Chapter 2

First thing the next morning, I packed all my documents and headed straight to the office.

The glass door of the HR department shimmered under the harsh fluorescent lights.

When I pushed it open, Valerie Sterling was leaning against a desk, her bright red nails tapping impatiently on a document.

She was in a tight black dress today, making the executive badge pinned to her chest gleam like a taunt.

“Well, well, if it isn't our dear Assistant Celeste.”

She savored the word 'assistant,' dragging it out with mocking emphasis.

“Early bird, huh? Coming in to quit?”

Manager Thompson, the HR manager, stood by awkwardly, her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

I calmly placed my resignation letter on the table, my voice flat.

“That's right. Please process it as quickly as possible.”

Valerie suddenly reached out, pressing down on the document.

“What’s the rush?”

She leaned in, her perfume so cloying, it made my temples throb.

“You know, Derek worked late at my place last night.”

She suggestively traced the red mark on her neck, her voice dripping with venom.

“Ah, to be young and full of stamina.”

I dug my nails into my palms, the sharp pain a desperate anchor.

Just then, the office door burst open, and Derek stormed in, cradling a stack of files.

“Valerie, your reports.”

His words died in his throat.

Three pairs of eyes locked, and the air crackled with tension.

Derek's tie was crooked, and there was still an unsmudged lipstick print on his collar.

He visibly flinched, his composure shattering the moment he saw me.

“Celeste? What are you doing here?”

“Just need to handle something with Valerie.”

My voice was laced with ice, as if I were speaking to an enemy.

“You certainly seem to appreciate how she ‘handles things,’ don't you?”

Valerie suddenly laughed. She playfully patted Derek's shoulder.

“Your girlfriend is hilarious.”

She turned to me, a sneer on her face.

“Celeste, a poor student like you won’t find another job after leaving here.”

“Right, our future Director Miller?”

Derek just stood there, his lips twitching, but he eventually just lowered his head, pretending to sort a stack of papers that were already perfectly aligned.

That simple action was a sharper dagger than any words he could have spoken.

I snatched up my signed resignation, glancing at Derek one last time before turning to leave.

“You know what? When I was packing yesterday, I found that necklace you gave me.”

He suddenly looked up, and I let out a light, mocking laugh.

“It's fake.”

As I walked out of the office building, the sky was a suffocating grey, pressing down on the city.

I took a deep breath and called Dad.

“Dad, I quit. I'm coming home tomorrow.”

On the other end, Dad's voice was filled with relief.

“Good, I'm glad you're coming home.”

Hanging up, I glanced back at the office building where I'd worked for three years, a chilling emptiness in my heart.

The fluorescent light in the tiny apartment buzzed, casting a sickly greenish-white glow.

Derek chased me through the door as I was zipping up the last of my sweaters in my suitcase.

“Celeste, don’t do this!”

He grabbed my wrist, his voice laced with pure panic.

“Valerie and I really have nothing going on. She’s just… she's just very friendly.”

I yanked my hand away and pulled a velvet box from the drawer.

Inside lay *the* “gold” necklace he'd saved three months' salary for.

I tossed it into the trash can right in front of him, the sharp clink of metal against plastic echoing like a final judgment.

“Friendly enough to leave hickeys on your neck? Friendly enough for you to wear the *same* shirt for three days?”

I pointed to the clothes drying on the balcony, then closed my eyes, my voice filled with anguish.

“Derek, every single day when I washed your clothes, all I could smell was *her* perfume!”

His face instantly went ashen. He lunged, grabbing my hand again.

“Let me explain.”

“Explain what?”

I scoffed, shaking him off.

“Explain how you told Valerie in the conference room that I was ugly and poor?”

“Or explain how you sold your dignity just to get a promotion?”

Outside, a sudden downpour started, raindrops slamming against the glass like countless tiny, mocking slaps.

Derek slumped onto the edge of the bed, water dripping from his hair onto the floor, each drop a tiny accusation.

“I know I'm not good enough for you, but this promotion is really important to me.”

“How else am I supposed to marry you if I don’t get a higher position?”

He said this with a pathetic sadness etched on his face, but his eyes... they held a chilling mix of threat and calculation.

My heart felt like it was being gnawed by a thousand tiny insects, a creeping, unbearable pain.

I zipped up my suitcase. The harsh zipper sound was like the final nail in the coffin.

“Whatever you say.”

With that, I turned and walked toward the door.

“Where are you going?”

He suddenly stood up, blocking the doorway, not wanting me to leave.

“Business trip.”

“Company arranged it last minute, just for a week.”

I gave him a casual excuse, but inwardly, I scoffed.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but eventually just sighed.

“Then be careful, come back soon.”

I didn't answer, pulling my suitcase out of the shared apartment.