Chapter 5

After a long silence, Dominic cursed under his breath.

He kicked the door open and ran out into the hallway.

But I was already gone.

His friends, realizing things had gone too far, muttered cautiously, "Hey, Dominic... should I go cruise around and bring her back?"

Dominic stared into the empty, dark hallway, a sudden tightness squeezing his chest.

He hadn't expected me to actually have the nerve to leave.

But his ego quickly took over. He let out a cold laugh. "Don't bother. She'll be begging to come back in three days."

"Besides, she has to show up at the office tomorrow anyway."

While I was checking into a hotel, Chloe sent me an audio recording of that exact conversation.

Her text message was dripping with malice.

"If you actually have some pride, don't ever come back."

"But we both know you won't. You love Dominic’s money and status too much to let go. Even if nobody wants you here, you’ll crawl back like a desperate dog."

I knew she was trying to get under my skin. She wanted me to disappear so she could take my place.

It was almost funny. I wanted to tell her she didn't need to try so hard.

Instead, I blocked her number.

Then, I opened my chat with Dominic and sent him a simple text.

"We are done. Do not contact me again."

After sending it, I shut off my phone and called an Uber to meet Ethan.

Ethan was waiting for me. He looked sharp, wearing a tailored suit. He stared at me for a few seconds before stepping forward and pulling me into a tight hug.

"It's been so long, Hazel. I missed you so much."

I hugged him back, burying my face in his shoulder.

"I missed you too."

Ethan’s main headquarters was in San Francisco. We had flights booked for tonight.

But first, I needed to drop off my signed resignation letter at Dominic's office. Once that was done, Ethan took me to our old college campus for a walk.

Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Dominic woke up with a brutal hangover and saw my text.

He scoffed, tossing his phone onto the bed. "Oh, please. She thinks a breakup text is going to scare me into chasing her?"

His friends, who were still crashed on his couch, laughed.

"Hazel sent that?"

"Obviously! She just wants you to go play her little games. Girls always do this."

The tension in Dominic’s chest eased. He smirked, looking smug. "Maybe I'll call her when I'm in a better mood. Once I—"

BBefore he could finish his sentence, one of his friends gasped, staring at his phone.

"Wait... isn't this Hazel's ex? Why is she posting photos with him?"