Chapter 3

"I've thought about your offer," I said as soon as the call connected. "I'd like to accept."

There was a brief silence.

Then the woman on the other end sounded genuinely delighted.

"Ms. Whitlock, that's wonderful news!"

Over the years, several companies had tried to recruit me.

I'd built a strong reputation in the industry, and my experience managing major accounts had attracted plenty of attention.

Asterion Group had been particularly persistent.

Their offer came with nearly three times my current salary, better benefits, and a senior management position with room to grow.

I'd turned them down more than once.

Every time, I'd told myself I couldn't leave Callum.

We'd built Voss & Co. together. I'd been there through the worst years, and I wanted to be there when everything we'd worked for finally paid off.

And what had I gotten in return?

A dismissal letter and an order to get out.

Well, that was enough.

It was time I started thinking about my own future.

"We're so glad you've reconsidered," the recruiter said. "Would you be available to come in tomorrow to go over the final details?"

"Absolutely."

"Perfect. I'll send you everything you need."

After we hung up, I stood in the quiet apartment for a moment.

Then I went to the bedroom and pulled my suitcase out of the closet.

There was no reason to stay here any longer.

I wanted everything that belonged to me out of Callum's home.

While searching for my passport and other important documents, I noticed something tucked behind a stack of boxes on the top shelf.

A small wooden carving.

I recognized it immediately.

I'd made it for Callum's birthday years ago.

It wasn't anything expensive. I'd spent weeks at a local woodworking studio, learning how to carve a small wooden sculpture of two birds sitting side by side.

I'd never been particularly good with my hands, and I'd cut my fingers more times than I could count.

But I wanted to give him something personal.

Something no amount of money could buy.

I still remembered the look on his face when he opened it.

"Maren, you made this?"

He'd turned it over in his hands, smiling like I'd given him the most precious thing in the world.

When he noticed the little cuts covering my fingers, he'd immediately gone to get the first-aid kit.

"You shouldn't have hurt yourself making something for me," he'd said, carefully cleaning each cut.

Then he'd kissed my hands.

"I love it. I promise I'll keep it forever."

He'd even bought a beautiful wooden display box to protect it.

Now the carving was covered in dust, abandoned behind a pile of things he no longer cared about.

And the display box?

That was sitting on the dresser.

I opened it.

Inside was a thick stack of photographs.

Callum and Briar.

Different seasons. Different places. Always the same two people.

I slowly flipped through the stack.

I'd spent so much time working that I'd barely noticed how often Callum was away.

He'd always had an explanation.

A business trip. An investor meeting. A last-minute work commitment.

And I'd believed him.

Looking at those photographs now, I wondered how many times I'd eaten dinner alone while he was out making memories with Briar.

Since she'd joined the company, Callum had gradually stopped making room for me in his life.

Of course I'd noticed.

I'd just kept convincing myself that things would get better.

That the man I loved was still there somewhere.

But no amount of patience could make someone love me again.

I closed the display box.

Then I picked up the dusty carving and dropped it into the trash.

I returned to packing.

There wasn't much left.

After six years of living with Callum, everything that was truly mine fit into a single suitcase.

That realization was almost funny.

I'd spent so much time making sure he had everything he wanted that I'd barely kept anything for myself.

Still, when I finished packing, the bedroom looked noticeably emptier.

I took one last look around, then wheeled my suitcase out the door.

I had somewhere else to go.

A few years earlier, before we'd started planning our future together, I'd bought a small condo with money I'd saved from my first major bonuses.

I'd kept it after moving in with Callum.

At the time, it had seemed easier to live at his place so I could take care of him and be closer to the office.

My condo had been sitting mostly empty ever since.

When I unlocked the door that afternoon, the familiar sight of the living room made me smile.

Cream-colored walls. Warm wooden floors. A soft beige couch beneath the window.

I'd decorated it in the simple Italian-inspired style I'd always loved.

It was nothing like Callum's apartment.

He preferred dark furniture, sharp lines, and rooms that looked more like luxury hotel suites than places anyone actually lived.

When we moved in together, I'd let him choose everything.

I'd told myself those things didn't matter.

But standing in my own living room, I suddenly realized how much I'd missed having a space that felt like mine.

For the first time in years, I didn't have to consider what Callum would think.

I set down my suitcase and called a cleaning service to arrange a deep clean.

Afterward, I sank onto the couch and checked my phone.

Callum was calling.

"Hello?" I said.

"Maren."

His voice was surprisingly gentle.

"Look, let's stop this nonsense. Briar's a sweet girl. Even after what you did to her today, she doesn't want to hold it against you."

"Take the rest of the day to cool off. Tomorrow, you can come back to the office and work as Briar's assistant. You'll help her manage the projects until she's comfortable."

"And in three days, we'll get married. I'll make it official, just like you've always wanted."

"That should make you happy, shouldn't it?"