Chapter 4
Nathan was still seething with anger.
Marcus, guilt washing over his face, stepped between us and softened his tone just a notch.
“Drop it. I snapped–my bad. Don’t sweat it. I’ll bring back that chestnut cake you love when I get
home.”
“Just promise me one thing–stop giving Amber a hard time.”
A slap in the face, followed by the offer of dessert. Classic.
Except he’d forgotten one tiny detail.
My stomach condition. The one that made chestnut cake impossible for me to eat.
There was a time when Marcus had fired chef after chef, dissatisfied with how they handled my dietary restrictions.
He’d stayed up late for weeks, researching medical journals, creating a special meal plan just for me.
Nathan had made himself my personal health cop, practically breathing down my neck during every meal to make sure I didn’t cheat the diet.
Now, they couldn’t even remember.
A gust of cold air hit me, and I felt the chill spread from my chest to my fingertips like ice water in my veins.
I trembled violently, suddenly aware I was still in damp clothes. Fever was definitely coming on.
As I stood there shivering, Nathan deliberately knocked into my shoulder as he passed.
“Such a drama queen,” he muttered.
My legs finally gave out, and I collapsed face–first into the mud.
Marcus looked back, a flicker of something–regret? concern?-crossing his face.
17:21
Clannad To
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Chapter 4
But in the end, he chose his side. The brothers flanked Amber like bodyguards and walked away.
After what felt like an eternity, I dragged myself out and called an ambulance.
The ER doctor took one look at me and exploded.
“Are you kidding me? You were discharged three days ago!”
“Do you know what your boby looks like right now? What are you trying to do–kill yourself?”
I kept my mouth shut and nodded through his lecture, accepting my sentence of observation for several more days.
Only when my fever completely broke did they finally kicked me out of the hospital, but not before 1 got an earful about taking care of myself.
Time is running out. I had to speed up my plan.
I returned to the company to process my resignation and say goodbye to the few friends I had there.
Only to discover Amber had fired every single person I was close to.
The remaining staff scattered when I walked in, avoiding eye contact.
After waiting in the lobby for four hours, a receptionist finally informed me that Marcus had taken Amber on a “business trip.”
The three of them had gone to the coastal town I’d talked about loving since childhood.
They were visiting all the places on my travel bucket list–the ones I’d never had time to see.
I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow even to my own ears, and dropped my resignation letter into the
trash.
I’d been stressing over how to explain myself, worrying about how to break the news. Turns out,
nobody was even looking for me.
Now, I only needed to say goodbye to Mrs. Blackwood.
Then I can walk away without a single regret.
17:21
