He stood there completely self-righteous, as if I were the one being unreasonable.
I didn't argue.
“I'm not hungry. You eat.”
I turned back to packing my clothes.
Before, something like this would have sent me into a fight. I would have yelled, cried, demanded to know who he actually put first.
But now, all I felt was exhaustion.
The bone-deep exhaustion of fighting over someone who was never really mine.
Garrett watched my calm back and sensed, vaguely, that something was off.
“What are you doing? Packing a suitcase in the middle of the night?”
“Going back home in a few days.” I didn't turn around.
“Still throwing a tantrum?” He let out a cold laugh.
“Fine. You want to go sulk at your parents' place for a few days, go ahead.”
“The company's slammed right now anyway. Leonora can't handle everything on her own, so I won't have time to come get you.”
“Whenever you're done with this little act, you can come back on your own.”
He finished talking, slammed the bedroom door, and went to take a shower.
I folded the last coat and placed it in the suitcase.
Listening to the rush of water from the bathroom, I pulled out my phone.
I opened the realtor's text thread.
“Mr. Wang, that condo under my name. At the floor price you quoted, I can sign the transfer contract tomorrow.”
That was the apartment I'd bought with my parents' retirement savings back when Garrett was first starting the company.
I was letting it go overnight.
Every last thread tying me to him. I didn't want a single one left.
The next day, I went to the office as usual to finish my handover.
The entire planning department knew I'd blown up at Garrett the day before. The atmosphere was strange.
I had just finished organizing the files for my key client accounts.
That's when Leonora walked in with Garrett's secretary.
“Jocelyn, Garrett said you should hand over the ‘Grandview Corporation’ account to me.”
She was wearing a Chanel tweed jacket today, and my gold bracelet still glinted on her wrist, impossible to miss.
I looked up at her.
“The ‘Grandview’ account is one I've been building for six months. We're about to close. You just came off probation. You can't handle it.”
“Is Jocelyn doubting my abilities, or just reluctant to give up the commission?” Leonora covered her mouth with a soft laugh.
“This was personally authorized by Mr. Whitmore.”
The secretary placed a document in front of me.
Garrett's bold, sweeping signature sat at the bottom：Approved for transfer.
I stared at that signature and felt a wave of bitter amusement.
Garrett wasn't just taking my heart. He was taking every ounce of work I'd poured in and laying it at Leonora's feet like a stepping stone.
I said nothing more. I signed the handover form without hesitation.
“Take it.”
Leonora scooped up the files, triumphant.
“Thanks, Jocelyn. Garrett was right. You've got a temper, but when it really counts, you know how to be sensible.”
“Oh, and Garrett wants me to take over your private office. He said I'll need a better workspace now that I'm handling the major accounts.”
She pointed at the personal items on my desk.
“Jocelyn, if you could clear all this out today, that'd be great.”
Coworkers clustered outside the door, whispering.
Everyone thought Garrett had gone too far.
Kicking out the fiancée who'd helped him build everything from nothing, replacing her with a fresh college grad.
I picked up the photo of Garrett and me from my desk.
It was from the first year of the startup. The two of us in a rented basement, eating instant noodles, grinning at the camera.
In the photo, his smile was so genuine. He'd promised to build me a home.
I slid the photo out of its frame and fed it into the shredder beside me.
“Click.” It came out the other side in ribbons.
Leonora flinched.
