All Chapters of My Boss, My Nextdoor Neighbor And Me: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Kieran's POV I left my door open because I was only stepping out for a minute. That was it. A quick walk down the stairs, grab the stupid charger I forgot in the car, come back up. No deep thought behind it. No sense of danger. This building barely had foot traffic that late and the hallway was quiet as usual. When I came back, the lights in my apartment were on. I stopped dead. My body reacted before my brain did. Hand went to my pocket where my phone was, pulse jumping hard. I listened. No noise, shuffling or voices. Just the hum of the fridge and something else… breathing, uneven and broken. I stepped inside slowly. The door clicked shut behind me. She was sitting on my couch. Correction; Slumped. Shoes kicked off halfway, one heel lying on its side like it gave up. Her bag was on the floor, spilled open. Her hair was a mess, still damp at the ends, sticking to her neck. Her eyes were glassy, red and lost. Shayle. For a second, I honestly thought I was seeing shit. My br

Kieran's POV I knew exactly what I was doing when I lied that that was all she told me. I left the part about her dying out.The moment the words left her lips last night, the air changed. Two months. That number lodged itself in my chest and refused to move. At first, I did what anyone would do. I dismissed it. Alcohol talking. Pain exaggerating reality. People say shit they do not mean when they are drowning.But then she smiled.Not a drunk smile. Not a dramatic one. It was calm. Tired. Like she had already made peace with the idea and just needed someone else to hear it.That was when my stomach dropped.I did not react the way I should have. I did not ask questions. I did not demand proof. I did not wrap her in my arms and promise miracles. I stood there like an idiot, heart pounding, brain refusing to work.She barely stayed awake after that.Her body slumped sideways, head rolling against the couch cushion. Her breathing evened out, tears drying on her cheeks. The anger burne

Lucien’s POVWork used to be the one place where my head stayed clear.Numbers behaved. People listened. Power made sense.Now it was just noise.I woke up irritated every morning and went to bed even worse. Sleep barely touched me. When it did, it came in broken pieces that left me more exhausted than before. The office noticed. Everyone noticed.I snapped at people for breathing too loud. Meetings dragged because I lost focus halfway through and had to ask questions twice. Files piled up on my desk because I could not bring myself to care.And Shayle was not there.Her desk stayed empty. Her chair untouched. Her name avoided in conversation like it carried a curse.I pretended I did not see it. Pretended it did not matter.I failed miserably.Everyone knew why I was like this. They whispered when they thought I could not hear. They exchanged looks when I walked past.“She really did a number on him.”“What did she even do?”“He looks unhinged.”They were not wrong.I slept with more

Lucien’s POV I drove like a man possessed.Every red light felt personal. Every slow car in front of me felt like an insult. My hands were tight on the wheel, jaw locked so hard my teeth ached. My head was full of everything I should have done and never did, everything I said that I should have swallowed, every moment I chose pride over decency.I should have stood up for her.That truth kept punching me in the chest over and over again.That event replayed in my head without mercy. My mother’s voice. The way the room went quiet. The way Shayle stood there, humiliated, confused, trying to hold herself together while everyone watched. I remembered how I froze. How I let it happen. How I convinced myself that silence was safer.Coward.Then the club night followed right after. My words. My tone. The way I looked at her like she was disposable. Like she was nothing. I remembered her face then too. Not angry. Just hurt. Deep, quiet hurt that I chose to ignore because it was easier than

Shayle's POV I told the driver the company address first, even though my chest already knew it was pointless. It was late. Too late. The city had slowed down into that quiet hum it made past midnight, when only regret and bad decisions were still awake.My fingers shook as I dialed Lucien’s number again.Straight to voicemail.I tried again.Nothing.I stared at my phone like it had betrayed me personally. Like if I glared hard enough, it would suddenly ring. It didn’t.The cab stopped in front of the company building, dark and lifeless. No lights. No cars. No movement. Just a tall block of glass reflecting my own stupid face back at me.I got down anyway.The security gate was closed. The doors locked. I stood there for a moment, breathing hard, palms pressed against the cold glass like I could will the past few months to rewind.“Fuck,” I whispered.What the hell was I expecting? Of course he wouldn’t be here. Of course this was stupid. People didn’t wait around at work at this hou