2026-04-24 23:40:34Nelson walked out of the office without a single backward glance. To him, the door closing behind him wasn't just a physical act; it was the final seal on a grave. He was done.
Lisa remained on her knees in the middle of the plush carpet. Time seemed to stretch into an unrecognizable blur. She didn't move until her joints began to ache, her body finally signaling that the floor wasn't going to swallow her whole, no matter how much she wished it would.
She dragged herself to the elevator, her legs feeling like lead. Her face was a messy map of smeared makeup and salt-stained skin. Every word Nelson had uttered—“You and me is over” —played on a loop in her head, a jagged blade cutting through her lingering pride.
This wasn't the Nelson she had married. The man who used to wait up for her with tea, who would apologize even when he’d done nothing wrong... that man was a ghost.
But as she reached the lobby, something inside her snapped. She wasn't ready to let the ghost go. Nelson was a good man. He loved her. He had to. If she could just reach him—really reach him—outside of that cold, intimidating office, maybe he’d remember.
She saw him through the glass doors, walking toward his car.
“Nelson!”
Her voice tore through the quiet professional atmosphere of the lobby. Staff and high-end clients paused, their heads turning in synchronized shock. Lisa didn't care. She ran, her heels clicking frantically against the marble.
Nelson didn't stop. He didn't even break his stride.
She closed the distance, her hand reaching out for his sleeve. She just needed to touch him. But before her fingers could graze the fabric of his suit, a wall of dark blue uniforms stepped between them.
“We’re sorry, ma’am. You can’t go any further,” the security guard said, his voice firm but polite.
“Nelson!” Lisa cried out, her voice cracking. “Please! It doesn't have to end like this. Just give me one minute. Nelson, please!”
For a split second, he stopped.
Lisa held her breath. Hope flared in her chest like a dying candle. Slowly, Nelson turned his head. Only half of his face was visible in the afternoon light—one cold, distant eye that looked right through her.
“Lisa... go home. This conversation is over.”
The car door closed with a heavy, expensive thud.
Lisa froze as the engine purred to life. The candle in her chest didn't just flicker out; it was crushed. She sank to her knees again, right there on the sidewalk, as the black sedan pulled away.
The whispers from the crowd started almost immediately. “Isn’t that the CEO of that furniture startup?” “She looks pathetic. What did she do to him?”
Lisa didn't even try to defend herself. She stood up, her hair shielding her face, and walked toward her own car. But as she gripped the steering wheel, her eyes hardened.
“This won’t end like this,” she whispered to the empty car, her pride clawing its way back to the surface. “I’ll get it all back.”
************
Later that evening...
The Toronto Bar was the kind of place where the lighting was dim and the drinks cost more than a month's rent. Nelson sat in a private booth, his hand resting near Emily’s.
“What would you like?” Nelson asked, his tone softening in a way it never did for the board members.
Emily smiled, a hint of genuine shyness in her eyes. “Something light. I don’t think I have your stamina for the strong stuff.”
Nelson chuckled, the sound rich and relaxed. “Just a sip of the Glenfiddich. It’ll change your mind about whiskey, I promise.”
“You’re very persuasive, Mr. Reed,” she teased.
Across the room, tucked into a corner of the bar, Lisa stood with Bobby. She wasn't drinking. She was staring. She watched the way Nelson leaned toward Emily, the way he laughed—a sound she realized she hadn't heard in years.
That seat beside him... it was hers. Or it was supposed to be.
Bobby noticed the direction of her gaze and let out an annoyed sigh. “Lisa, are we here to have a drink or are we here to watch a movie? Forget him. He’s clearly moved on.”
Lisa didn't respond. She slowly turned and rested her head on Bobby’s chest, but her eyes never left Nelson.
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