2: 2

The next morning, Jeffrey was up early.

When I carried the fried eggs and toast out of the kitchen, he was standing in front of the full-length mirror, knotting his tie.

"Your tie's crooked." I walked over, reaching to fix it the way I always did.

He turned slightly, away from my hand.

"I've got it." His tone was flat as he retied the Windsor knot in the mirror.

My hand hung in the air a second, then dropped.

"Come eat." I turned back toward the table.

Jeffrey glanced at his watch.

"I'll skip it. There's an important item on the agenda at the morning meeting. I need to get in early to prep."

He crossed to the entryway and picked up his car keys.

"Aren't you dropping off the quarterly reports at headquarters today? If it's on your way, bring me the blue folder off the desk in the study."

He assigned it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Fine." I pulled out a chair, sat, and calmly took a bite of toast.

Jeffrey changed his shoes and opened the door.

"Drive safe." He left the words behind without a trace of warmth and shut the door.

The apartment went quiet.

I finished breakfast and washed the dishes.

Took the folder, and left.

The company headquarters sat in the downtown business district, taking up three floors of an office tower.

I worked at the branch out in the suburbs, and rarely had reason to come here.

The receptionist swiped me through with a guest badge, and I headed for the elevator.

I pushed open the door to Jeffrey's office.

No one inside.

I set the folder on his desk, and I was about to leave when a framed photo beside it caught my eye.

It held a picture of the two of them.

Jeffrey, in casual clothes, standing beneath a cherry blossom tree.

A girl stood beside him.

She wore a white dress, smiling sweetly, both hands looped affectionately around his arm.

On those hands was a delicate French manicure.

I stood there and looked at the photo.

The picture was new. The frame was new too.

And in the home we shared, Jeffrey had never once allowed a single photo of us on display.

He said he didn't like putting his private life out where people could see it, and he hated the idea of the place looking as tacky as a photo studio.

He just didn't want a photo of me.

"Who are you? Why are you wandering into Mr. Gilbert's office?"

A woman's voice came from behind me.

I turned around.

A girl in a business suit stood in the doorway, two cups of coffee in her hands.

She was very pretty, with soft features, exactly the girl from the photo.

Eugenia Fox.

Jeffrey's junior from college. She'd started at headquarters half a month ago, as his personal assistant.

"I'm from admin at the branch. Christina Henson. I'm here to drop off some documents for Mr. Gilbert."

My eyes went to the hand holding the coffee.

Around her wrist, the silver couple's bracelet swayed a little with her movements.

Eugenia followed my gaze down to her own wrist, and the corner of her mouth curved into the faintest hint of a smile.

"So you're Christina. He's mentioned you to me."

She came in and set the two cups on the low table.

"He said things haven't been easy for you, out on your own. So he took you in, out of kindness, and let you stay at his place."

I stood where I was, and something in my chest gave a sharp, sudden ache.

So that was how he described me to Eugenia.

No wonder she didn't make a scene.

Because Jeffrey had given her every reason not to. He'd even given her a public name, out there on his social media.

In her eyes, I was nothing but a parasite living off a man's charity.

The office door opened again.

Jeffrey walked in with a few reports in hand.

When he saw me, he faltered for a beat, then his expression smoothed back into something natural.

"Christina, you brought it over?" He walked around to sit behind his desk and flipped open the folder I'd delivered.

"Mm." I nodded.

Eugenia picked up a cup of coffee and went to his side.

"Here's your Americano. This lady just brought the documents by. I saw you were still in your meeting, so I let her in first."

Jeffrey took the coffee and drank.

"Thanks for the trouble." He looked at me, his tone all business. "The reports are fine. You can head back to work."

He didn't introduce me to Eugenia.

In his telling, I was just an ordinary subordinate dropping off documents.

"All right." I didn't call it out, and I didn't make a scene.

I looked at the two of them.

A handsome man, a lovely woman. A perfectly matched pair.

"Understood." I pulled my gaze away and walked out.

The moment the elevator doors closed, I took out my phone and opened the apartment-rental app.

3: 3

By ten o'clock, Jeffrey still wasn't home.

A few cardboard boxes sat scattered across the living room.

Four years. I'd assumed there would be a lot to pack.

But once I actually started, I saw how little of it was mine.

More than half the closet was Jeffrey's custom suits and dress shirts.

The bathroom counter held the men's skincare he always used.

Even in the shoe cabinet, my shoes took up only a small corner at the very bottom.

I folded the few things I wore most and laid them in my suitcase.

Everything else was what Jeffrey had bought for me.

Expensive bags. Heels that never fit.

I packed it all into boxes and stacked them by the door.

The keypad lock beeped.

Jeffrey pushed the door open, carrying a faint smell of liquor.

He frowned at the boxes on the floor.

"It's the middle of the night. What are you fussing with?"

He crossed to the couch and sat down, rubbing at the space between his brows.

"Just packing up things I don't use." I ran tape across a box to seal it.

Jeffrey didn't question it.

Eyes closed, he said, "Pour me some hangover broth. My stomach's off."

I stood and went to the kitchen and poured a cup of warm water.

Before, whenever he went out drinking, I'd have the hangover broth ready ahead of time.

But tonight there was nothing.

I handed him the cup.

Jeffrey took a sip, and his frown deepened.

"Why isn't this the broth?"

"It's late. I didn't go buy the ingredients." My voice was flat.

Jeffrey opened his eyes and looked at me for a few seconds.

"Are you still angry about this morning?"

He set the cup down, caught my wrist, and pulled me down onto his lap.

"Genie just started. There's a lot she doesn't understand. As her senior and her boss, it's only right that I look out for her a little more."

"You've always been someone who sees the big picture. Don't nitpick over something this small, all right?"

I looked at his face, so close to mine.

I'd loved this face for four years, once believing that if I was only understanding enough, one day I'd finally thaw his heart.

Now I could see it. He'd given that heart to someone else.

"I'm not angry." I gently freed my hand from his and stood up.

"It's late. Go take your shower."

Jeffrey stared at his empty palm, stunned for a moment.

But he didn't press it. "I knew you'd be the sensible one."

He got up, walked to the bathroom door, then seemed to remember something.

"Oh, right. This weekend I've got a business trip to Lakeport. About three days."

"Genie's coming along. She's never traveled far, so tomorrow put together a list of things she should keep in mind for the trip and send it to her."

He seemed to think that as long as he called it work, I was obligated to accept it without a word.

"Okay." I nodded, without a moment's hesitation.

Jeffrey went into the bathroom.

I picked up my phone and opened Eugenia's work account.

I sent her a detailed travel guide for Lakeport.

I'd marked every restaurant and sight perfect for a couple to check off.

Once it was sent, I tossed the phone onto the couch.

I turned and walked out to the balcony, pushing the window open to let air in.

The truth was, I didn't like woody scents.

I liked citrus. Fresh and clean.

But Jeffrey said citrus was cheap and beneath his standing.

So over these four years, I'd even switched my body wash to the brand he chose.

I looked down at my hands.

From all the housework, the edges of my nails had gone rough.

Jeffrey had never once noticed those details.

The sound of running water stopped.

Jeffrey came out toweling his hair and saw me still standing on the balcony.

"Why aren't you in bed?" He came over and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, his warm breath spilling against the side of my neck.

"Once this stretch is over, I'll take some vacation days and bring you to see the ocean."

"No need." I calmly pushed his arms away.

"It's turning cold lately. Get some rest."

Jeffrey's arms froze in midair.

He watched me walk toward the bedroom, and something like irritation flickered in his eyes.

But he said nothing. He only closed the balcony door.

4: 4

Friday afternoon, Jeffrey left for Lakeport right on schedule.

Not long after he was gone, Eugenia updated her social media.

【First business trip ever, and I've got company. Talk about feeling safe.】

The photo was of a business-class seat on the express train.

At the edge of the frame, you could just see Jeffrey's watch.

I tapped the like button.

HR had already approved my resignation.

I set my badge and my keycard on the desk.

From the office I went back to the apartment.

I called for a courier and shipped every packed box to the place I'd just rented.

A whole section of the apartment stood empty.

I wiped down every corner of it, making sure I'd left no trace of myself behind.

At eight that night, Jeffrey called.

"Did you send the report? Genie says she couldn't find it in my inbox." There was an edge of displeasure in his voice.

"It's on the cloud drive. You know the password." I held the phone against my shoulder and packed the last coat into my suitcase.

"Right, found it." His voice softened a little.

"Have you eaten?" he asked, offhand.

"I have." I zipped the suitcase shut.

"Genie's stomach isn't handling the new place well. She's got her heart set on the crab-filled dumplings from that shop on the South Side. Go buy two boxes tomorrow and overnight them with cold-chain shipping."

He arranged it the way he'd assign a task to an employee.

That shop on the South Side had a daily limit.

To get any, you had to line up at five in the morning.

I once stood in line three hours for a single box of them, in the dead of winter, ten below.

He took one bite, complained it tasted too fishy, and threw the whole thing straight in the trash.

"Okay." I looked at the empty living room, my voice so light it carried no weight at all.

Jeffrey seemed pleased with how obedient I was.

"Good girl. I'll bring you a present when I'm back."

The call ended.

I wheeled the suitcase to the entryway.

Out of my bag I took the keys and a printed copy of the down-payment transfer record from years ago.

On it I'd written: 【Consider the down payment four years' rent. We're even.】

I set them together on the entry cabinet.

I'd paid part of the down payment on this place too, but the deed had only his name on it.

Now I didn't even want that money back.

The phone screen lit up again. A message from Jeffrey.

【Genie says those crab dumplings have to be eaten hot, so once you buy them tomorrow, just take the express train and bring them over yourself. I'll reimburse the ticket.】

I looked at the message and laughed softly.

【Jeffrey, let's break up.】

The moment I sent it, I blocked him.