Chapter 4

The door slammed shut, cutting off the rest of her complaints. I gave a bitter smile and swept up the ashes with a broom.

That doll had been Melissa's gift to me in our very first year together. Back then, we'd been in a long-distance relationship, and she'd clung to me in tears, warning me not to so much as look at anyone else.

Later, she'd turned up with that doll from who knows where and shoved it into my arms. "Wherever you go from now on, you're bringing this with you. Think of it as another version of me. Once the long distance is over, we'll get married, and I'll personally take its place."

I'd believed her, foolishly carrying that doll from spring straight through winter. Then winter turned back to summer, the distance between us finally closed, and that promise turned out to be nothing but empty words. It simply never came true.

At noon, I headed back to Melissa's company to wrap up my remaining work. I'd taken a few days of wedding leave, and my coworkers looked at me with awkward, unfinished sentences whenever they saw me.

I didn't even need to guess. Melissa had brought Ezra into the office again. She never bothered to hide how much she doted on him.

"Russell, we figured you'd take a few more days off before coming back. Ms. Ferguson really crossed a line this time, ditching you at your own wedding, and then flaunting that homewrecker around the office like it's nothing."

"You have no idea how good he is at buying people's loyalty. The second he walked in, he treated everyone to afternoon tea, and it wasn't even his money; it was Ms. Ferguson's. Russell, I'm just saying it because it's not fair to you. If it weren't for you, this company would've folded a long time ago."

The ones who liked me well enough grumbled on my behalf, and the ones who didn't took quiet, sideways shots at me instead, comparing me to some stray dog left outside, discarded just the same as one.

"You guys..." The people around me tried to speak up for me, but I waved them off. "It's fine. None of it matters anymore."

I kept my voice low and gave a short explanation of my plan to leave.

My assistant, who'd stuck by my side the whole time, looked reluctant to let it go. "Russell, this company only made it this far because of you. How could they treat you like this after everything..."

He was practically fuming on my behalf, and I gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.

The next second, Ezra came limping toward me. "Russell, I brought you some afternoon tea. Everyone in the office got some, but yours is different.

"Consider it a thank-you gift. Thanks for being so understanding about Melissa. If you hadn't let her come look after me, I might've died alone at home and no one would've known.

"Look at me, I've actually put on weight these past few days. All thanks to Melissa taking care of me."

He showed off his pale, smooth arm, and the first thing that caught my eye was the bracelet on it.

Everyone in the office was craning their necks to watch. It wasn't a big company, and everyone had already seen the post Ezra shared online, which meant they all knew about me getting ditched at my own wedding too.

In that gleaming office tower, I'd become nothing but a punchline to everyone around me. The more shameless Ezra acted, the more pathetic I looked, and the better the show was for everyone watching.

"Here, try this." Ezra held out a chocolate cake toward me. I reached out to wave it off, and the cake ended up smashed right into his face instead, no warning at all. Cream instantly plastered his cheek and hair.

My assistant let out an ill-timed laugh, and Ezra's whole body trembled as he bowed to me, shaking.

"I'm sorry, Russell. I know this is on me. You waited so long for your wedding with Melissa, and if I hadn't gotten hurt out of nowhere, she never would've left you standing there. This is all my fault. Hit me, yell at me, whatever makes you feel better."