Chapter 2

I waited at the restaurant we'd agreed on for two hours. All I got at the end of it was a phone call from Andrew apologizing for not showing up.

So at first, I didn't believe him when he said the trip would be different. But in the days before the holiday, Andrew packed his suitcase, booked the flights, and planned the whole itinerary. I let myself trust him one more time.

Of course, he let me down again.

This time, though, I wasn't angry. I walked past all my coworkers and their barely contained grins, straight into HR's office, and handed over the resignation letter I'd printed out a month ago.

The HR manager, Diana Cole, blinked. "You're leaving?"

I nodded.

"I'll need to let Mr. Hartwell know."

She reached for her phone to send a message, and I stopped her. "Call him."

Chloe was witty and fun. She kept Andrew entertained, so when he was with her, he never bothered checking his messages. Whenever I texted him, I'd usually have to wait until the next day for a reply.

I was done waiting.

Diana didn't love the idea, but given my position, she dialed Andrew's number. "Mr. Hartwell, Ms. Lloyd wants to—"

He cut her off before she could finish, his voice cold. "Whatever she wants, just handle it. That's literally your job. Do I really need to explain how HR works to the HR department?"

Clearly, he was still mad at me over the comment situation.

Diana didn't dare say another word.

Andrew added, "And like I've said before, if it's not urgent, just text. Don't call."

Then he hung up without hesitation. But in that split second before the line went dead, I caught Chloe's voice in the background. "Andrew, you sound so upset. Was that Wendy calling?"

Diana's expression was sour after the scolding, but she kept her tone civil. "You heard what he said. Why don't you just take the resignation back? I'll pretend I never saw it, and I won't mention it to anyone."

She clearly didn't think I'd actually leave. She assumed this was what I always did when Andrew upset me, just another threat to get his attention.

And honestly, who could blame her? Andrew and I had been married for eight years. We'd built this company together after the wedding.

We'd even named the company after the two of us. Nobody believed I'd actually walk away.

I shook my head. "Then let's do it by the book."

She tried to talk me out of it a couple more times, but when she saw my mind was made up, she stamped the approval on my resignation and started the handover process.

Word spread through the company fast. People were surprised, sure, but the consensus was that I'd tried to bluff Andrew with a resignation and accidentally called my own bluff.

I didn't bother explaining. I packed my things and walked out.

I'd barely made it to the front entrance when Diana came running after me, phone in hand.

"Wait! Mr. Hartwell's on the line. He says he needs to talk to you."

A murmur rippled through the lobby.

Someone laughed. "Well, I'll be damned. The whole playing-hard-to-get thing actually worked. He really fell for it."

"I mean, eight years of marriage. At that point, you'd be attached to a houseplant."

I paused for a moment, then took the phone.

It was on the speaker. Andrew's voice carried across the lobby, and the first thing out of his mouth was an accusation.

"Wendy, why aren't you picking up when I call? What if something important came up and you missed it? Are you going to answer for that?"