Elise sat at her desk, staring at the wilted bouquet of roses on the table. She remembered the joy she felt when she first received them and how that joy now felt so hollow.
Earlier at her door, when she saw the sadness in Baden's eyes, she felt a pang of her own. But no matter how painful, this seemed to be all they could do.
Elise leaned over her desk, sliding open her phone screen to find a brief message from Braden. She didn't open it directly but chose to read it in incognito mode.
"I accept your choice and wish you the best. Remember to take care of yourself."
It was just a few words, yet it felt like her entire world had gone dark, as if sunlight would never reach her heart again.
She remembered back in high school, when her boyfriend cheated on her and humiliated her, Braden had quietly gotten Nathanael to help him stick up for her.
And on the day Graham betrayed her, she had called Braden in tears. Without hesitation, he agreed to be her stand-in groom. Later that night, he brought along Ruth, and the three of them had a midnight snack together.
When Graham's parents hurled insults at her, he stood up for her. Or that time when her father assumed she was the one who'd cheated and was about to slap her, he'd stepped in and taken the blow himself, the mark of her father's handprint stark on his cheek.
When her scooter ran out of power, she called him for help. He'd complained, but he still came without question.
He had done so much for her, even taken that brave step toward her, repeatedly saying he didn't want to lose her. But what had she done in return?
It was only now she realized—all she ever did was hurt him endlessly…
Maybe the only right thing to do was to let him find someone better than her.
But deep down, she knew she'd never find another man who would tolerate her like he did.
------
The morning of the first day after the breakup, Elise arrived at the office as usual, acting as though nothing had happened, sitting at her computer and focusing intently on her script.
The only difference was the thick, square black glasses she wore, trying to hide the fact that she'd spent the entire night crying.
As usual, Evelyn came by to check on her, bringing her a cup of coffee, just like she did every day. It had become part of their routine.
"Thank you, Zayne." "Thanks." Elise looked at her with no expression, her tone completely devoid of warmth.
"Um… did you guys have a fight? I was scrolling through Facebook yesterday, and I noticed the post you were tagged in. It looks like Baden's account…is gone?" Evelyn, always perceptive, went straight to the point.
Elise paused in mild surprise. She opened her profile page and realized that Braden really had deactivated his account.
She'd briefly wondered if he'd blocked her, but then she reminded herself that blocking someone over a fight was something childish that only she had done. He'd never done anything like that to her before.
And since Evelyn couldn't see Baden's account either, it seemed he really wasn't planning to reactivate it anytime soon.
"We broke up." Elise took off her glasses, rubbing her bloodshot eyes, her voice steady as she said, "I ended it."
"Are you serious? Why would you do that? I don't know him well, but from what I've seen, he treats you well. Why wouldn't you hold on to that?" Evelyn's eyes widened, her voice low as she pressed for confirmation.
"I don't want to make things hard for him… Tyree came to talk to me. He hopes I'll let go and make way for Mylee." Elise gripped her pen with a bitter smile. "He made a point of reminding me that Mylee is Gunnar's relative, not just some nobody."
"But you can't just replace someone on the development team like that. This isn't a game." Evelyn sat beside her, lowering her voice. "I think it's Tyree who's got his eye on you."
"I don't know. But Braden worked so hard for that promotion. He was so happy celebrating with me and his cousin. He loves this job, and I just can't take that risk…" Elise said in frustration. "I guess I'm just not cut out for relationships… I always stumble my way through them, and he was the one who used to comfort me. Now…"
The more she spoke, the more the sadness built up, until she couldn't hold back anymore and buried her head, sobbing quietly.
Evelyn watched her with an indescribable ache in her heart as Elise cried.
Evelyn stretched her arm over, wrapping it around Elise's shoulder as she spoke softly, "Are you really not willing to tell him the truth about all this? Or… if you're too afraid, I could tell him for you?"
"No, please don't…" Elise looked up, tear-streaked and terrified, quickly shaking her head to reject Evelyn's well-meaning suggestion. "I only told you about this, so please, you can't tell anyone…"
"Alright." Evelyn gave a resigned sigh, then gently reminded her, "But… did you check the messages yesterday? Zayne mentioned in the group chat that there's a meeting today. You're going to see Braden…"
Elise's eyes widened in shock, and she forgot to cry. She quickly opened the company group chat, realizing this was real. Yesterday, she had been lost in memories of her and Braden growing up together, completely missing Zayne's message.
However, when the meeting started, Braden was nowhere to be seen, while Mylee, a regular attendee, was as present as always.
And then there was Tyree—the last person she wanted to see.
Jakob was leading the meeting today. After glancing over the materials, he turned his gaze to Mylee.
Jakob's expression held a hint of confusion. "Will Braden not be joining us today?"
"Yeah, he's really busy," Tyree answered on Baden's behalf, leaning back lazily in his chair. "Come on, we just need to hash out the details, then throw it over to him to handle. Why does he have to be here for that? Am I not good enough?"
Mylee cleared her throat. "Tyree, this isn't H Technology, and you're a writer, not on the development team."
Jakob maintained his patience and asked once more, "This meeting is important. If he's not attending, shouldn't there be a legitimate reason?"
"He's sick," Mylee finally responded directly, no longer dodging the question.
"Sick, huh…" Evelyn repeated loudly, making sure Elise could hear every word.
Elise kept her head down, adjusting her thick glasses, pretending to be unfazed, but inside, questions swirled.
Braden had been fine yesterday. How could he suddenly be sick…?
"Sweetheart, why are you wearing glasses today?" Tyree noticed her and said suggestively, "Didn't sleep well last night?"
"Tyree, Elise has a name, so please don't address her like that. It gives the wrong impression, and besides, we're discussing business here," Jakob said sternly, standing up for Elise.
Elise froze, listening to Jakob speak up for her. Her nose tingled as she remembered the times Braden had protected her.
She worked to blink back her tears, telling herself not to cry. She didn't even have the right to cry.
"Hey, did she object to me calling her that?" Tyree called out again deliberately. "Sweetheart, do you mind?"
"I know Tyree is just joking…" Elise forced herself to go along for the sake of keeping the peace, following his lead.
Jakob's eyes widened in disbelief. Why would she let someone call her that? As far as he knew, this wasn't like her.
"See? You worry too much." Tyree's face lit up with satisfaction. It seemed she was playing along.
"If Braden isn't attending today, there's no need to hold this meeting. I'll report directly to both chairmen. Meeting dismissed." Jakob, for once, shot back indirectly, making it clear he wasn't about to give Tyree any respect.
"Are you provoking me?" Tyree stood up, adjusting his tie, shedding his usual playboy demeanor.
"Do you think you understand game development better than he does?" Jakob didn't back down, firing a parting shot before turning to Elise and Evelyn. "Meeting's over. Let's go."
Elise was still debating whether she should check on Braden when Evelyn took her hand, guiding her out of the meeting room.
Mylee hadn't said a single word in defense of Tyree, simply watching silently as Elise walked away.
Tyree clenched his fists, slamming them hard on the table.
"Why did you have to do that? A perfectly good meeting, and you had to ruin it." Mylee closed her laptop, tucking it into her black carry case.
"Oh, and you're better than me?" Tyree released his fist, turning to her, hooking his finger under her chin. "Weren't you the one playing tricks, thinking no one would notice? And if it weren't for me, would they have broken up? Trying to chase after him, and still so hopeless at it—pathetic."
Mylee's face darkened with anger as she raised her hand, forcefully batting away his wandering touch. "I'm warning you—if you mess up my plans, I'll destroy your little sweetheart. Don't forget that."
"Oh, I nearly forgot… your tricks could actually ruin her," Tyree sighed, pretending to give in. "But I should get going. I think I'll head back to the coast for some fun." "Oh, I nearly forgot… your tricks could actually ruin her," Tyree sighed, pretending to give in. "But I should get going. I think I'll head back to the coast for some fun."
------
Leaving the conference room, on her way back to the office, Elise took the chance to start a conversation while Evelyn was in the restroom, wanting to thank Jakob.
"Jakob, thank you for speaking up for me earlier. I'm sorry—you defended me, and I didn't stand with you…" Elise bowed slightly, offering him a sincere apology.
Jakob didn't take it to heart. Instead, he showed concern. "You don't seem well today. Did you have a fight with him?"
Elise lifted her pale face, replying listlessly, "We broke up. That's all. I'll go get back to work."
Jakob was still processing the news of her breakup with Braden, surprised by how suddenly it happened, hardly able to believe it.
After work, Elise drove home, her mind drifting as if her soul had left her body, her thoughts utterly empty. When she came back to her senses, she realized she had somehow parked outside Baden's house.
In a panic, she tried to drive away, only to see Ruth step out the door, closing it behind her.
Ruth, with sharp eyes, spotted Elise's car and immediately stepped in front of her windshield.
"Ruth, what are you doing!" Elise was thankful she hadn't pressed the gas.
"Open the door. I need to talk to you." Ruth ignored her reluctance, grabbing the handle of the passenger seat door.
Elise took a deep breath, opened the door, and let her in.
"It's not convenient to talk here. Let's go to that convenience store up ahead," Ruth said, glancing at Elise.
Once they reached the store and Elise parked, Ruth, unable to hold back her curiosity, broke the silence.
"Why did you suddenly break up with Braden?" Ruth's tone was far from friendly, more like she was interrogating a criminal.
You couldn't blame her. After all, she was the one who had set them up, and now that things had fallen apart, she felt a bit responsible.
Elise paused, unusually calm. "Did he tell you that himself?"
"Of course not, that's just how I felt, so I confronted him about it." Ruth turned her head away, still sounding a bit irritated. "He said he thought you two weren't a good fit, so he suggested breaking up. But I could tell he was lying—he's so into you, there's no way he'd break up with you."
Elise stayed silent. She hadn't expected Braden to take the blame for their breakup.
Elise pressed her lips together, her hands gripping the steering wheel. "I was the one who ended it."
"I'm not surprised, but seriously? You've got to be kidding me." Ruth turned back, her gaze full of anger as she looked at Elise. "I teased you about him having a girlfriend, and you nearly broke down. Now you're the one who dumped him? What are you even doing?"
"Is he sick?" Elise sidestepped the question, trying to make herself appear cold and unfeeling.
"Does that matter to you? If it's that important, why don't you just ask him yourself?" Ruth was fuming, unwilling to hold back her anger until she'd fully vented it.
"Then take good care of him." Elise spoke halfheartedly, trying to deflect. "Are you done with your questions? If there's nothing else, I'll take you back to his place."
"No need." Ruth closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again.
Elise didn't know what she planned to do but let her vent anyway.
"I can't be friends with you anymore because, honestly… you're such a disappointment." Ruth didn't hold back. She opened the car door and walked out of Elise's sight.
Once Ruth was completely out of sight, Elise clutched the steering wheel, bowed her head, and broke into tears.
She cried until she was choking, her face flushed red, struggling to breathe, but she knew that no matter how much she cried, what she'd lost wasn't coming back.
