“My mom got up before dawn to boil water. She slaughtered the hog we'd been raising for two years for the big holiday dinner.”
“You sat at the table, took one phone call, and left.”
“You told me the company servers had crashed.”
“So what really happened?”
I pointed at the bracelet on Leonora's wrist.
“A server crash required you to personally go put a bracelet on your female assistant?”
Garrett froze for a second, his gaze shifting away.
“Leonora was moving yesterday. She twisted her ankle and was crying alone in her apartment.”
“I went to help her deal with an emergency.”
“Your family can do the hog roast anytime. If nobody looked after Leonora with a sprained ankle, something could've gone really wrong.”
He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. My chest tightened until I could barely breathe.
I nodded.
“You're right.”
“So I won't hold you up from playing the hero anymore.”
I yanked my hand free.
Garrett stared at his empty palm. His expression darkened.
“Jocelyn, the handover takes three days. Use those three days to cool off.”
“After that, come back to work like a good girl, and I'll pretend today never happened.”
He was certain I couldn't leave him.
And why wouldn't he be? For five years I'd turned down offers from top firms to stand beside him, building his company from a busted garage into what it was now.
Every professional connection I had was tied up inside his business.
I didn't argue. I just bent down and picked up the box of personal belongings I'd dropped on the floor.
“Fine. I'll finish the handover.”
I held the box against my chest and walked toward the elevator.
Garrett stood where he was. He didn't come after me.
I heard Leonora's soft voice behind me：“Garrett, is Jocelyn really upset?”
Garrett let out a cold scoff.
“She's stubborn, but she knows what's good for her. She's just waiting for me to go coax her back.”
The elevator doors slid shut.
I took out my phone and rescheduled my train ticket home to three days later.
That evening, I went back to the condo Garrett and I shared.
My traces were everywhere. The succulents on the balcony. The matching mug set in the kitchen. The hand-stitched throw pillows on the couch.
I pulled out a large suitcase and began packing my things into it, one by one, in silence.
At ten thirty, the lock clicked open.
Garrett walked in reeking of liquor, a takeout container of congee dangling from one hand.
He didn't so much as glance at the suitcase on the floor. He set the congee on the dining table.
“Still mad?”
He came up behind me, reaching to wrap his arms around me out of habit.
I stepped aside.
His arms closed on nothing. He frowned.
“I went all the way across town to get you that scallop-shrimp-crab congee from your favorite place.”
“Come drink it while it's hot, and we'll put the whole thing behind us.”
His tone was generous, magnanimous, like he was granting me a way to step down gracefully.
I walked to the table and opened the container.
The thick, unmistakable smell of peanut butter hit me full in the face.
I looked up at him.
“Garrett, I'm allergic to peanuts.”
“Did you forget?”
Garrett went still. Something unnatural flickered across his face.
“I……I could've sworn you used to eat it.”
“That's Leonora. She's the one who likes peanut butter in her seafood congee.” I placed the lid back on, my voice even.
“This afternoon, I saw her post on the company group chat. She said she was sick and craving that special congee from the place across town.”
Caught dead to rights, Garrett's expression went cold.
“Jocelyn, are you addicted to checking up on me now?”
“Leonora had a rough day at the office. She didn't even eat dinner. I grabbed her a bowl on my way. Since when is that a capital crime?”
“I bought an extra one for you. Is that really worth making a federal case over?”
