Chapter 4

A suffocating pressure tightened around my chest. I let out a soft laugh.

Right in front of their eyes, I tossed the gift box directly into the trash can.

"I don't want the gift."

"I don't want the keys."

Then, I looked between Chloe and Damon.

"And I don't want either of you."

I reached for the doorknob, ready to walk out.

Chloe looked like she was about to snap. She chased after me, shouting into the hallway:

"Sean! What more do you want from us?!"

"We're practically begging you! Isn't that enough?!"

I looked back at her, my eyes dead and devoid of warmth.

I was too drained to say another word. I turned and walked away.

After that day, neither Chloe nor Damon reached out to me. No calls, no texts.

In the group chat, they continued chatting as if nothing had happened, though they never mentioned my name, and I never sent another text.

We existed in this bizarre, chilling silence.

Two weeks later, my resignation took effect. I cleared my desk, completed my exit paperwork, and prepared to head straight to the airport.

Lake Tahoe. I could go there by myself just fine.

As I walked out of the office building, I saw Chloe and Damon waiting by the entrance.

I glanced at them, pulled out my phone to call an Uber, and pretended they didn't exist.

They rushed straight toward me.

Chloe opened her mouth, her voice dripping with accusations:

"Sean, don't you think you're crossing the line?"

"Just because we had a fight, you're retaliating against Damon at his job? Call the vendor right now and tell them to drop the formal complaint against him!"

Damon broke down in tears, reaching out frantically:

"Sean, I'm sorry! It took everything I had to get this job. Please, just let me off the hook!"

"If that vendor keeps pushing the complaint, HR is going to fire me!"

I looked at both of them with complete detachment.

"I didn't tell anyone to file a complaint. When you screw up at work, I shouldn't be the one constantly cleaning up your mess. If you made a mistake, go fix it. Go apologize to the client. Crying to me won't do a damn thing."

Hearing this, Damon became even more hysterical.

He lunged forward, grabbing my coat, attempting to drop to his knees on the pavement.

"Sean, I get it now! I understand!"

"I'll make it up to you! I'll apologize! I'll get on my knees right here, okay?! Just let me keep my job! I promise I'll never talk to Chloe again! But I can't lose this job, I have nowhere else to go!"

Chloe grabbed him, trying to pull him up, the two of them tangled in a messy struggle.

Once Damon was back on his feet, Chloe glared at me with pure venom.

"Sean, haven't you had enough?! Do you really need to see us groveling on our knees before you're satisfied?! Fix Damon’s problem right now, apologize properly, and we can still move forward with the wedding."

"Otherwise, I'm not marrying you!"

A genuine smile spread across my face.

"Then don't."

My Uber pulled up. I opened the door, slid into the backseat, and watched the car pull away into traffic.

In the rearview mirror, Chloe stood frozen, as if she couldn't process that I had actually walked away.

She frantically reached for her phone, but Damon grabbed her arm, stopping her.

They began arguing and pulling at each other on the sidewalk.

I looked away.

There was no pain left in my chest. Only pure, sweet relief.

A few minutes later, Chloe sent a barrage of texts.

*[Where did you go?]*

*[Damon won't stop crying. His situation isn't fixed! Where the hell are you?!]*

*[Sean, stop acting like a spoiled brat. We both need to cool off. I'm coming over to your apartment tonight!]*

My apartment?

Good luck finding me there.

I smirked, slipped my phone into my pocket, and didn't bother replying.

Once I boarded the plane and took my seat, Chloe's call lit up my screen.

She probably just found out the apartment was empty.

I declined the call. Snapping a photo of the airplane wing slicing through the clouds, I posted it to my Instagram Story:

*[Chloe and I are officially over. Wishing her the best.]*

Then, I flipped my phone to airplane mode.

It didn't matter anymore.

A relationship meant for two was far too crowded for three.

From this moment on, I was walking my path alone.

***