I didn’t let her finish, I felt like I was going to be sick.
“I can’t believe you’d think that,” I said, my voice cracking under the weight of it.“That you’d believethemover me.That you didn’t even ask.You didn't come to me first, before assuming.”I swallowed hard, forcing the lump in my throat down.“Thank you for the opportunity to work here, Abby.My notice period is complete.”
And with that, I grabbed my things and walked out.I could hear them talking in the background, but I couldn't make out the words.
I felt like my breath was coming too fast, and the cold was choking, clawing at my throat with each struggling inhale.
The drive back to my apartment blurred past in muted streaks of gray and white, the cold leeching through the windows, my fingers locked tight around the steering wheel.By the time I got home, I was numb.
The silence of my apartment pressed in on me, but at least it was mine.I dropped my bag, locked the door behind me, and slid down to the floor until my knees hit my chest.
I didn’t know how long I sat there before the sobs came, rough and silent, until I had nothing left in me but exhaustion.
Eventually, I pulled myself together enough to grab my phone and call home.
“Hey,” I said when Mom answered, my voice raw and shaky.“I’m moving back sooner than planned.When can someone bring a truck?”
Chapter 26
??Content Warning
This chapter contains emotional manipulation, obsessive behaviour, physical aggression, and an attempted sexual assault.It may be triggering for some readers.Please take care of yourself and skip this chapter if needed.
I woke before my alarm, the weight of everything from the last few days already pressing down on my chest.I didn’t want to think about yesterday, Abby’s suspicion, the way she hadn’t even asked before assuming, the whispers that followed me everywhere now, but it clung to me like smoke.
Today wasn’t about that.Today was about leaving this place behind.
I wanted distance.Space.Silence.
By the time I’d finished my first cup of coffee, Chase called, his voice groggy but steady.
“Hey, I’m grabbing breakfast sandwiches and coffee.I’ll be there soon.Need me to bring anything else?”
I swallowed hard, glancing around at the mess of half-packed boxes, bags scattered across the floor, and piles of my life stacked in uneven towers.“No,” I said, forcing brightness I didn’t feel.“Just you.”
“You got it, Cass,” he said softly.
I hung up and went back to packing, folding sweaters into boxes, breaking down shelves, my mind ping-ponging between memories.This apartment had been mine, my little sanctuary, but now all I saw were ghosts.
Andrew laughing on the couch, sprawled out like he owned the place.
Andrew cooking breakfast barefoot, pretending this was our life.
Andrew’s hands, his promises, his lies.
My chest tightened, but I kept moving.I couldn't stop now.I needed out..
A buzz broke the silence.My phone lit up with Reggie’s name.
Reggie:I’m so sorry, Cassidy.About yesterday.About Abby.I didn’t know she felt that way.It has never been a problem before.Can you please stop by so we can all talk this out?
My fingers hovered over the screen before I finally typed back:
You didn’t do anything wrong.You are not the one who should be reaching out to fix this.I am going home.I only stayed because Abby asked for a favour, as a friend.And that is no longer true.
I set the phone face down and went back to work, shoving memories into boxes as if I could pack them away too.
I was barefoot, hair in a messy bun, moving between stacks of my life when the knock came.
