Chapter 4

What came next was almost inevitable.

He gathered Mia against him and murmured to her, soft, the way you'd soothe a child.

Applause broke out around them, loud and eager.

Some of the gawkers, never ones to let a scene go to waste, actually shouted, "Marry him!"

And in that moment, what was left of my dignity tore clean apart.

The whole mess between Mia and me became the talk of the industry.

To keep the gossip from spreading, the company sent out a termination notice that very night. Mine.

The stated reason: failing to do my job and picking a fight with a new hire for no reason.

I didn't sleep a wink.

The next day I marched into the director's office to demand an explanation, and walked in on Mia dabbing at her eyes, pouring out her sob story to him.

Before I could get a word out, the director cut to the chase.

"Nora, I know you feel wronged too. You've put up real numbers over the years. But the culture here is about helping each other, not bullying the new people."

My jaw dropped.

"How is this me bullying—"

"Ethan's your fiancé, isn't he?"

The director cut me off coldly. "He told us himself. This is a personal grudge between you and Mia, and the fault is yours."

"Mia's new, she's got a lot to learn. You, on the other hand, nearly drove her to her death. An employee like that, however talented, is one we can't keep."

With that, he set a termination letter in front of me.

"Sign."

My hands shook so badly I could barely hold the pen.

I walked out clutching a box of my things under a gray, heavy sky.

Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that Ethan, three years my partner, would stand against me at a moment like this, cost me my job, and burn every bridge behind me.

I sat in the café across from the office and called him.

"What were you thinking, saying those things to my boss?"

I didn't bother with preamble.

"I got fired. Happy now?"

I was shaking with rage, barely holding on to reason.

Ethan's voice slid back into its old gentleness.

"Nora, don't be like this. Mia's just a kid, and she nearly lost her life over this. Can't you be the bigger person?"

"Besides, she fought so hard for this job. She works herself to the bone. If she got fired, she'd have nothing. You're different. You still have me."

I actually laughed out loud.

So it was true. When you're pushed past the edge of helplessness, you really do laugh.

Then Mia's voice came through from his end.

Ethan rushed to explain. "Mia finally got someone to fix the AC today, so I'm here with her. Once we're done I'll come find you. Where are you?"

I sent him the address of the café across from the office.

I waited all afternoon, into the evening, and Ethan never came.

I suddenly felt like a clown.

I never should have waited, should I?

There was no room left for me in his heart.

And here I was, still clinging to one last shred of hope.

Pathetic. Laughable.

I thought back to three years ago, when he'd stood in front of me and said, with such certainty, "Nora, trust me. I'll love you for the rest of my life. I'll be good to you forever."

And now, in just three years, he'd forgotten every word of it.

Enough.

I stood to leave, and my phone rang.

It was Mia.

"Nora, sweetie."

She said it sweet as syrup. "Ethan wanted me to pass along a message. Don't bother waiting."

"He's staying with me tonight. He's not coming."

"He's in the shower right now. Poor thing wore himself out, totally drenched in sweat."

I gripped the phone until my fingers went numb and trembling.

Rage shot straight to the top of my skull.

"Mia, I never pegged you for someone this pathetic."

"You get off on other people's sloppy seconds? Be my guest. He's trash, and trash is exactly what you deserve. Enjoy him."

I hung up.

Then I opened my social accounts and deleted every post that had Ethan in it.

Last, I found every way he had to reach me and blocked them all.

I packed that night and booked the first flight home.

The moment the plane lifted into the air, I finally let out a long breath.

And there, three years with Ethan came to its imperfect, unfinished end.

A few hours later, the plane touched down.

I turned my phone back on, and a flood of unread texts poured in.