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“Never...Cole, what the fuck is happening?” Her voice cracks. “It was a surprise for me too, but let’s at least talk—”
“There’s no point in talking if we can’t trust each other,” I say viciously. “As of this moment you’re fired. Lucinda will watch you while you collect your things, but if you make a scene, I’ll call security.”
She looks like a ghost, her face completely drained of blood. “But what about us? That night at the museum, you said you were falling in love with me.”
My laugh is hollow. “So you did hear me. And you just left me hanging, for weeks.”
Surprisingly,that’sthe accusation that gets Amelia to hang her head in shame.
That’s when I fully accept it. My dad was telling the truth. She doesn’t love me. And instead of handling it like a grown-up, she went running to my dad.
I didn’t realize until this moment that there was still some tiny part of me, waiting for her to speak up. Deny everything. Explain how my dad overheard her on a phone call, stole the napkin, anything.
I would believe damn near any excuse she made, any possible explanation, no matter how implausible. I would believe any lie she told—that’s how far gone for this woman I am.
But Amelia doesn’t lie. Of course she doesn’t. She’s never liked lying. I’m the one who forced her into doing it, until like an animal in a trap she had to gnaw off her foot to escape.
She just sits there, avoiding eye contact.
Her breath is uneven.
She’s about to cry, I realize.
I need to finish this fast, for both of us. We deserve the mercy of a swift kill.
“There is no us,” I say. I reach for a lighter, and our napkin contract.
Amelia watches, wide-eyed, as I set it on fire and drop it into my wastebasket.
“Leave.” I say. “And don’t come back.”
She stands so fast that her chair tips backward, clattering to the ground. “Fuck you, Cole. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. But you, Cole, you were the worst.”
She pulls off her engagement ring and flings it on my desk. Then storms out of my office.
I dump the ring in my desk drawer, hating the sight of it.
I go back to preparing for my board meeting. Like Amelia never existed in my life at all.
That afternoonthe board members gather in the conference room. After we approve the minutes from the last meeting, my dad makes his presentation on why we should buy Tree House Digital.
His graphics are horrible.
At least I know Amelia’s betrayal was recent. She definitely didn’t help me with this presentation.
After he finishes, the president asks for my presentation.
My dad stands. “That’s not necessary. Cole supports my proposal.”
“No,” I say. “I don’t. May I proceed?”
I watch the emotions cycle across his face. Shock. Understanding. Fury.
He reaches for his pocket, probably going for the napkin contract so he can pull it out and embarrass me.
I see the exact moment he realizes he left it on my desk.
I wait for him to call for Amelia to expose me. When he does, he’ll find out I fired her. And then he’ll have to decide if the testimony of a fired employee will be trusted by the board.
