Chapter 3

"I'm already putting together the handover documents," I told Eleanor. "I'll get them to Jared as soon as I can. Until then, tell him to stop bothering me."

She seemed confused. "Handover? Once he leaves, you'll still have your position."

"We've broken up, Eleanor. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to keep working here."

"What? I never agreed to that breakup!"

She shot to her feet, her face turning livid. "Seriously, Cory? You're going to throw everything away over one incident?"

"But it's more than one incident, though. Have you forgotten what happened two years ago?"

Two years ago, on the day Eleanor and I were supposed to celebrate our anniversary, Jared suddenly called her, saying he had a high fever. Despite my protests, she insisted on taking him to the hospital.

She was gone for the next two days. When she finally came back, she apologized profusely.

She said she couldn't bear the thought of Jared being alone in a strange city with no one to look after him, especially when his family all lived in other cities.

She promised it would never happen again. I still loved her deeply back then, so I forgave her. Still, I made it clear that I wouldn't tolerate it a second time.

When Eleanor heard me bringing it up, she laughed. "Are you jealous? That was so long ago, and you still remember it. Fine, I promise. After this time, I'll cut off all contact with him.

"Just give me one more chance. Isn't there a saying that goes, 'three strikes and you're out?'"

I shook my head. "You should focus on getting him up to speed instead."

Her expression changed. "Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

I turned and walked out of the office. The moment I closed the door behind me, I heard something smash inside.

This wasn't baseball where the three-strikes law applied. Forgiving her that first time had simply been because I had been blinded by love.

…

When I returned to my office, I saw Jared directing someone to carry out a cardboard box. The person was dragging their feet and taking their time. When he saw me, he visibly relaxed.

My heart sank. I frowned. "What's the rush?"

Jared folded his arms. "Eleanor said I could use this office, so I had someone pack up your things."

I glanced at him. "You could've waited until I got back. Didn't your parents teach you not to mess with other people's things when they're not around?"

I took the box from the other employee. "You can go. I'll handle it."

He quickly agreed and left.

Once I was inside the office, I immediately started going through the box. Jared hurried in after me. "What are you doing?"

"Checking to make sure nothing's missing or damaged."

He scoffed. "As if I'd steal your things."

Just then, I spotted the fountain pen at the bottom of the box, the very thing I had been worried about. The moment I saw it, blood rushed to my head.

That was the pen I treasured more than anything. Now it had been tossed carelessly into the box with its cap loosened. The nib was bent and split, clearly damaged from being dropped.

Grandpa had given me that pen when I graduated from high school. He passed away from illness not long afterward, and I had kept using that pen ever since.

I took several deep breaths before I could get myself under control. I held the damaged pen out toward Jared. "How do you explain this?"

He barely even looked at it. "It slipped and fell while we were packing your things. Just get yourself another one."

The moment I heard that, I stopped holding back and drove my right fist straight into Jared's face. He was stunned. When he came to his senses, he covered his face, livid. "You hit me?"

I sneered. "Damn right I did!"

I was just about to hit him again when someone shoved me from behind. I stumbled into the corner of the desk, pain shooting through my left hand.

Eleanor stood there with a grim expression. "It was just a fountain pen. Did you have to hit him over it?"

I stared at her. "You know what that pen means to me."

"And? It's still just an object. I'll pay you back for it. Now, apologize to Jared."

I was completely done with her. "You started this. Don't blame me for finishing it."