Chapter 3
Mike asked, "Ms. Hartley, are we heading back to the office?"
The sky outside felt oppressively dark.
I looked away from the window and said, "Yeah."
The voices I'd overheard through the office door faded away in the car.
"She always acts like she's better than everyone else. Having Alice around during night shifts makes everything feel way lighter." Caleb's words echoed in my mind.
In the dim light, my phone screen suddenly lit up on the coffee table.
The faint buzz of a notification filled the silence of the room.
A message from Caleb popped up. [Just landed. Taking a cab back.]
Back then, at this hour, there'd always be his favorite pot of slow-cooked clam chowder simmering on the stove.
I'd always get changed early, making sure I looked my best.
Standing in front of the mirror, I'd fuss over every little wrinkle, making sure everything was perfect.
I'd always check his flight schedule, then head to the airport parking lot to wait for him so he wouldn't have to wait a second.
Now, the cold blue glow of the screen washed over my fingertips.
I typed a single reply: [Okay.]
I set my phone screen-down on the table.
The living room slipped back into darkness once more.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, Ostville's neon lights blurred into a hazy glow.
The kitchen counter was cold and empty.
There wasn't a trace of warmth or life in the place.
All those butterflies I'd felt every time we met over the past four years were gone.
They'd completely disappeared the moment I stepped into that office, thick with the scent of cheap perfume.
The front door swung open.
Cold hallway light spilled in through the crack.
Caleb's shadow cast long across the floor.
He parked his suitcase by the door.
His eyes drifted past the shoe cabinet, landing on my silhouette, slumped in the shadows of the couch.
"Why aren't the lights on?" he asked. His voice carried through the spacious living room, with a hint of dryness.
I didn't say a word and got up to grab his coat for him like I used to.
I stood up and said, "I'm exhausted from staring at spreadsheets all day."
I kept walking, heading straight for the master bedroom without a second glance.
"Alright, I'll take a shower." He paused for a moment, his tone steady and unruffled.
The sound of running water faded away.
The steamy scent of shower gel lingered in the bedding.
The mattress dipped slightly beside me.
An arm slipped around my waist from behind, familiar and practiced.
Caleb's chin rested in the curve of my shoulder. His warmth bled through the thin fabric, wrapping me up.
He was trying to erase the tension from our blow-up earlier, using this quiet, intimate closeness.
My back was pressed up against his chest.
The moment our skin touched, my muscles tensed before I could even help it.
I edged away, just a little. But his arm around my waist suddenly tightened, pulling me tight against him.
"Maeve," he murmured. His warm breath brushed against my ear. "Go hand in your resignation next week. Come to Yronbert. Let's finally end this long-distance thing."
The street outside blurred into a stream of light. The tension in my neck finally eased. But there were no tears, not like I thought there would be.
With just a hug, Caleb was so sure I'd give up everything I'd worked for to be with him.
He was so sure that since I wasn't like Alice, shivering in that oversized blazer, I didn't even need to be respected as his equal.
His voice came back to me in the dark, low and bitter.
"Four years of long-distance. She thinks it's all about what she's given up, but for me, it just feels like she's always looking down on me."
"All you ever do is show off your money and act like you're better than everyone else. Is that all you know how to do?"
I grabbed his wrist, still locked around my waist.
I tightened my grip. One by one, I pried his fingers off me.
Caleb stiffened for a moment.
His arm hovered in midair, not reaching for me again.
I rolled over and met his gaze in the dim light spilling in from outside.
"I just got settled into my new role as regional director. Why would I quit?" I asked.
His brows knitted together.
He lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He said, "Come to Yronbert. I'll take care of you. Take off those designer clothes, let go of all those suffocating rules. Can't we live like regular people for a change?
"Wouldn't it be better if we just lived like normal people?"
Normal people. In his eyes, all the achievements I'd worked myself to the bone for were just an unforgivable display of privilege.
Caleb never wanted a partner who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
What he really wanted was someone weak, someone who'd look up to him, live off whatever scraps he threw her way, to stroke his ego.
I threw off the covers.
My bare feet hit the cold wooden floor, and the chill seeped right up through my feet.
I opened the closet and grabbed a spare blanket.
Caleb's voice finally wavered, surprise breaking through. "Where are you going?"
I hugged the blanket to my chest and walked toward the bedroom door. I didn't stop.
"Caleb, I'm not quitting," I said.
The guest room door clicked shut behind me.
It cut off every last bit of light from the living room.
The bedspread smelled damp, like it hadn't seen the sun in ages.
Outside, the neon lights slowly faded, blending into the gray of early morning.
I pushed the door open.