I took the package and opened it.
Inside was one of Barret's custom-tailored suits.
And a note that reeked of perfume.
"I had no idea you kept the clothes I gave you all this time. Thanks for spending the night with me the other day. You're so sweet."
The other day was my birthday.
I'd turned down Marcella Walker and the rest of my girlfriends for a night out. I'd bought all of Barret's favorite dishes and cooked an entire spread at home.
I waited for the birthday surprise he'd promised me.
Instead, I waited until midnight and got nothing but a phone call.
He said there was an emergency at the company. He wouldn't be back until the next day.
He swore up and down on the phone, apologizing, promising he'd make it up to me.
I believed him.
I even felt sorry for him, pulling an all-nighter at the office.
Turns out his "emergency" was spending the night with his college ex.
I looked up at the photo on the wall.
We'd taken it at the beach after we earned our first real profit from the company. In the picture, Barret was cupping my face in his hands, smiling at me like I was the only person in the world.
Tears slipped down from the corners of my eyes and splattered onto the back of my hand before I could stop them.
I ripped the photo off the wall.
The photo, the suit, the note. I shoved all of it into the trash.
The front door beeped with the sound of the keypad unlocking.
Barret walked in, propping up a pale-faced Queenie at his side.
The moment they stepped into the living room, they saw the mess on the floor and my packed suitcase.
"Maggie, what the hell is wrong with you?"
Barret let go of Queenie and strode toward me.
"Queenie just got back to the country. Her stomach condition flared up and she had no family around. I went to the hospital to look after her. What's the problem?"
"What, I'm not allowed to have a female friend after we get married?"
He pointed at me, his voice dripping with impatience.
"Your need to control everything is insane! You're completely unreasonable!"
Queenie tugged at his sleeve, her eyes rimmed red, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Barret, this is all my fault."
"Please don't fight because of me."
She turned to look at me, her voice small and wounded.
"Maggie, don't be angry with Barret. He runs the whole company every day. The pressure is enormous."
"If you love him, can't you be a little more understanding?"
"He didn't even eat a proper meal because he was taking care of me. It's all my fault."
"Why don't you go make him a bowl of noodles?"
As she spoke, she stumbled on purpose, letting her body fall against Barret.
"I'll leave right now. I'll never bother you two again."
"If you're upset, take it out on me. Yell at me, hit me, I don't care."
But for all her talk of leaving, she stayed pressed against Barret's chest, clinging to him like her life depended on it.
Barret looked at me with disappointment.
"Look at yourself. You don't have half the grace Queenie has!"
I looked at the two of them standing there together, grabbed the handle of my suitcase, and headed for the door.
"She's all yours."
Barret blocked the doorway in one step, a vein throbbing at his temple.
"Maggie! There's a limit to how childish you can be!"
"Are you done throwing your tantrum?"
"If you walk out that door today, don't ever think about coming back. You'll regret it!"
I looked at that familiar face of his.
"I won't."
I shoved past his shoulder and walked into the elevator without looking back.
Outside the building, Marcella's car was already parked at the curb.
She helped me stuff my luggage into the trunk.
The whole drive, she was so furious she kept smacking the steering wheel on my behalf.
"You had an offer from a top investment bank right out of college."
"For that loser Barret Henson, you stayed behind. You ate instant noodles with him for months, slept in a basement, and helped him build his company from nothing."
"You were so stupid!!"
