Chapter 3
That night, I erased every trace of having lived here.
To my surprise, Adrian came home.
When he saw that I was actually about to leave, his expression turned cold. "That's enough.
"If you can't handle it, take a couple of days off to cool down. But come back soon. The firm is swamped right now."
He looked around the empty house, and for once, he actually seemed irritated.
He said, "Where's all the stuff I gave you? Aren't you old enough to stop being so petty?
"I've come back, haven't I?
"This is your gift."
He tossed a necklace on the table like he was throwing food to a stray dog.
There was no jewelry box, not even a bag. It looked like something Delaney had tossed aside, a hand-me-down.
Why even bother?
I still ignored him.
Adrian rubbed his temples, putting on the look that said, "I'm only doing this for your own good."
He scoffed, "Seriously, look at yourself. You're acting like a jealous wife.
"Since you're so busy, you can skip the next two cases. Delaney will take over.
"She just joined the firm and needs to prove herself. You never cared about appearances. You're only here because of me. Delaney is different. She's actually trying to build something for herself.
"If you don't say anything, I'll assume you agree."
He didn't even give me a chance to speak.
Even the little bit of patience he had was for Delaney to get ahead.
Wow, what a stand-up guy.
"So all those sleepless nights, all my hard work, and my whole career get tossed aside because you want your darling Delaney to use me as the stepping stone?" I asked.
I locked eyes with him, holding on to the last bit of hope I had left.
Adrian let out a cold laugh, showing no guilt at all.
He sneered, "Your so-called career? Isn't it following me around? You call that hard work? All you do is gather paperwork. Anyone can do that. You actually call it a career?
"If Delaney hadn't started later than you, she'd already be doing better. I honestly don't know how you can say that with a straight face.
"If you're so worried about that bonus, I'll cover it for you."
He acted like he was above it all, looking down on me and my work.
Even the little bit of love I still had for him was crushed.
"Alright, that's alright," I replied, too tired to argue anymore.
Adrian seemed surprised, his eyes widening as he looked at me suspiciously.
"You're really agreeing to this? You're not secretly plotting against Delaney, are you?" he asked.
I looked at him, my expression saying, "Or else what?"
His tense expression softened, and he spoke more gently.
"Relax. Once Delaney's better, I'll come back. The divorce is only a formality to keep her happy," he said.
But this time, I was done waiting for him.
Before I could explain myself, Delaney called again.
She was crying uncontrollably, as if her whole world had fallen apart.
Adrian panicked. He didn't even bother to change his shoes and rushed to the door.
Before leaving, for once, he turned back to look at me. "Is there anything you want to say?"
I shook my head. "No, go ahead to see to her."
He smiled immediately. "Delaney and I are just friends. You know that. She's sick and wants to talk about the past. Don't worry. Once she's stable, I'll come back.
"Gloria, you've really been through a lot these years. Once Delaney's better, I'll treat you right, and we'll finally live the way we should."
With those words, he dashed out, chasing after the woman he truly loved.
*****
That night, I scrolled through my feed and saw Delaney's latest post.
The photos showed her and Adrian staring into each other's eyes, holding each other tight, almost kissing.
So this was his idea of friendship with a girl and the way to help her feel better. Well, that was new.
What got me the most was that Delaney tagged me. It was captioned: [Adrian says once you let go of the wrong person, you'll finally find the right one. I'm so lucky that he found me.]
Adrian posted right after her. His caption read: [You're the only one who makes my heart skip a beat.]
After posting, Adrian actually messaged me to explain. [Don't misunderstand. I'm only doing this because Delaney's depressed.]
I couldn't tell if he really thought I was that stupid, or if he actually believed I'd stick around and let him treat me like a doormat forever.
Honestly, how stupid could he be?
The next day, I got in the car that my professor sent for me.
On the way, I snapped a picture of the view outside, copying their style, and made a post. "Divorced. Quit my job. From now on, I'll only love myself. No looking back."
I made sure to tag both of them.
Then my phone was taken away.
I was finally leaving it all behind.