Chapter 2

Back at the apartment, I started packing.

Six years of living together, and the things that were actually mine came to pitifully little.

I had just slipped the couple's ring off my finger when Aaron came home.

He glanced at the suitcase I'd already packed and said, offhand,

"All packed? We'll move to a hotel tomorrow."

Confused, I asked, "Why?"

Aaron wore the look of a man stating the obvious.

"Regina just got back to the country. She's not used to hotels, and this place is in a good location. Let her stay here for now."

It came back to me then. At dinner tonight, Regina had in fact mentioned she wanted to crash at a friend's place for a few days.

I hadn't expected Aaron to agree to it outright.

Once, I would have wallowed in the hurt, gnawing at myself over it.

But right now, nothing in me stirred.

I gave a slight tug at the corner of my mouth. "No need to wait for tomorrow. I'll go to the hotel tonight."

Seeing me so easygoing about it put him at ease, and at the same time stirred a rare flicker of guilt.

"Lo, I'm sorry to put you through this. Text me once you've booked the hotel. I'll get Regina settled and come find you."

I didn't answer. I wheeled my suitcase out and left on my own.

I didn't send Aaron the hotel address.

He didn't reach out to me either.

It wasn't until early the next morning that I got his text.

"Regina was scared on her own, so I made do on the couch for the night. Don't go imagining things."

I didn't reply. I dropped my phone into my bag.

The truth was, I'd slept just fine last night.

The moment I got to the office, a few of the younger women crowded around me.

"Lois, we hear they're deciding the design director today. Congratulations early. That job's yours and no one else's!"

I was about to tell them I'd already submitted my resignation when Aaron walked in with Regina.

"This is Regina Fox. She's just back from studying abroad, and as of today she's the company's new design director."

The words had barely landed before the room erupted.

"Someone with no work experience at all, how is she supposed to handle director?"

"By seniority and by ability, we all think Lois is the better fit for the position."

Aaron slammed his hand down on the desk, his voice cold.

"Anyone who wants to question my decision can go to HR right now and collect their final paycheck!"

The room went dead silent.

Aaron walked over to me, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Lois, you've got plenty of experience. For the time being, I want you assisting Director Fox properly."

I agreed to it calmly.

One more week of grinding it out and I'd be gone anyway.

After a full day of Regina picking at my work and ordering me around, I finally made it to the end of the day.

I walked out of the building, worn out, just as Aaron's car pulled out of the garage.

As it passed me, I saw Regina clearly in the passenger seat.

Nearby, coworkers were whispering.

"Mr. Stephens and the new Director Fox aren't just colleagues, are they."

"Obviously not. He's driving her around himself. This is heading straight for going public!"

For eight years, Aaron had deliberately kept his distance from me in public.

To keep coworkers from getting suspicious, he wouldn't let me ride in his car even in wind or rain.

But now, he came and went from the company with Regina, playing favorites without the slightest concealment, letting the gossip spread as it pleased.

So it wasn't that he worried a public relationship would hurt his future after all.

He refused to go public only because the girlfriend was me.