Chương 3 - Đường Về Nhà Đầy Nước Mắt

Her mouth trembled.

“If this is about the parking space, I’ll stop using it.”

I stared at her.

“You’ll stop using it.”

“Yes.”

“As a favor to me.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“You can’t give me something that was mine.”

Her face tightened.

“Claire, I’m trying to fix this.”

“No. You’re trying to make this small enough that I look insane for leaving.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then tell me what you think I’m leaving over.”

She didn’t answer.

I leaned against the doorframe.

“Do you want Ryan?”

Her eyes widened.

“What?”

“Do you want him?”

“Of course not.”

“You work together.”

“Yes.”

“You come home together.”

“Sometimes.”

“You have a key to my apartment.”

“You gave me that key.”

“I did.”

She crossed her arms.

“If you regret being nice to me, just say that.”

I almost admired the move.

“How long have you been in love with him?”

“I am not in love with Ryan.”

“Okay.”

“I’m serious.”

“Okay.”

She got angry then.

“What do you want me to say?”

“The truth would be interesting.”

She laughed once, sharp and breathless.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“No. I’ve been very believable. That’s why this worked for so long.”

She stared at me.

“I never asked Ryan to choose me over you.”

“No.”

I nodded.

“You just kept creating situations where he could.”

Her eyes filled again.

“You think I planned this?”

“I think you enjoyed finding out he would do it.”

She looked away.

That was the first answer she gave me that I believed.

Before she left, she put the breakfast bag on the floor.

“I hope you don’t regret blowing up your life.”

I closed the door.

“I already regret waiting this long.”

Three days later, I had to go to Ryan’s office.

My company provided building-access software to several commercial properties his employer managed, and I had been overseeing one of their implementations for months.

Normally, another manager could have covered it.

But I was leaving the region soon, and my director wanted me to finish the final client handoff myself.

I considered asking to be replaced.

Then I decided I wasn’t going to reorganize my professional life to avoid Ryan.

The meeting was at three.

I arrived ten minutes early.

The receptionist printed my visitor badge.

While I waited, I heard someone laugh behind me.

Megan.

I turned.

She and Ryan were walking out of the employee café.

He was carrying two coffees.

One had a plain black lid.

The other had whipped cream.

Megan always ordered ridiculous coffee.

A guy walking beside them grinned.

“Another caramel thing for Megan?”

Ryan rolled his eyes.

“She’d be useless before three without it.”

Megan bumped his shoulder.

“You offered.”

“Because I enjoy functional employees.”

The guy laughed.

Then Ryan saw me.

His expression changed immediately.

Megan followed his eyes.

The smile left her face.

I clipped on my visitor badge.

“Afternoon.”

Ryan stared.

“Claire.”

I walked past them.

The meeting lasted fifty-eight minutes.

I knew because I watched the clock.

Ryan was there with two other managers.

Megan took notes.

Nobody behaved unprofessionally.

That almost made it worse.

I had spent months asking myself whether I was imagining things.

But sitting in that conference room, I saw the rhythm between them clearly.

She knew what file he wanted before he asked.

He knew when she needed clarification.

They exchanged looks over one manager’s long explanation.

They operated like two people who spent a lot of time together.

Afterward, I packed my laptop.

Ryan followed me to the elevator.

“Can we talk?”

“I have another call.”

“You always have another call now.”

I pressed the button.

“We are at work.”

“You came into my office and acted like I didn’t exist.”

“I came into your office to do my job.”

The elevator opened.

He stepped in with me.

“Are you really moving to Seattle?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“My role becomes effective the day of the wedding.”

He flinched at the word.

“So that’s it.”

“Yes.”

“We don’t even get a conversation?”

I turned toward him.

“We have had dozens of conversations. You just thought they were about parking.”

His jaw tightened.

“I have never cheated on you.”

“I didn’t say you did.”

“Then what am I being punished for?”

“You still think this is punishment.”

“What else is it?”

“The consequence of me deciding I don’t want this anymore.”

The doors opened.

We walked into the lobby.

Ryan lowered his voice.

“I admit I got too close to Megan.”

I stopped.

It was the first time he had admitted anything.

“But nothing happened.”

I said nothing.

“She had a terrible year. She depended on me.”

“That’s your explanation?”

“I was helping her.”

“And every time helping her cost me something, you decided I could afford it.”

“That’s not fair.”

I looked at him.

“The night I walked home in the rain, you didn’t tell her to move her car.”

He sighed.

“Claire.”

“You told me to park somewhere else.”

“She was embarrassed.”

“I was soaked.”

He looked away.

I continued.