When I finished work, I was emotionally exhausted, every part of me drained. Even though we had stayed at Reid’s house far more often than mine these past months, there were stillreminders of him when I walked into my house, like the sweater I’d stolen the last time he’d been here. And the toothbrush he kept in the bathroom.
Seeing them, I couldn’t help but wonder what he had done today besides arranging for the gift I’d dumped in the trash before going into my bedroom to wash my face and change into something comfortable. It was Saturday, but sometimes he went into the office over the weekend. At least he hadn’t shown up in person. Getting the gift had been hard enough. I definitely wasn’t ready to see him.
Eventually, I wandered back into the kitchen. My gaze immediately landed on the trash can, and I stared at it for several seconds. “Dammit.”
Crouching down, I dug through it to pull out the note. I kept thinking about the words he had written all day.
I desperately wanted to believe that he really meant it. That he was ready to listen.
I stared down at his handwriting and hated how much four short lines could still affect me. But I wasn’t sure if it would serve as a reminder of what I’d lost or a beacon of hope that we’d find our way back to each other.
I slid down to the floor beside the couch, my back pressed against its side, and clutched the note tightly to my chest. I’d thought I was all cried out, but the tears came again.
I had wanted this weeks ago. Not perfection or a grand gesture. Just for him to listen. To actually hear me when I told him something was hurting me. And now all I could do was grieve the relationship I thought we were going to have.
10
REID
With a full calendar, I had no choice but to return to the office on Monday morning. It had only been three days since Lila had walked out, but the building felt different as I walked through the lobby. The atmosphere was almost heavier somehow.
Dozens of unread emails filled my inbox. I’d only been here for fifteen minutes, but several associates lingered just outside my door, waiting for a chance to catch me between tasks. My phone buzzed with messages and calendar reminders.
I looked around my office with new eyes. For the first time, I truly saw how much of my attention and energy I had poured into work above everything else.
I used to walk in here and feel in control. Today, it felt like sitting in the middle of the thing I’d let consume my life. My partnership was part of why I had minimized Lila’s feelings. I had put work before her without even realizing how much space the firm was taking from us.
My eyes landed on the framed photo of us. I stared at it for a long moment, the ache in my chest deepening.
Then the door opened without a knock, and Kaylee walked in carrying a cup of coffee.
“Here you go.” She set it on the desk in front of me, then perched on the edge of my desk, crossing her legs and smiling. “Figured you might need this since Monday mornings can be rough.”
I saw the whole interaction with fresh eyes—the easy assumption that she could walk in unannounced and insert herself into my morning. I only had the casual familiarity I had allowed to become normal to blame for it.
Lila hadn’t been overreacting. I had just kept dismissing what was right in front of me.
Then another uncomfortable realization settled over me. Other employees were noticing too. I caught my assistant glancing into the office with a slightly awkward expression as she walked past. Marcus paused outside my door before quickly moving on.
It seemed as though everyone had seen what was going on except me. My discomfort grew as I realized how deliberately blind I’d been.
“Kaylee, I’d prefer you didn’t sit there,” I muttered. “I have work to do.”
She blinked, clearly caught off guard, then slid off the edge and stood. “Are you okay?”
I didn’t answer her question. Instead, I picked up the coffee cup and held it out to her. “And I don’t need this.”
“Umm, sorry. I was just trying to do something nice for you.” She took the coffee from me, shifting her weight awkwardly.
I didn’t let her discomfiture stop me from saying what needed to be said. “Kaylee, moving forward, you will no longer be assigned directly to me. Responsibilities are being redistributed among the team. All communication from now on needs to remain strictly professional.”
She let out a startled laugh, clearly expecting me to be joking. When I didn’t smile back, her expression faltered.
“That doesn’t make any sense. What changed between now and Friday?” She shook her head, her brows drawing together. “We literally just had a celebratory lunch with Ryder. You told me I did a great job. And now I’m not working with you anymore?”
Ignoring her questions, I continued, “You’ll hear from someone with HR today about your new assignment.”
“Wait, is this because of your fiancée?” she asked, planting her free hand on her hip. “Did she get the wrong idea about us? Because sometimes people read more into things than they should, but I was only joking around when I called myself your work wife. It wasn’t anything serious.”
