Page 47 of The Snowball Effect

Emma blinked at her boss as her stomach sank even lower than it had already been.

“The problem is that I think I might have been the cause of several of our issues in ways I hadn’t thought of before. Which means,” she had to pause, accepting the truth as she was being faced with saying it aloud, “That I might have been wrong abouther, too. And I was made aware of it because we had a–”

“Brawl,” Brynn supplied, “Emotionally, anyway, given I see no bruises on your person.”

“An altercation,” Emma corrected, shooting Brynn awhat the fucklook. “In which I think I finally crossed a line with her.”

“I see. And now, she’s making your living situation untenable?” Allegra asked.

Emma started to nod before she caught herself. “Not really. Not in a technical sense.”

Because Reganhadn’tattempted to make Emma leave the apartment or anything like that.

No. What was becoming distressingly uncomfortable, she realized at this very moment, was that living with this – thispod personversion of Regan was starting to feel untenable.

“You have a simple solution, Emma,” Allegra stated, pushing herself away from the doorway. “You have a journalism degree and want to pursue publishing as a career, correct?”

Skeptical as to how they correlated, Emma nodded in agreement.

“As such, you shouldn’t be afraid of the truth. And pursuing the truth may often mean facing facts you’re uncomfortable with – including facts such as realizing you were wrong.” Allegra nodded once, firmly, as if she’d given Emma the keys to the kingdom. “What you do with truths once you face them, well,thatis where the world gets interesting, isn’t it?”

Maybe shehadgiven Emma the keys.

“Now that we’ve worked through your problem – undoubtedly faster as a trio – I think you can decide what to do with your newfound truthafterwork, no?” Allegra lifted her eyebrows as she gave Emma and Brynn a look before turning to walk to her desk.

Emma would never let it be said that Allegra wasn’t exceedingly fair. Or exceedingly correct.

Upon returning to the apartment, she knew that Regan wasn’t scheduled to get home for another couple of hours.

She also knew that it was time to call in the big guns.

Because Allegra was right; it was time for Emma to figure out what to do post Regan’s bombshells earlier this week.

Taking a deep breath as nerves tangled in her stomach, she sat on the side of her bed.

And called Sutton.

Emma eyed the time as the call started to ring; it would be a little after midnight in Rome. But it was also a Friday, so she was hoping Sutton might still be awake and up for a chat.

She was proven correct only seconds later, as Sutton picked up, “Emma! It’s great to get a call from you!”

Emma sighed, taking some comfort in Sutton’s genuine warmth. It was a quality Sutton had – this kindness to her that she’d always found so appealing. “Hey. Yeah, I’m sorry it’s so late. I just got home from work.”

“It’s completely fine; I have a video date with Charlotte in half an hour, so I was still awake.” Emma found the sweet, undeniable excitement in her voice even more comforting for some reason.

“That’s great. I’m glad you two figured out a system.” She meant that. Though she’d been skeptical of Charlotte’s intentions, she was slowly coming around to her. After all, it had been Emma’s couch Sutton had sought refuge on when Charlotte had broken her heart earlier this year. Emma wouldn’t say she had manyprotectiveinstincts, but she’d certainly felt protective when Sutton had shown up on her doorstep, looking utterly wrecked. “How is everything over there? I got your text the other day with the pictures of the first edition library.”

The wonder mixed with envy in her tone was unavoidable. Because it was precisely what she felt every time Sutton shared her experience through pictures or social media posts. A raw desire to share in that experience, herself, and amazement for Sutton being able to be there.

Sutton laughed, sounding utterly exhilarated. “It’sbeautiful. I mean – the hours are nuts, and there are so many rules to follow, but it’s… well, you know from our texts.”

“Yeah.” Despite the envy she felt, she found herself smiling slightly, as she often did with Sutton. Seeing Sutton, one of the only people Emma counted as a true friend, thriving was deeply satisfying, no matter what.

“I’m always happy to hear from you,” Sutton started, her tone cautious. “But… you don’t usually call, especially without texting first. Which – it’s one hundred percent fine for you to do!” She was quick to assure – typical Sutton. “I just can’t help but wonder if everything’s okay?”

Ah, and there it was. Somehow, Sutton could be both incredibly obtuse and perceptive, depending on the situation. In this situation, it seemed perceptive won out.

Even though this was the entire reason Emma had called, she was hesitant. Unable to voice anything about Regan.

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