Chapter 2

Emily had a few drinks that night, so when she stood up, she was a little unsteady on her feet.

As Julian steadied her, Francis grabbed her bag, and Henry held the door open for her.

I trailed behind, following them to the restaurant entrance. Julian looked back at me. "Get a cab yourself. Text me when you get home."

"Okay."

The three of them walked Emily to her car.

I stood by the curb alone. It took me more than 15 minutes to finally get a cab. When I got home, a message from Julian was already waiting for me on my screen.

"Emmie isn't feeling too well. I'll be back late, so go to bed first."

I stared at the message, then opened the company information Rose had sent me. This time, I wasn't going to wait around for an answer that would always put me last.

The next day, I went back to my old company to complete my resignation paperwork. When HR handed me the agreement, they looked at my face before speaking.

"Anna, are you really sure about this? The company is just restructuring. You're not being singled out."

"I know."

I flipped to the last page and signed my name.

Before leaving my desk, I packed everything from my drawers into a cardboard box, one item at a time. There was my mug, a few professional books, and the mint plant I'd kept alive for three years.

Someone from my team offered to help me carry everything, but then our manager summoned them away.

I dropped the last pen into the box, pulled out my phone, and sent a message to the group chat. "I get off at six. I've got quite a bit of stuff, so don't forget to come pick me up."

Julian replied right away, "Got it. I'll head straight over after work."

Francis said, "I'll drive and bring over a few extra boxes."

Henry chimed in too, "I'll meet you guys after work."

Upon seeing those messages, I finally felt a little reassured.

At exactly 6:00 pm, I walked out of the office building with my box in my arms. It was already getting dark, and the streetlights outside had just come on.

I stood by the steps for about ten minutes.

By 6:20 pm, Julian still hadn't shown up. Francis and Henry were nowhere to be seen either. I lowered my head and asked in the group chat, "Are you guys here yet?"

There was no response in the group chat. I waited a few more minutes before calling Julian.

The phone rang until the call disconnected automatically. Just as I was about to call again, a new post from Emily popped up in my feed.

She was standing in a spacious living room, with piles of cardboard boxes stacked behind her.

"I finally got the keys to my new place! But there's so much stuff to move. There's no way I can get it all done by myself."

In the next photo, Julian was crouched on the floor assembling a shelf. Francis was hauling a bookcase, and Henry was carrying a floor lamp.

I zoomed in on the photo, then slowly zoomed back out. So they were all at her place.

Seeing me standing there motionless with the box in my arms, the security guard came over to help. "Boyfriend's not here yet?"

I forced a faint smile. "Something came up."

The guard loaded my box into the trunk of a cab before setting my mint plant on the seat next to me. Only after the car pulled away did a private message from Julian pop up. "Anna, are you still at the office?"

Right after that, he sent another message. "Emmie's moving today. I thought Francis was going to pick you up."

Francis messaged me soon after. "I thought Julian had already gone to get you."

Henry said, "I thought you guys had it all sorted."

As I stared at their excuses, I suddenly found everything laughable. Everyone was counting on someone else to deal with me, so in the end, I was left standing outside the office building.

Julian asked, "Do you still want me to go to you?"

I looked down, staring at the red marks on the back of my hand before replying, "No need."

When I got home that night, I found Emily sitting beside a suitcase in the living room.

She still had her coat on, a toiletry bag clutched in her arms. "Anna, I'm so sorry to impose on you guys."

I stopped at the doorway. "What happened?"

"The water heater at my new place is broken. The property management says they can't fix it until tomorrow at the earliest. Could I crash here for just one night?"

Julian came out of the kitchen and went straight for her suitcase. "Of course you can. The guest room is empty anyway."

Francis took the bag from her hands. "Just let me know if you need anything."

Henry had already turned on the guest room light and made the bed for her.

Standing at the doorway, Emily said to me, "I'll only be here for one night and will leave tomorrow."

I gave a nod. Julian and the other two carried her things into the guest room, one item after another. As for the cardboard box that had just been unloaded from the cab, it sat in the entryway.