Chapter 3
"Of course I remembered." Adrian grabbed my wrist. "Izzy, finish your promotion pitch first. We'll sort out the move after you get your results.
"If you really want to keep working, we'll figure it out."
I stared at the glowing laptop screen.
Five years ago, on the day we got married, he held my hand exactly like this, swearing he would never make me give up a career I loved.
It was the same promise, just with a new loophole attached.
Yet, some stupid part of me still wanted to believe him.
*****
The next day after work, he picked me up right on time.
The restaurant was quiet, and he even put his phone on Do Not Disturb.
Once the food arrived, he pulled out an old photo album packed with pictures of us over the years.
"Once I'm set up over there, I'll fly back once a week. It won't mess with your promotion. Please, stop acting like this is the end of us," Adrian said.
"What about Clara?" I asked.
"She has her own life. We're coworkers."
I shut the album. "Then she doesn't set foot in our new place, and she stops speaking for me. I won't put up with it."
Adrian looked at me for a long moment.
"I won't."
That one word broke through the walls I had been putting up all week.
Right as the waiter brought out dessert, Adrian's phone lit up. Clara had called four times before texting a photo of a hospital bill.
He grabbed his coat. "Her dad was admitted, and she's by herself. I need to go. Finish your dinner, I'll pick you up after."
"But today's our anniversary," I said softly.
His hand paused on the back of his chair. "Her dad covered for me during a massive audit when I was a junior associate.
"I owe him. Iris, don't make me choose."
But he already had.
Clara's father had saved Adrian's career when he was at rock bottom, which was exactly why he let Clara cross every boundary.
Every time she needed something, he felt obligated to pay off an endless debt.
I tossed my napkin on the table. "If you walk out that door, we're separating."
"Don't back me into a corner." He zipped his jacket. "Calm down. I'll be back as soon as I handle this."
That dessert sat untouched until they closed the restaurant.
*****
The next day, Sophia called.
She said, "Mr. Vance is in the hospital. It's only right Adrian goes. If you can't handle a tiny bump like this, how is your marriage going to work?"
"Clara has a brother and plenty of family. Why did Adrian have to sit by the bed all night?" I shot back.
"They had his back when he needed it. You can't just enjoy the paycheck and then ban him from returning a favor."
After I hung up, a notification popped up in the department Slack channel.
The dinner meant to celebrate my promotion had been hijacked into a farewell party for Adrian and Clara.
Same place, same time, they had even taken over the reservation I made.
Adrian showed up to grab me that evening, holding a bouquet. "I was wrong last night.
"Mr. Vance is totally fine. I also set boundaries with Clara. She won't be moving in with us."
I took the flowers, my fingers brushing the card tucked inside.
It read: [Best of luck to Clara.]
When he saw the handwriting, his expression froze.
"My assistant mixed up the cards. I'll get you a new one," he explained.
"Don't bother," I replied.
Even the apology was an afterthought, bought in the same transaction as Clara's gift.
At the dinner, Clara handed me a gift bag in front of the whole team. "Iris, this is a promotion gift from all of us. And thank you for being so supportive of the move."
I didn't take it.
"I never agreed to that," I said, keeping my tone steady.
Adrian set the bag on the table in front of me. "It's just a nice gesture, let it go. Once this party is over, we'll go do our own celebration."
"I'm not moving, and I'm not quitting my job."
"Iris," his voice dropped. "Don't do this in front of my coworkers."
I stood up. "Then we'll talk at home. We're separating. For the next three years, you can do whatever you want."
He didn't follow me. He just signaled the waiter to shut the door.
"She's been super stressed about her promotion pitch. Just ignore it," Adrian said, trying to smooth things over.
Clara stared at me. "HR is hosting a relocation briefing next week. You should come. We can hash this out in person so Adrian isn't stuck in the middle."
Sophia nodded. "Bring your two weeks' notice. Stop stalling."
Everyone was staring at me.
Adrian slid the dependent visa form across the table, tapping the blank signature line.
"You need to be there next week," he said. "Whether you sign this or not, we are ending this conversation."
"Fine, I'll go." I stared him down. "But you won't like how it ends."
When we got home, for the first time, he didn't argue.
That night, he sliced open the moving boxes, put all my files back on my desk, and ripped my printed resignation letter in half.
He said, "You don't have to quit. If you hate the corporate housing, we'll rent our own place. Clara won't come near it. Izzy, I don't want to lose you over this."
I stared at the shredded paper, completely numb.
He crouched down, peeling a stray piece of packing tape off my shoe. "I know it's not about the job. It's about me not asking you first. I'll fix it."
It was the first time he actually understood why I was so angry.
I reached out and ran my fingers through his hair. "Adrian, can we really fix this?"
"We can." He wrapped his arms around my waist. "As long as you come with me, everything else is negotiable."
I closed my eyes.
It still came with strings attached, but insanely enough, I wanted to give our five-year marriage one last shot.
The relocation briefing was held in the main conference room.
Sophia sat up front, holding Clara's coat. Adrian saved me a seat next to him, with a fresh coffee and my stomach meds waiting on the desk.
He squeezed my hand. "We'll grab lunch after this. No work talk, just us."
The HR rep started running through the logistics.
When they reached the slide on trailing spouses, my name popped up on the projector.
Right next to it, the slide noted I had already filed my resignation and would be joining him next month.
I turned to Adrian.
"What's this?" I asked.
"It's just admin stuff. We had to put it in the system to lock down the corporate housing. We can cancel the resignation later," he replied.
The HR rep spoke into the mic. "We'd like to thank Ms. Iris Sinclair for stepping away from her career to support her husband's overseas assignment."
Applause filled the room.
Clara smiled at me from across the aisle.
Sophia leaned over, lowering her voice. "It's already in the system. Don't embarrass him in front of the executives."
I checked my phone. A text from my manager, Juliet Mercer, was sitting on my home screen.
[Your promotion application was withdrawn per your request. The spot went to someone else this afternoon.]
I shoved the screen in Adrian's face.
"Who did this?" I asked.