Just for the Summer
by Abby Jimenez
Contents
Chapter 42: Justin
Overview
After Emma’s confrontation with Amber, Justin and Maddy discover that Amber has set Neil’s house on fire and already fled. Neil reacts with bizarre relief, but the real crisis is Emma’s response: instead of returning to Justin, she disappears, takes her luggage, and heads for the airport.
The chapter turns Amber’s destruction into a final rupture and shows how powerfully Emma’s trauma still governs her choices. Emma’s flight threatens her relationship with Justin and signals that the emotional fallout of cutting Amber off may be even more dangerous than the confrontation itself.
Summary
Justin and Maddy wait anxiously while Emma is inside with Amber. When an hour passes, Justin insists Emma is strong enough to survive the confrontation, but Maddy warns that Amber affects Emma differently than anyone else and can trigger Emma’s worst shutdowns. As they head toward the house, Maddy prepares Justin for Emma becoming withdrawn and unreachable afterward.
At the door, Justin and Maddy smell smoke and realize the mansion is on fire. They run across the lawn and find smoke pouring from the primary bedroom while Maria curses Amber and says she already called 911. Terrified that Emma might still be inside, Justin tries to get into the house, then runs around to the driveway and collides with Neil.
Neil calmly tells Justin that nobody is inside: Amber already left in a taxi, and Emma got into an Uber after a fight. Relieved that Emma is alive, Justin calls her, but the call goes straight to voicemail. While they wait for the fire trucks, Neil explains that Amber started the fire by throwing one of her soy candles at him and accidentally igniting the house. Instead of being devastated, Neil treats the fire as proof that Amber was a final test of his character and that surviving her has somehow balanced his past wrongs.
Just as firefighters arrive, Maddy returns with worse news. She has tracked Emma’s luggage with AirTags and realizes Emma did not simply leave the house—Emma collected her bags and is heading to the airport. Maddy understands this as Emma fleeing in a deeply damaging old pattern, so she orders Justin to go home and wait while she goes after Emma, leaving Justin afraid he may lose her.
Who Appears
- JustinWaits anxiously for Emma, discovers the fire, and fears losing Emma when she flees.
- MaddyWarns Justin about Emma’s trauma response, tracks Emma’s luggage, and moves to intervene.
- EmmaLeaves after fighting with Amber, becomes unreachable, and heads to the airport with her luggage.
- NeilFinds his house burning and reacts with strange joy, calling Amber a final test.
- AmberFights with Emma, throws a candle at Neil, starts the fire, and escapes by taxi.
- MariaHouse staff member who spots the fire, calls 911, and blames Amber.