Chapter 3

That night, Charles didn't come home.

Chloe shared a post on her feed.

Her new place was overflowing with flowers, and Charles had his sleeves rolled up, assembling furniture for her.

She was grinning from ear to ear.

[First night in the new apartment. With the handyman around, there's nothing to be afraid of.]

I stared at the screen for a few seconds, then turned off my phone.

The next day, I went to the company.

I used to be one of the founders here.

When I was trying to get pregnant, I gradually stepped back from management.

Charles always said my spot would always be here.

When I got to the door of my old office, I almost didn't recognize it.

The nameplate now had Chloe's name on it.

The assistant saw me and jumped up, looking nervous.

"Ms. Lane, Mr. Rivers said Ms. Ashford has a lot of projects lately, so she's using your office for now," she explained.

I pushed the door open. Everything that used to be mine was gone.

The photo of my father and me on the wall was missing.

That was taken the first year the company was founded. My father was sick, but he pushed himself to come to the celebration.

A few months later, he passed away.

That photo was the only thing that kept me at the company.

I spun around and asked, "Where's the photo?"

The assistant's face went pale. "Ms. Ashford said it looked old, so she tossed it out yesterday."

I stormed into Charles's office.

He was hunched over, helping Chloe tweak a proposal.

Chloe was perched on the arm of his chair, glued to his side.

I shoved the door open. "Charles, where's my photo?"

Chloe jumped to her feet, looking hurt and pitiful.

Charles's brows furrowed. "Can't you knock before barging in?"

I hit the ceiling instantly. "I'm asking you. Where's my father's photo?"

Chloe bit her lip and said, "Evelyn, please don't be mad. The frame was all banged up, so I thought it was trash and had the cleaners throw it out."

"Who told you to touch it?" I yelled, lunging at her.

"Evelyn!" Charles grabbed my wrist to stop me.

I fought to break free, shaking with rage. "That was the last photo my father ever left me."

Chloe's tears spilled over.

"I didn't know it was that important. Let me get you a new one, okay?" she sobbed.

That hit me like a punch to the gut.

I raised my hand, but Charles jumped in front of her.

I slapped him hard across the face.

The office went dead silent.

Charles's head snapped to the side.

"Are you done?" he said, his face dark and menacing.

"Not yet!" My eyes burned with tears.

"Charles, this office is mine. Kick her out," I said.

Chloe was sobbing, her shoulders shaking.

Charles shielded her behind him, his eyes cold.

"This is a workplace, not a place for you to throw tantrums," he said.

I let out an angry laugh. "So what?"

"Chloe's handling important clients now. She needs this office," he said.

I stared at his cheek, still red from my slap, and my heart went completely cold.

"And what about me?" I said.

Charles stayed silent.

That silence was all the answer I needed.

I nodded. "Fine."

Since there was no place for me here anymore, I'd reclaim everything that was mine.

I didn't lay all my cards on the table right away.

After leaving the company, I contacted a lawyer I hadn't seen in years.

All these years, Charles ran the company, and I never checked the books or touched my own shares.

I used to think that being too calculative between husband and wife would only hurt the relationship.

Only then did I realize I was never the one who destroyed what we had first.

After hearing me out, the lawyer said, "You have a stake in the company. You don't owe anyone an apology for taking back what's yours."

My chest felt heavy.

Turns out, the thing I'd become best at over the years was apologizing.