Chapter 2

I didn't step through that door. I turned around and left.

It took Ethan twenty minutes after I walked down the building to realize I was gone.

"Where did you go? Everyone is already seated."

"What's so urgent that you had to leave without saying a word?"

"Is this really over a pair of slippers?"

I didn't reply.

I just sat in the small 24-hour clinic, looking down at my foot.

Blood had soaked through the bandage, sending sharp, throbbing pain up my leg.

Three days ago, Ethan and I were inspecting a construction site when I tripped and fell into a pile of broken glass.

When I fell, he was the closest person to me in the entire group.

Yet, he didn't even stretch out a hand to help me up.

"If you need time off, you have to submit a formal request through HR."

That was the only thing he said to me that day.

Just like the past three years, he kept his distance in public, acting like we were nothing but professional colleagues.

But when Amber scratched her finger on a tiny wood splinter today...

The entire team stood there and watched him spend ten minutes cleaning and carefully bandaging her finger.

"Sweetheart, why are you crying?"

The doctor bandaging my foot looked at the tears streaming down my face and sighed.

"Did you get into a fight with your boyfriend?"

She glanced at my phone, which was constantly buzzing with incoming calls.

"It's okay. When one relationship ends, the next one is always better."

With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the bloody cotton swab into the trash can.

I forced back my tremors, wiped the tears from my face, and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

She was right.

This relationship was trash. It was time to throw it away.

I turned off my phone. I didn't turn it back on until I got home.

The moment the screen lit up, a dozen missed calls from Ethan popped up.

Right under them was Amber's latest Instagram post.

"Too drunk tonight, omg. Thanks to the best boss ever for taking care of me~"

She attached a dozen photos from the party.

And the last photo was of matching couples' toothbrushes in the bathroom.

"Oh my, what kind of boss is this attentive? He literally bought everything for our Amber!"

"The toothbrushes and the cups in the back are matching couples' sets. If this isn't planned, I don't know what is!"

The comment section was filled with coworkers teasing them.

Amber only replied to one comment:

"Don't talk nonsense, guys! Boss has a girlfriend!"

"What girlfriend? I've been at the company for years and I've never seen her!" someone immediately replied.

"Yeah, Ethan is the ultimate eligible bachelor. Amber, you have to lock him down!"

For all these years, Ethan's persona as a perfect, single eligible bachelor had never shown a single crack.

And I was tired of playing along with his act.

I double-tapped and liked Amber's post.

One minute later, Ethan called.

"Amber didn't mean anything by that post. She's young and outspoken. Don't take it to heart."

"I just bought those things on a whim to make her happy because she likes that style."

He immediately rushed into explanations.

Because she liked it, he allowed her to leave her mark all over his personal space.

But for me, he only had one excuse:

"There were too many people today. I had to avoid any gossip—"

"So I left," I interrupted him, my voice completely calm.

"My absence is the best way to avoid gossip, isn't it?"

There was a sudden silence on the other end.

"Chloe, there's no need to be so sarcastic."

"I've told you so many times, I'm doing this for both of our sakes—"

"Ethan, is the bath towel in the left cabinet?"

A sweet, dripping voice echoed in the background. Ethan hung up the phone instantly.

And I suddenly remembered the only time I stayed at his place. He had gone down to the convenience store to buy me a cheap, disposable towel.

I used it once and broke out in hives all over my body.

I laughed at the memory. No more hesitation. I dialed a number.

"Mr. Vance, about the job offer you extended to me last time... I've thought it over."

"I accept. I can start next week."