Chapter 3

I wanted to say something, but my lips were so dry that they felt glued shut.

I could only hear Lexie struggling to speak, "H-How could you do that kind of part-time gig?

"I saw the nickname Eddie gave you, and he noted that you came over to his place late at night without charging..."

The lunch break was quiet.

Her voice echoed through the silent office.

Some colleagues in the break room shifted in their seats.

My throat tightened.

Behind me, I heard my boss's voice near the elevator as a group of people approached.

He flattered, "Mr. Ford, what a surprise to see you here."

"I'm here to see my fiancée," Eddie said, his voice tinged with a distinguished air.

Before I could react, Lexie stepped forward and slapped me hard across the face.

As I winced in pain, she smashed a file folder into my nose.

I covered my face, the pain so sharp that I couldn't help but cry out.

The cleaner gasped in shock.

Lexie, sobbing, rushed into Eddie's arms at the door.

She cried, "What took you so long? She wouldn't leave, and she said I only got this job because of my connections to you..."

Eddie sounded flustered.

He comforted her in a gentle, soothing voice.

Last night, he was behind me, his hand resting on my waist.

Now, he stood behind me, soothing his fiancée and demanding that my boss explain himself.

I touched the blood on my face.

Tears blurred with blood, staining my shirt.

The cleaner pressed a wad of tissues into my hand.

She wrapped them around my face. "Is your face ruined?"

The voices of the two behind me were getting closer and closer.

With my face a wreck, I hunched over, trying to slip out of the office.

Eddie's voice was icy.

There was a sharp anger simmering beneath his words.

He snapped, "Mr. Brown, what's going on with this employee?"

I was blocked, and Eddie made me lift my head. "You had the guts to bully my fiancée, but now you can't face me to apologize?"

Gemma rushed over.

She stepped in front of me, shielding me. "Sorry, Mr. Ford. Andie just broke up with her boyfriend.

"She's not feeling great lately, so her emotions have been all over the place. Your fiancée is a woman too, so I hope you can understand where we're coming from."

"Andie?" Eddie echoed, his tone sharp.

Eddie repeated the name, "Andie," as he stepped closer, wanting to check my name tag.

But Lexie threw a little tantrum in his arms and stomped her foot.

"Eddie, if you don't fix this mess in the office, I'm not going to try on wedding dresses this afternoon," she pouted.

Eddie couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, you decide how you want to handle it," he said.

"Fire her," Lexie said.

The air was thick with silence.

Lexie rubbed her eyes, quietly crying. "She's got brand-name stuff on.

"She's probably rich or something. Make her get a new job. Problem solved.

"When I was job hunting, girls like her always pushed me around. Are you going to side with an outsider and let her walk all over me?"

I was wearing the birthday gift Eddie gave me.

I wanted to speak up for myself.

But Eddie smiled and agreed.

"Mr. Brown, handle it however my fiancée wants," he said.

Gemma, standing behind me, looked like she wanted to say something.

But I tugged at her hand and shook my head.

The blood on my face had dried, cold and sticky against my skin.

My heart felt numb, like all hope had burned out.

My voice was so hoarse and shaky that I barely recognized it as my own.

"Fine, I'll leave," I said.

Hearing my voice, Eddie stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Stop right there."

After sharing a bed with him for over a year, even last night, when I begged him to stop, my voice was as hoarse.

I thought he had recognized me.

I froze, not knowing what to do.

Eddie's voice came from behind, casual and almost dismissive.

"You haven't apologized. I always stand up for my people," he said.

So, he still didn't recognize me.

I smiled wryly at myself.

I turned around, lowered my head, and mumbled, "I'm sorry."

I wanted to say sorry to myself for ending up with the wrong guy.

I owed myself an apology.

I told myself to bear with it for the time being.

I couldn't risk throwing away five years of hard work because I was angry or wanted to feel better for a moment.

I'd already lost my love.

I couldn't afford to lose my job and paycheck, too.

Eddie, still holding Lexie, glanced back as he walked into the office, trying to get a better look at the employee who'd caused trouble.

'What was Andrea wearing this morning?' He wondered. 'I think it was a shirt too.'

But the girl with her face buried in her hands, hair all messy, had her shirt smeared with blood.

Lexie threw her arm around Eddie's.

Eddie turned back to look at Lexie, the girl he'd been waiting for all these years.

She was always kind and never complained, no matter how tough things got.

As he kissed Lexie, Eddie narrowed his eyes, looking out at the scenery outside the window.

Suddenly, he froze.

This view looked familiar to him.

He wondered if someone had sent him a picture of this before.

He wanted to know if that was me, the one he used to date.

"I'm about to get promoted. When that happens, I've got a wish I want to make."

A bubbly, excited voice kept replaying in his head, along with the feeling of lips on his cheek.

Eddie felt a sudden, unsettling loss of control. He reached for his phone, wanting to check a photo, but the feeling only grew stronger.

Abruptly, he pushed the girl out of his arms and asked, "What was that employee's name again?"