Chapter 3
A sharp pain shot through my chest, like something had stabbed me.
I never imagined Daniel would humiliate me like this.
Who did he think he was-some kind of king?
And I was what, his discarded queen?
Was he basically telling me we were over?
I stared at Daniel without blinking. His expression wavered, and he looked away first, clearly uncomfortable.
I knew he was thinking the same thing I was-about all those years we’d spent together, how we’d always
been there for each other, never hurting one another.
But this time, Daniel had really changed. His heart belonged entirely to Sophie now.
‘Sophie’s understanding-she won’t take it to heart. Just give her a simple apology and we can move past
this.”
With that one sentence, five years of trust and intimacy came crashing down.
shook my head calmly. “No way.”
Daniel’s voice turned ice-cold. “Emily, is this really how you want to play it?”
was taken aback. How was I playing anything?
Everything he said sounded ridiculous.
Suddenly, all desire to argue just drained out of me.
I’ve always been like this,” I said, then turned and slammed the door behind me.
Back at my desk, I found myself staring at the transfer system again.
One hour left.
In one hour, my transfer request would be completely irreversible.
I’d be leaving this city I’d called home for so long, heading to Miami.
But I still didn’t cancel it.
I just sat there quietly for a while, then started researching everything I could about the Miami branch.
By the time I looked up, the final deadline had passed.
I watched the screen as my application status changed to “Locked.”
I let out a quiet breath.
Leaving Daniel wasn’t as terrifying as I’d thought.
In fact, there was something almost liberating about it.
My phone lit up with messages from my best friend, Rachel. She’d sent several texts in rapid succession, clearly furious.
“Em! I just ran into your boyfriend!”
“Daniel! And that Sophie! With a bunch of people from their department!”
“They’re wasted, and everyone’s pressuring him and Sophie to do some drinking game toast! God, she’s practically glued to his side!”
Then came a video.
The footage was shaky, the lighting dim and intimate. Daniel sat in the center of a booth, surrounded by people, his tie loose and a smile on his face.
Sophie pressed against his side, cheeks flushed. She looked shy, ducking her head at all the cheering-but she didn’t pull away.
Someone shouted, “Daniel! Rules are rules! You lost-either pick a lady for a lovers’ toast, or call Emily to come pick you up! Your choice!”
“Haha, yeah! Call her! Let’s see if Emily will do you that favor!”
The crowd was eating it up. Everyone knew we’d been fighting, and they were loving the drama.
Sophie looked up at him hopefully.
Daniel frowned, seeming irritated by all the noise. He was quiet for a few seconds.
Then he pulled out his phone.
Sophie’s face went white.
His voice came through stiff and cold: “Look, I was too harsh earlier. I’ve cooled down now.”
“Come over here, apologize to Sophie in person, and I’ll pretend this whole thing never happened.”
I said nothing.
Daniel’s patience evaporated quickly. “Say something. Is it really that hard to swallow your pride?”
‘Daniel, I’d rather die than apologize to her.”
‘Fine! Emily, you’ve got real backbone!”
Daniel’s anger erupted completely. “Then you can listen over the phone while I toast with someone else!”
I hung up immediately.
At the same time, Rachel sent another video.
The scene was chaos-Daniel had apparently thrown his glass.
Sophie’s voice was trembling, tears threatening to fall. “Daniel, let’s just stop playing. Don’t be angry…”
‘Who said I’m not playing anymore?”
Daniel’s head snapped up, his gaze cutting sharply toward the camera-he’d spotted Rachel filming.
‘Why hide? Keep recording! Let your best friend see exactly who I’m kissing now!”
He grabbed the back of Sophie’s neck and, amid everyone’s shocked gasps, kissed her hard.
Watching it, my heart clenched involuntarily.
But the pain came and went quickly.
I closed the video and went back to my unfinished work.
After a while, I texted Rachel:
“Wanna go shopping tomorrow? Need some lighter clothes for Miami-it’s way warmer there.”
