling.”
“So?”
“I haven’t seen you smile like that since we met.”
Emma looked down.
“I haven’t either.”
There was a silence between them.
A different kind of silence.
Neither knew what to say.
Peter suddenly realized something.
He had spent so much time thinking about making Sarah jealous…
that he had forgotten to think about why he was enjoying Emma’s company so much.
And Emma was beginning to wonder the same thing.
Their fake relationship was becoming dangerously real.
Then Peter’s phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen.
It was Sarah.
Her message contained only six words:
“I need to talk to you.”
Peter looked at Emma.
And for the first time…
he wasn’t sure he wanted Sarah back.
TO BE CONTINUED…
