Chapter 4

The butler stared at me.

"Ms. Yelton, are you really leaving?"

"Yeah. I'm not coming back."

Pain ripped through me, but I smiled anyway, like a flower in full bloom.

Even if I was about to wilt, I'd still lived my life with everything I had.

The butler stayed quiet.

Then a cold, grim voice cut in behind me, sharp as winter air.

"Are you sure?"

I froze.

Wasn't he supposed to be at work?

I turned around.

Johan stood in the doorway, one hand in his pocket, brows pulled tight. His tightly pressed lips said it all.

He was pissed.

Lily clung to his arm beside him, watching me like I was something new.

"Yes. I already resigned."

I gave him a polite smile. Professional to the end.

"Mr. Lundberg, thank you for everything. I hope you get the success, happiness, and family you've always wanted."

What we had was always simple: money for sex.

Without his money, my parents wouldn't have gotten the treatment they needed.

So yeah.

I meant it. I hoped things worked out for him.

His jaw flexed.

I knew that look. He was about to blow up.

But it wasn't my problem anymore.

As I walked past Johan, he grabbed my wrist.

I'd gotten so thin I was basically skin and bones. His grip made me wince.

It hurt.

Still, I looked up and smiled brightly.

"Don't tell me you're gonna miss me."

Just like I expected, he frowned and let go.

I got what I wanted.

So why did my heart feel torn open and bleeding?

I almost lost my smile.

But I kept my back straight and walked out like nothing happened.

The second I got in my car, the tears hit.

Seven years.

Crying over that felt fair.

When my parents died, I was still there to handle the funerals. To grieve them.

But now, the last person tied to my life had walked away too.

When I died...

There probably wouldn't even be anyone to claim my body.

My tears wouldn't stop.

Fine.

I'd mourn myself early.

***

I was feeding a bunch of stray cats when an old coworker called.

She burst into tears before she even said a word.

"Yara, you absolute angel, please come back, okay?"

"I'm not going back."

I poured food into a little bowl.

The cats ate like it was the best meal of their lives, and I smiled.

Honestly, they had way better appetites than me.

"Please don't!" She sobbed into the phone. "Ever since you quit, Mr. Lundberg's been losing it. He's in a horrible mood every day, snapping at everyone. The other assistants leave his office crying. We're all waiting for you to come back and save us!"

Save them?

I smiled, petting the strays one by one.

I couldn't even save myself.

How was I supposed to save anyone else?

"I already sent Mr. Lundberg's preferences and work notes to the new assistant. Once she gets used to them, you guys won't keep getting yelled at."

They were tiny details.

Nothing hard.

I organized everything she needed and sent it over.

A little later, she texted again.

Johan had taken one sip of his coffee, gone ice-cold, and smashed the cup.

So that was it.

When you were sick of someone, even coffee made the way she made it tasted disgusting.

I blocked everyone from Lundberg Corp.

None of it mattered now.