Chapter 2

On the other end of the line, I could practically hear Jax's grin.

He offered to help me move, but I refused.

If Asher saw him, Jax would probably put him in the hospital. I didn't need the extra drama.

I still had the apartment on the west side. Once this month's bonus cleared, the final mortgage payment would be gone.

I'd finally have a home of my own.

The thought lifted a weight I hadn't fully acknowledged.

The doorbell rang. Assuming it was the movers, I opened the door.

It was Asher.

I was startled for a moment, wondering if I was imagining things.

Last year, my appendicitis flared up. I was home alone, pain so sharp I nearly blacked out. I called him, voice trembling, begging him to take me to the hospital.

His tone was ice. "I'm at work, Harper. You're an adult. Figure it out. Call 911."

But last week, when Chloe at the office yelped after spilling warm water on her leg, he scooped her up in front of everyone and drove her to the ER himself.

He never left work early, unless it was for Chloe. She was the only one who could break his rules.

I never thought I'd be lucky enough to make him break his rule for me.

He scanned my packed luggage, a hint of something resembling panic escaping in his voice.

"What are you doing?! What's this all about? Are you deliberately saying 'break up' to force me to back down?"

"Didn't I text you an explanation? Those are Chloe's. She accidentally left them at our place. She got caught in a downpour that day, and I told her to come up for a hot tea. Her stockings happened to get torn, so she changed into fresh clothes at our place before she left."

I narrowed my eyes, replaying his words in my mind.

That was the week before last when I was on a business trip. I was abroad for a deal, and on my way back, I ran into a massive storm. I asked Asher to pick me up.

He said he was working late at the office and was too busy, telling me to take a taxi home.

When I got back, I saw the unfinished ginger tea on the coffee table. I'd thought he'd prepared it specially for me. Turns out, I was just getting leftovers.

Perhaps recalling that incident, Asher's face looked a little uneasy.

"Don't overthink it."

I shook my head, my expression calm.

"I'm not overthinking anything. It doesn't matter anymore."

Asher looked at me strangely, staring for a long time.

After a moment, his voice was hoarse, tinged with a testing quality.

"Why aren't you angry?"

So, he knew I'd been angry before.

But he never cared.

Instead, he always scolded me, called me petty, said I saw dirt everywhere.

I was about to tell him I was moving out.

Then Asher's phone rang.

Chloe was on the other end, sniffling and crying, claiming someone had bullied her.

Asher glared at me, his eyes blazing, and sneered.

"So this is what you were waiting for. Harper, you're quite cunning."

Before I could even process what was happening, Asher grabbed my wrist with a strong grip and practically dragged me into the car.

Inside the car, there was a faint scent of women's perfume.

It was similar to Chloe's.

A plush bunny charm hung from the rearview mirror-just like Chloe's SnapChat avatar.

After I started working at Asher's company, I never rode in his car again. He said he was afraid people at work would gossip, which was also why we kept our relationship under wraps.

The areas I was no longer allowed to tread had long since been occupied by someone else.

There was no longer that familiar ache in my heart, just a grim sense of "I knew it."

As soon as we arrived at the company, Asher roughly pulled me out of the car.

My heel caught, and I stumbled to the ground.

He acted as if he didn't even see it, letting out a scoff.

"What are you trying to pull?"

He grabbed the back of my collar with one hand and dragged me into the company like a piece of trash.