Chapter 50: Close Calls

Timothy's concern was palpable over the phone. "Ursula, are you alright? Do you need me to come over?"

"I had a rough night and ended up at City Hospital." Ursula confessed with a softness that belied her discomfort.

"I'll be right there." Timothy replied, skipping the questions about why she was alone or why he, her boyfriend, had been left in the dark.

She gave him her room number and ended the call, her brow creasing with the weight of unspoken thoughts. She resolved to clear the air with George once he arrived, prolonging the inevitable wasn't her way.

A text to Dylan followed, a quick assurance of her safety.

However, Dylan's call came in hot on the heels of her message.

"Ursula, what's going on? You've been MIA all morning. I was about to call the police." Dylan's voice was a mix of worry and frustration.

"Dylan, I'm sorry." Ursula replied, brushing off his thinly veiled annoyance because she knew it stemmed from concern.

"You could have told us something yesterday, we were all worried, especially Timothy," Dylan chided, his voice was betraying a hint of jealousy.

"Seeing how devoted Timothy is, I'm a bit envious." he admitted.

Ursula paused, sensing an emotional torrent about to be unleashed.

Dylan vented, "You have no idea, Ursula. Matthew just dropped me off and left. It broke my heart."

Ursula was speechless, guilt gnawing at her. She had been the reason for Matthew's abrupt departure, feeling complicit in Dylan's heartache.

Dylan, unaware of her internal struggle, lamented, "I went all out for the party, even wore that princess dress, but Matthew didn't care. He rejected me outright."

"Ursula, am I not attractive enough?" Dylan's voice was earnest, seeking validation.

Ursula was taken aback. Dylan, the acknowledged beauty of their circle, was doubting her allure?

Dylan's next revelation hinted at intimacy with Matthew, shaking Ursula to her core.

Dylan's deep sigh conveyed her turmoil. "Ursula, you don't get it. Matthew isn't like other guys. Next to him, my confidence shatters. I truly love him."

Ursula's heart sank as she heard her friend confess her feelings to the man she herself was entangled with. She offered what comfort she could, "Matthew's serious about you, Dylan. You've met his parents, and he's never publicly acknowledged anyone else."

Inside, Ursula despised her hypocrisy, her heart aching at the thought of their happiness.

"But why won't he fully commit to me? Is he still upset about my trip abroad? I've been trying to reconcile." Dylan mused, her voice tinged with vulnerability.

She couldn't fathom rejection, always having been the one to choose, never the one waiting to be chosen, until Matthew.

Dylan confided a suspicion, "I think there's another woman in Matthew's life."

Ursula's grip on her phone tightened, her pulse was racing. Had her secret been discovered?

"I've been careful," she thought, recalling the meticulous efforts to leave no trace of her visits to Matthew.

"Ursula, are you even listening?" Dylan's voice snapped her back to the conversation.

"Yes, I'm just surprised," Ursula managed to mask her alarm.

"I knew you'd be impressed by my detective work," Dylan boasted, oblivious to Ursula's inner turmoil.

"What did you find?" Ursula asked, dreading the answer.

Dylan's disappointment was clear. "I checked the surveillance footage outside his apartment, but no clear face. It's a dead end."

Ursula breathed a sigh of relief, yet remained vigilant. She had always been cautious, avoiding any cameras during her clandestine visits.

"But I'll find out who she is." Dylan vowed, determination lacing his voice.

"Would you drop it if Matthew ended things with her?" Ursula ventured.

"No way. I need to know who's captivated him." Dylan asserted, as if it were the most natural response.

The label of 'temptress' felt like an ill-fitting crown, suffocating Ursula. She had entered the picture after Dylan, but the guilt was undeniable.

"Ursula, why so quiet?" Dylan's intuition picked up on her silence.

"Just wondering about this mystery woman." Ursula deflected.

Dylan scoffed, "Whoever she is, she's the other woman. And I don't believe Matthew would pick her over me, sinceI was his first love."

Indeed, 'first love' was a powerful sentiment. Ursula knew it well. Her own unrequited love for Matthew was etched deep within her, as indelible as the first love he held for Dylan.