Chapter 3

ELARA

Jasper went after her without a second thought.

Leo hurried over to do damage control. "Ms. Pryce, Mr. Lennox just panicked. Let me take you to get that cut looked at."

I shook my head and stepped out of the gown.

Wearing something that isn't yours only makes you look ridiculous.

My phone chimed. My resignation had been approved.

So Jasper really did hate me now. Fine.

I left the atelier and went to the office to clear out my desk.

As I crossed the open-plan floor, the whispering started behind me.

"Did you hear? Somebody tried to hit Mr. Lennox up for money and Tallulah caught her. Now she's slinking off with her tail between her legs."

"She used to be the boss's favorite, too. But that's how it goes. You can't compete with true love."

I'd heard it all a hundred times. It didn't even sting anymore.

Once Tallulah was in charge, she made my life miserable in a thousand small ways. She'd kick the same proposal back to me ten times. The office veterans, who always knew which way the wind was blowing, started dumping their work on my desk too.

I used to fantasize about the day Jasper's trap finally snapped shut—the day every one of them would have to eat their words.

Now that seemed so childish.

HR couldn't get rid of me fast enough. Someone shoved my exit paperwork at me without even looking up.

The moment I stepped out of the building, I saw Tallulah's new post.

Fingers laced together over a car console. On her wrist was the diamond bracelet she'd thrown at Jasper, right back where it belonged.

The caption read:

He said: I just wish I'd met you first, instead of wasting all those years on the wrong person.

It was evening by the time I got back to the apartment. I hadn't eaten all day, so I made myself a pack of instant ramen.

I was halfway through when Jasper walked in, smelling faintly of alcohol.

He has an alcohol intolerance. Back when I used to worry about him, I never let him drink at client dinners. The old me would have asked where he'd been and made him a mug of honey water to settle his stomach.

Now I didn't even look up. I just kept eating.

He kicked off his shoes and wrinkled his nose. "Why didn't you wait for me? I've told you not to eat that junk in the house."

Jasper hated the smell of instant noodles. Said they were cheap and disgusting. Looking back, maybe what really disgusted him were the years we'd spent scraping by together.

He walked over and knocked my bag off the top of my suitcase. My passport and work-visa papers spilled across the floor.

He picked up the passport. Something flickered across his face. Then he smiled.

"Aw, Elara, are you upset? Running off to Europe to make a point?"

He tossed the passport back into the bag without a second thought. He'd made up with Tallulah; he was in a good mood. He rested his hands on my shoulders and started kneading them, his voice indulgent.

"I got a little too into character today. I was rough on you, and I'm sorry."

"But we've been working on this for almost two years. We can't just wrap it up halfway."

"I talked Tallulah into coming back, but she's going to be on her guard for a while. You and Marnie just need to hang on a little longer. A month, tops. The second I find the right moment, I'll make sure she's humiliated."

"But I know you're anxious, so I could—"

Two days had turned into a month.

When it came down to it, he just couldn't bear to let her go.

Why bother inventing excuses?

"Don't bother."

I cut him off, wiped my mouth, and tossed my napkin onto the plate.

"We're done, Jasper. I'm breaking up with you."