Chapter 2

All the sweet promises he used to whisper to me were dead.

The tenderness in his eyes belonged to someone else now.

As they left, I caught the whispers from the employees behind me.

"Why is Adrian so close to that assistant? Isn't he marrying Miss Evelyn soon?"

"Can you blame him? Who could stand Miss Evelyn's temper? That assistant is so much sweeter."

"But the whole town knows about the engagement settlement. The Carters announced they'd merge their textile mill with the Mercers' business as a wedding gift."

"If Adrian backs out now, the Carters are going to be humiliated."

Even the bystanders saw it clearly.

I refused to believe Adrian was blind to it.

He just didn't care. His heart had already checked out.

Fine.

I walked straight into the factory manager Ben Walker's office and handed in my resignation. I was done with Mercer Hardware Works.

On my way down the stairwell, I heard voices echoing from behind the heavy fire door.

Through the narrow glass panel, I saw Lily pressed against Adrian's chest, looking up at him with pure adoration.

And the way Adrian looked back at her was anything but professional.

Lily tilted her chin up, her lips parting slightly.

Adrian's eyes dropped to her mouth.

A shred of sanity seemed to hit him, and he gently pushed her back.

"Lily, we can't. We..."

Before he could finish, Lily surged forward and kissed him.

For a split second, Adrian stood rigid.

Then, his hands went to her waist, and he kissed her back.

They devoured each other like they had been starving for years, finally letting the leash off their suppressed feelings.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself. I just love you so much."

"I wish I'd met you first."

"Lily, I..."

I didn't need to hear the rest.

I looked down at the ring on my finger.

Adrian had custom-made it for me when he was eighteen.

It meant absolutely nothing now.

I slid the ring off and dropped it into the trash can by the stairs.

The metal door swung open.

I turned and locked eyes with Adrian. He looked furious.

"Did you just hand your resignation to Ben?"

I gave him a flat look and started walking down the stairs.

Adrian chased after me.

"You know the factory is expanding right now! Where am I supposed to find a replacement before the end of the year?"

"You have Lily. Give her my spot."

He had spent months bragging about how capable she was.

Perfect time to prove it.

A flash of guilt crossed Adrian's face before he hardened his jaw.

"Lily is great, but the factory needs you."

"Are you seriously still throwing a tantrum? Evelyn, I'm only marrying her to get her out of a bad situation. Once she's safe, I'm divorcing her. I swear."

I was so sick of that line.

I pushed through the exit doors, picking up my pace.

Adrian stayed right on my heels, but I reached my car first and yanked the door open.

Before he could grab my arm, I started the engine.

His voice carried over the roar of the exhaust:

"Fine! Walk away! But do you really think your family's mill is going to survive without me?"

My parents had broken their backs for that mill.

Now that they were older and their health was fading, the factory had been struggling.

Adrian knew that. He had been using it to step on me for months.

But he seemed to have forgotten one crucial detail: I was the heir to Carter Textile Mill.

When Mercer Hardware Works was on the verge of bankruptcy years ago, it was my involvement that pulled them out of the gutter.

Once I took over their operations, managing orders and coordinating production lines, I was so busy keeping his family afloat that we barely saw each other.

That was when the distance between us really started.

Chapter 2

All the sweet promises he used to whisper to me were dead.

The tenderness in his eyes belonged to someone else now.

As they left, I caught the whispers from the employees behind me.

"Why is Adrian so close to that assistant? Isn't he marrying Miss Evelyn soon?"

"Can you blame him? Who could stand Miss Evelyn's temper? That assistant is so much sweeter."

"But the whole town knows about the engagement settlement. The Carters announced they'd merge their textile mill with the Mercers' business as a wedding gift."

"If Adrian backs out now, the Carters are going to be humiliated."

Even the bystanders saw it clearly.

I refused to believe Adrian was blind to it.

He just didn't care. His heart had already checked out.

Fine.

I walked straight into the factory manager Ben Walker's office and handed in my resignation. I was done with Mercer Hardware Works.

On my way down the stairwell, I heard voices echoing from behind the heavy fire door.

Through the narrow glass panel, I saw Lily pressed against Adrian's chest, looking up at him with pure adoration.

And the way Adrian looked back at her was anything but professional.

Lily tilted her chin up, her lips parting slightly.

Adrian's eyes dropped to her mouth.

A shred of sanity seemed to hit him, and he gently pushed her back.

"Lily, we can't. We..."

Before he could finish, Lily surged forward and kissed him.

For a split second, Adrian stood rigid.

Then, his hands went to her waist, and he kissed her back.

They devoured each other like they had been starving for years, finally letting the leash off their suppressed feelings.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself. I just love you so much."

"I wish I'd met you first."

"Lily, I..."

I didn't need to hear the rest.

I looked down at the ring on my finger.

Adrian had custom-made it for me when he was eighteen.

It meant absolutely nothing now.

I slid the ring off and dropped it into the trash can by the stairs.

The metal door swung open.

I turned and locked eyes with Adrian. He looked furious.

"Did you just hand your resignation to Ben?"

I gave him a flat look and started walking down the stairs.

Adrian chased after me.

"You know the factory is expanding right now! Where am I supposed to find a replacement before the end of the year?"

"You have Lily. Give her my spot."

He had spent months bragging about how capable she was.

Perfect time to prove it.

A flash of guilt crossed Adrian's face before he hardened his jaw.

"Lily is great, but the factory needs you."

"Are you seriously still throwing a tantrum? Evelyn, I'm only marrying her to get her out of a bad situation. Once she's safe, I'm divorcing her. I swear."

I was so sick of that line.

I pushed through the exit doors, picking up my pace.

Adrian stayed right on my heels, but I reached my car first and yanked the door open.

Before he could grab my arm, I started the engine.

His voice carried over the roar of the exhaust:

"Fine! Walk away! But do you really think your family's mill is going to survive without me?"

My parents had broken their backs for that mill.

Now that they were older and their health was fading, the factory had been struggling.

Adrian knew that. He had been using it to step on me for months.

But he seemed to have forgotten one crucial detail: I was the heir to Carter Textile Mill.

When Mercer Hardware Works was on the verge of bankruptcy years ago, it was my involvement that pulled them out of the gutter.

Once I took over their operations, managing orders and coordinating production lines, I was so busy keeping his family afloat that we barely saw each other.

That was when the distance between us really started.