chapter 4

When I woke early the next morning, Milton was already gone. I glanced at the guest room, and the bed was neatly made. I had no idea when he had left during the night.

I didn't care. I hired a cleaner to scrub the apartment and restore it to its original state.

I stayed home the entire morning and didn't go to the office.

By noon, Milton called me. "Hazel, are you threatening me?

"You're really quitting? At your age, if you resign, what else can you even do?"

My heart sank. "You don't have to worry about me.

"I have dreams of my own, Milton. Seven years with you, and I've given up a lot."

He sneered. "Really? And now you regret it? You want to chase your dreams? Hazel, be rational. Be realistic!

"You're too old to be chasing dreams!

"I know what this is. You're sulking because we didn't get the marriage certificate. But I'll marry you eventually, what's there to be afraid of?"

His words hit me hard. So he knew all along.

He simply didn't care. He was right—I wasn't afraid.

I just couldn't take it anymore—he had abandoned me 18 times.

I said, "I don't care about the marriage certificate anymore.

"Milton, I gave you my resignation letter already. Arrange for someone to take over my work."

Hearing that, Milton lost his temper. "Fine! Hazel, get over here right now and hand everything over to Laura!

"You'll regret this!"

He hung up. I got ready and headed to the company.

On the way, I called Amber.

"Hazel, Mr. Skeldon just announced we have to hand all the project files to Laura. He said since you quit, you'll be doing the handover with her?

"She's just an intern! This is a joke, right?" she said, outraged.

It was clear Milton wasn't even trying to hide it anymore.

"I'll be there soon. We'll talk then."

I hung up the phone and rushed to the office.

Amber saw me walk in and immediately started venting. "Hazel, can you believe her? Give someone a little power and she lets it go straight to her head!"

I gave her shoulder a reassuring pat and headed straight for the office.

I knocked and stepped inside, only to see Laura on tiptoe, trying to fix Milton's tie.

"Oh, Mr. Skeldon, you're too tall, I can't even reach! Can't you just lean down a little?" she teased.

Her playful tone made Milton chuckle. He wrapped an arm around her waist.

But when his eyes landed on mine, he froze, his fist tightening.

I cleared my throat, and Laura instantly went pale.

She turned to see me, but still didn't let go.

"Hazel, don't get the wrong idea. Mr. Skeldon just asked me to help him with his tie. I'm just so clumsy, I can never get it right!"

Expressionless, I said, "Milton, you want me to hand things over, even the projects, to her? Isn't that a bit irresponsible?

"She's only an intern."

Laura's eyes brimmed with hurt. "Hazel, I know I'm not capable enough, but nobody is born knowing everything!"

Milton added, "She's right. When you first started, didn't you ruin a big contract too?

"Hazel, don't forget where you came from."

His words pierced me like a blade straight to the heart.

Did he really just accuse me of forgetting where I came from?

Who was the one crossing boundaries, pushing further, and ignoring every line?

The Milton I knew once refused to even keep another woman's number. Now he lets an intern adjust his tie.

It was his silent permission that allowed Laura to wedge herself between us. And now he dared say I had forgotten where I came from?

I gave a short laugh. "You're right about one thing. People can't hide behind others forever. They have to grow."

Milton's eyes flickered with panic as he stared at me.

Something about me unsettled him, though he couldn't name it. The strangeness gnawed at him, left him uneasy.

But I had already turned and walked out.

Outside, Amber finished organizing the files, and I gave the team a few last instructions. I was especially concerned about the project team.

Everyone had spent six months fighting for this case, and now it was being handed over to an intern.

I couldn't feel at ease. Neither could they.

All I could hope was that after I left, the project would still move forward smoothly.