All Chapters of The Home She Built With Someone Else: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Cindy Labelle, Caleb Jarding, and I walked out of the property office. There were only two seats left on the shuttle.Without a second thought, Cindy took Caleb's hand and led him onto the bus.She said, "You can walk, Zachary. We'll go pick up the keys first. Cal's wearing dress shoes today, and they're rubbing his feet raw."She was worried about whether his Isaric designer shoes would hurt his feet. However, she'd forgotten that I had an aggravating old back injury that made it painful for me to stand for long, from working around the clock to help her meet deadlines.I no longer expected her to remember.I turned and walked away while saying, "I'm not going."Cindy didn't care. She called after me, "Then you can go renew the lease with the realtor. Today's the last day."There would be no renewal. The paperwork to terminate the lease had already arrived, and I'd signed it without hesitation.When I got home, I happened to see Caleb's latest post on Instagram. He stood in

Caleb spoke up softly. "It's okay, Zach. I'll look at some other designs. If nothing works, I can design it myself. You're already so busy—""You're still a newbie in the industry," Cindy cut him off. "Your workload is already heavy enough. Designing the place yourself on top of that would be exhausting."The concern in her voice came so naturally. In fact, she had said it so matter-of-factly that I was sure she'd completely forgotten I was still responsible for the project I'd been working on for more than six months.I'd been just as busy and just as exhausted. Yet, she expected me to make time to redesign a home that was supposed to be mine for someone else.Looking straight at me, Cindy said, "Put your current project on hold. Focus on helping Cal get this done first. The next phase is due next week. You're efficient. Three days should be enough for you to finish the drawings. Then, you can oversee the renovations. You'll have plenty of time."She said it so casually, as if I

Cindy grabbed the realtor by the arm.She exclaimed, "That's impossible. If he terminated the lease, where could he go? You must have made a mistake!"The realtor pulled free from her grasp and held out his phone.He said, "Mr. Lennox submitted the termination request three days ago. The system sent him two notifications, and he confirmed both. Take a look at it yourself."The screen showed everything clearly. The termination request had been submitted three days ago.Three days ago… What had she been doing then?She'd been enthusiastically discussing the renovations with Caleb. Then, she turned around and told me we should put his name on the deed for now.She'd been worrying about whether Caleb's expensive Isaric shoes were hurting his feet while telling me, whose back injury had flared up so badly that I could barely stand, to walk home myself.And how had I injured my back in the first place? I'd worked myself to the bone by pulling all-nighters to meet her deadlines. I'd

The person on the other end said, "Hello, Mr. Lennox. I'm with Heramond Group's HR department. We've been following the dispute between you and your former company, and we understand that you're currently between jobs. "We have a project we'd really like you to lead. Would you be interested in discussing it?"Heramond Group was the biggest name in the industry.I held my phone in my hand. Outside the window were the familiar streets. I could see Dad washing dishes in the kitchen. Across from me, my mom was still putting some cut fruit onto my plate.For the first time in years, I felt completely at peace. "Sure. I'm available."After I hung up, Mom was smiling at me. The wrinkles around her eyes were deeper than they had been five years ago, but her eyes were bright.In that moment, I suddenly realized that all the resentment and hurt I'd carried for five years didn't matter anymore.I was home.And from this moment on, I was going to live for myself.…At Heramond Group's

After that day, Cindy seemed to lose all her drive and will to live. She began skipping company meetings and stopped striving to keep the projects alive. Calls from partners came one after another, but she refused to answer any of them.Two months later, the company was acquired for a fraction of its value. The buyer took over all its assets and projects for less than a third of the company's valuation.On the day the deal was signed, Cindy sat in the conference room and mechanically flipped through the final page. When it was time to sign, she didn't hesitate.After that, she started waiting outside Heramond Group. She never went inside. She simply stood beneath the apricot tree on the east side of the building, just so she could see me once a day.On the seventh day, I was heading downstairs to grab a coffee when she stopped me.The proud, confident woman I'd once known was gone. She looked at me with a cautious, almost desperate longing.I said, "Go ahead and say what you have