Chapter 3

I didn't spare a second glance as I slipped into my car right after finishing my words.

That day, my phone wouldn't stop ringing with calls from our old college friends and from Brandon's colleagues at the law firm.

Some people told me, "You two have been through so much together. Now that things are finally getting better, don't throw it all away."

Others insisted, "There's really nothing between Brandon and Jayda. He respects her talent and looks out for the newbies. That's all."

My ears were about to fall off from all the advice. After work, my colleagues from the newspaper insisted on dragging me out for dinner.

When we got there, I realized Brandon and all our mutual friends were already there.

I figured I would clear the air in front of everyone that after tonight, Brandon and I were done for good.

But before I could say a word, Jayda burst in, looking flustered.

"Sorry, I'm late," she said, out of breath.

"Iris, I'm really sorry. I came here just to apologize. It's all my fault you and Mr. Caldwell ended up fighting," Jayda said, reaching for my hand.

I jerked my hand away without thinking.

Next thing I knew, she stumbled and fell back.

Before I could react, Brandon pushed me out of the way and caught Jayda securely in his arms.

I slammed into the edge of the table, sending a wine glass flying and shattering across the floor.

I fell onto the shards of glass, and a pool of blood spread beneath me.

Brandon turned around and saw me lying in a pool of blood, looking utterly miserable.

He froze for a moment, then quickly released Jayda from his arms and hurried over to help me up.

I bit back the pain, pushed him away, and struggled onto my feet.

Everyone's faces fell, and the whole room was awkward.

Brandon just stared at the floor and couldn't even look at me.

"Since everyone's here, I'll say it straight. Brandon and I are done. If you guys still wanna hang out, cool, we're still friends," I said.

I spun around and walked out. Brandon tried to come after me, but my coworkers stepped in and blocked him.

"I really thought you and Iris just had a misunderstanding, so I brought her here to hear you out. But you're just a complete asshole. Don't you dare go near Iris again," Kara Kim snapped.

She shot Brandon a nasty glare, then grabbed my arm and hustled me into a cab to get patched up at the hospital.

"I'm so sorry, Iris. I shouldn't have made that call without asking you first. You got hurt because of me," Kara said, her voice full of guilt.

I gave Kara's hand a gentle pat.

"It's not your fault. Honestly, I should thank you. You helped me finally let go," I said.

Kara and I joined the paper together that year. We were coworkers and friends, and I knew she truly cared about me.

What I said wasn't just to comfort her.

If I'd thought about breaking up with Brandon before, it was only because our relationship had lost its spark.

But today, it really hit me that Jayda was already more important to him than I was.

Ever since that night, I hadn't seen Brandon for ages.

I emailed him the divorce papers.

He'd read it, but never bothered to reply.

Later, a friend from the firm quietly told me that Brandon was on some extended leave. No one had a clue where he'd gone.

Since I was hurt, I couldn't go out chasing stories anymore.

So, the editor-in-chief let me fill in at the publishing department for the time being.

The last boss had already left for another job, and the new one was supposed to be some hotshot editor from a magazine. Our editor-in-chief had shelled out a ton of cash to bring him in.

On his first day, he called everyone in for a meeting. He looked like he was just over thirty.

"Damn, he's so hot. What a waste that he's not in Hollywood," one of the girls whispered.

"He's handsome, young, and talented. Bet he's got a girlfriend," another chimed in.

"Quit drooling. Even if he's single, he'd never go for you," someone else teased.

The girls in the office were all whispering, but when he cleared his throat, the room went dead silent.

"Hey everyone, I'm Damian Fuller. It's my first day here, so I hope you'll show me the ropes," he said.

His voice sounded strangely familiar, but I was pretty sure I'd never met him before. I figured it was probably just a coincidence.

For the next two weeks, I was stuck in the publishing department. Now and then, I'd bump into Damian, but we'd only exchange a polite greeting and move on.

It was the weekend, and I was just about to catch up on some sleep when a frantic knock at the door jolted me awake.

I opened the door and saw Brandon standing there. It had been over a month since I last saw him, and he looked like a completely different person.

His face, which used to be so handsome, was tanned and grimy, rough from the elements. He hadn't shaved in who knew how long, and his jacket was covered in mud.

When he saw me, Brandon started to reach for a hug, his eyes brightening up, but then he hesitated and stopped himself.

Brandon shifted nervously, his eyes searching my face.

"Iris, I messed up. This time, I truly know I was wrong," he said.

"This past month, I retraced every place we ever went together, and I finally realized you'd been part of my life," he said.

"Iris, it's all on me. Can you forgive me, just this once?" Brandon pleaded.

"I'll let Jayda go the moment I get back. I promise, I'll never have anything to do with her again," he added.

Brandon looked at me, his eyes desperate for an answer, hoping I'd say something. But it was already too late.