The company group chat was buzzing.
“Hey, look! That travel blogger account I follow just posted a new video. Ms. Cole and Assistant Shaw were caught in the background!”
“Wow, Ms. Cole has great taste. That island’s been on my bucket list for years—it’s so romantic.”
“No wonder she didn’t answer my calls or messages. There’s barely any signal out there.”
“Working in a place that beautiful? Who would even want to?”
“But wait… what about the client meeting today?”
“Isn’t Daniel around? Or did he die?”
Right on cue, Tessa chimed in.
“Daniel already resigned,” she wrote.
And then came the flood.
“Ugh. Ugly inside and out.”
“He must’ve been so jealous of Ms. Cole and Assistant Shaw that he couldn’t take it anymore.”
“Daniel, if you’re reading this—I despise you.”
I just smiled and quietly left the group.
Let them talk. Let them insult me. Say I’m petty, that I’ve lost it, that I’m acting out. It doesn’t matter anymore. As long as I’m free of their voices, they can say whatever they like.
But barely a moment passed before my phone rang again.
Brittany.
“Daniel, log in already!”
Brittany was never one for studying, but she was hopelessly addicted to online games. And Vanessa, ever the puppet master, had once insisted I play with her—didn’t matter if I was tired, busy, or sick. She didn’t want me around when she was with Julian, so she made sure I was occupied.
To be a good partner, I forced myself to learn. Practiced day and night, became a top-tier player, carried Brittany through ranked matches. But no matter what I did, I never earned anyone’s respect.
“Also,” Brittany added, “swing by the house. The TV’s broken again. My dad said you should come fix it.”
Of course. Even though he could afford five new ones, Vanessa’s father always made me repair things. He’d sip tea while I sweated and struggled. Maybe watching me serve their family made him feel powerful.
I said, “You called the wrong number.”
There was a beat of silence.
Then Brittany snapped, “Wow, Daniel, you’ve grown wings now? Forgetting how thick the sky is and how deep the earth runs?”
“Call Julian instead,” I replied calmly.
“Julian is on a romantic date with my sister,” she scoffed. “Only a clown like you has time for errands.”
“My time belongs to me. Not your Cole family.”
Brittany’s voice rose. “Don’t force me, Daniel. I’ll make my sister divorce you!”
I chuckled. “No need. I already filed. Be sure to remind her to sign.”
