03
I held my gr(ound, my voice cold and unyielding. “I don’t want to waste another second on this ridiculous
relationship. It’s over.”
Outside, the sky was a dreary shade of gray and raindrops pattered steadily against the pavement I pulled my jacket closer, bracing myself against the chill as I left. I paused by the curb, debating whether to call Darrel, but against my better judgment, I dialed his number.
A soft, high–pitched voice answered on the second ring
“Oh, hello! You must be Mrs. Darrel,” she said in a voice dripping with false sweetness “Mr Darrel just finished helping me unpack and he’s a bit tired–he’s taking a bath right now. But if there’s anything you need to pass along. I’d be happy to help!”
My stomach twisted, a wave of nausea tightening my throat. Without a word, I hung up, fingers trembling as I set my phone down. I began searching for a cab, but before I could book one, a text message notification flashed across my screen.
“Mrs. Darrel, please don’t misunderstand my intentions or Master’s. I’m just a young girl struggling to get by and Sir Darrel has been kind enough to help me settle in. Once things are in order, I’ll make sure to clear up any confusion between us.”
Her words felt like a slap. I stared at the text until my phone screen went dark. The cold wind seemed to penetrate every layer, biting through my coat and freezing me to the core.
Was I truly alone in this?
I finally flagged down a cab and climbed in, pressing myself against the seat, feeling the exhaustion settle deep into my bones. I closed my eyes, seeking a momentary escape–just a second of peace.
Then my phone rang and Darrel’s name flashed on the screen. Against my better judgment, I picked up
“What were you thinking, Fionna?” Darrel snapped the moment the call connected. “Natalie is just my apprentice Do you really have to treat her like this? I’m just trying to help her settle in and you’re acting like some jealous tyrant! Don’t you have a heart?”
I clenched my jaw, gripping the phone tightly as I listened. In the background, I could hear Natalie’s soft, pitiful sobs.
“Fionna, I had no idea you could be this petty,” he continued, his tone growing harsher, “Just like that time I took you to the mountains to see the stars–you ran off, making a scene and nearly ruining everything! Why do to blow things up like this? What is it you want?”
you have
Natalie’s sobbing grew louder, her theatrics feeding his anger. Theld the phone away from my ear, letting his voice fade. She was practically orchestrating her performance, playing the part of the innocent girl in need of
rescue.
All this fuss for a man who wasn’t worth a second glance. Pathetic.
“Keep her out of my sight, Darrel,” I replied, my voice low but firm. “I’m done. I’m going home.”
Back at my apartment building, I was just about to head upstairs when I ran into one of Darrel’s former coworkers in the lobby Her eyes lit up when she saw me and she waved me over, brimming with excitement
“Fionnal Oh my goodness, congratulations!” she exclaimed, her voice bright with enthusiasm “If I’d known something this exciting was happening at the company, I’d have waited a little longer before laminatt.
I frowned, puzzled. “Congratulations… on what, exactly?”
She blinked in surprise, then gave a knowing smile as she pulled out her phone. “Oh, you haven’t seen it? Here, look!”
She thrust her phone toward me and there, splashed across the screen, was a series of photos of Darrel and Natalie. In one shot, he was holding a bouquet of flowers and smiling down at her as she looked up at him adoringly. Another showed him helping her rearrange furniture, his hands on her shoulders as she gazed at him with wide, doe–like eyes. Beneath the photos was a caption from Natalie:
“Every hardship I faced led me to meet Mr.Darrel. He says that as long as I have him, I won’t ever need a boyfriend.”
The comments beneath were nauseatingly sycophantic.
“Wow! Mr. Darrel is clearly smitten with her! Who’d be so sweet and dedicated to someone they weren’t head–over–heels for?”
“Guess those rumors about Darrel being distant with women were wrong–he just hadn’t found the right one! Lucky girl!”
I felt a sharp twist of pain in my chest as I stared at those photos, his arm around her, the way he looked at her so openly, so proudly. Every comment only confirmed what I’d long suspected but had been too afraid to admit.
In all those years, he’d never once made our relationship public. Never once had he looked at me that way.
