Chapter 4

The day before I left, I carried my resignation letter into Adrian's office.

A crowd of employees had gathered outside.

When they saw me, they studied me with open contempt.

I pushed through and found Serena sitting inside, wiping away tears.

Adrian walked straight toward me, disappointment written across his face.

"How much do you hate Serena that you'd frame her like this?"

I stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Serena raised a file so everyone could see it.

She looked at me, weeping with delicate, practiced tears.

"The evidence I spent weeks collecting was altered overnight. The court ruled against our client, and I may even lose my license..."

No one else questioned the accusation.

Organizing case files was part of my job, which supposedly made me the person best positioned to tamper with them.

"I didn't do it!"

I looked directly at Adrian. "You believe this too?"

He stared at me with disgust and disappointment.

"I wondered why you were so quiet last night instead of crying or causing a scene. So this was what you were planning?

"You know how hard Serena worked to become an attorney. Are you trying to destroy her life?"

In that instant, I understood.

He would rather make me accept responsibility than risk Serena losing her law license.

Even though I had done nothing.

It felt as though a hole had been torn through my chest and filled with freezing wind.

Adrian personally assembled the disciplinary complaint and civil filings.

He accused me of altering evidence, inflicting massive losses on the client, and deliberately sabotaging Serena's professional reputation.

Any one of those allegations could have ended my career.

After the hearing, the license I had spent three years earning was revoked.

It meant no reputable law firm would ever hire me again.

I walked out of the courthouse in a daze while Serena's social media page overflowed with cheerful updates.

To improve her mood, Adrian took her overseas for a week.

Every place they tagged held a memory that once belonged to Adrian and me.

When I returned to clear my desk, everyone watched me with contempt.

Only Serena smiled at me with the confidence of a victor.

When Adrian brought me the termination letter, guilt flickered in his eyes.

"Maybe it's better if you stop working at the firm. You were always exhausted anyway.

"If you truly want a job, a friend's company needs a receptionist. You present yourself well, so I can recommend you."

He stepped forward as if to help with my boxes.

I pushed him away, lifted the carton against my chest, and walked out without looking back.

In the cab to the airport, I rejected every call he made.

Seconds before my flight took off, I sent him one message.

"Adrian, it's over. We're done."

Then I blocked every way he had to contact me.

That evening, Adrian reserved a table for two at our favorite French restaurant.

He was about to call Evelyn when a message appeared on his screen.

After reading it, he swayed and dropped the phone.