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“Valentina,” I plead. “You can’t do this. Why… why would you leave me?”
She looks down and shakes her head. “Ultimately, this is just a job, and I’m just another one of your employees. I’ve outgrown this position, Luca. You know that as well as I do.”
She takes a step back, and at last, she manages to force one of her fake smiles for me. She’s right, of course. She could be doing my job if she truly wanted to. She could be the CEO of Windsor Finance, and she’d do a magnificent job. The moment our competitors find out she’s looking for a new job, they’ll come after her. Rightfully so.
“Please,” I murmur. I’ve never pleaded with anyone, but I’ll go down on my knees for her if that’ll make her stay.
Her eyes widen, and she pauses. I see her hesitate, but then she steels her spine and shakes her head. “No,” she whispers. “I’m sorry.”
I watch her as she walks out of my office, leaving my heart feeling an awful lot like the pieces of paper scattered across my desk — torn apart and discarded.
Chapter Fourteen
Valentina
I pause outside of Abuela’s home and stare up at it, feeling lost. I’ve never been an impulsive person. Every single thing I do is well thought out. My steps are measured and calculated. For as long as I can remember, I’ve played the long game.
Even when I was younger, I never dreamed too big. The one time I did, reality quickly came calling, reminding me that people like me don’t get to have carefree college years filled with fun and parties. When I close my eyes, I can still see my mother’s expression as she told me that she and Abuela had started eating more canned foods than before, because the loss of my part-time income was too hard to bear.
I don’t know if she said it knowing that the guilt would tear me apart, or whether she simply wanted me to be aware of the reality they faced while I pursued my dream of attending college. Either way, the moment my mother was in an accident, I knew I had to come back home. My mounting student debt combined with the sustained loss of income for my family shattered my dreams, and I haven’t dared dream too big ever since.
I’ve always known that providing for my family would be a burden I’d carry, and I’ve done it without a single complaint. Iknow that I don’t have the luxury of acting impulsively when my mother and grandmother rely on me.
Yet that’s exactly what I did. I quit my job without thinking. The worst part is that I don’t regret it. I don’t think I’ve felt quite this free in a long time, but how long will that last? How long will it take for reality to come knocking on my door all over again?
I have enough savings to see me through the next six months, but then what? I’ve worked for Windsor Finance since I was twenty, and I have no other work experience whatsoever. Both the car I use and the apartment I live in are owned by the company too. Walking away from my job means walking away from life as I know it.
Worry trickles down my spine, and I inhale shakily as I walk into the house. I breathe in deeply, the scent of Fabuloso oddly putting me at ease. Abuela must have cleaned the house today.
I pause in the hallway and take a moment to collect my thoughts. I’m not sure how to explain my actions to Mom or Abuela, and I’m scared to find disappointment and concern in their eyes when I finally muster up my courage.
“What’s wrong, Rosa?” Abuela asks when I walk into the living room.
I pause and blink in confusion. “Abuelita?”
She frowns and shakes her head. “Ah, Val,” she corrects herself. “You look so much like your mother sometimes.”
I sit down next to her and drop my head to her shoulder, taking comfort in her embrace. She holds me tightly and presses a kiss on top of my head, but all it does is worry me further.
Abuela already had a lot of pre-existing conditions that the insurance I was finally able to afford won’t cover, and she isn’t getting any younger. She’s been refusing to get a check-up, but eventually, I’ll convince her to go. What if she truly does need more medication?
What was I thinking, quitting a well-paid job? And what for? I’ve thought it over countless times, but objectively speaking, there was no real reason for me to resign. Luca doesn’t treat me badly, and he pays well. Thing had finally gone back to the way they used to be between us too. I shouldn’t have done what I did, yet I can’t make myself stay either.
“Abuela,” I whisper, my voice trembling. “I quit my job today.”
She doesn’t respond but continues to stroke my hair, her touch soothing. “Luca,” she says hesitantly. “Did he get engaged?”
I sit up and turn to face her, surprised. “How did you know? Has it been announced by the press already?”
Abuela smiles tenderly and shakes her head. “No. I just had a feeling. When you told me about his brother and the way he got married, I had a feeling this would happen.”
I cross my arms and look away. “That has nothing to do with me quitting.”
Abuela nods. “Of course,” she says, her voice soft. “But still, it is good for you to build a life of your own.”
“Did you quit, or did he fire you once he got engaged?” I look up at the sound of my mother’s voice. She’s standing in the doorway, a forlorn expression on her face.
“I quit, Mom. Luca getting engaged had nothing to do with it.”
