Page 44 of Unlocking my Boss's Heart

What a shock to put time into this office romance, only to have it fall apart in two months!

In the taxi back to Maddison’s apartment, I was trying to stay composed, but it was obvious I was crying as I kept dabbing my eyes. The driver handed me a tissue, a silent acknowledgement of my unspoken hurt.

Maddison wasn’t home. Alone in the quiet of my room, I forced myself to clear my thoughts. I figured drafting a resignation letter might help, so I sat at my small desk, laptop open. I struggled to find words that could bridge my inner turmoil with the professional façade I needed to maintain. After several failed attempts, things started to become clearer, and I began to type.

When I finished, I read it over. Each word sank my heart further as I realized my bank account would suffer a similar drop when I had to pay my bills without a job. But money was low on my list of concerns right now.

What would Anton think when he noticed I wasn’t at work? He didn't know I had unwittingly overheard his conversation. Had he known about the baby all along? It hurt to think he might have deliberately kept me in the dark about something like that.

I forced my brain to focus on the tasks ahead, like finding another job, but it was all in vain. If Anton came looking for me after he received my resignation letter, he would easily find me here. A clean break from that whole office was necessary for me to start fresh. My emotions were too raw and avoiding him was the best thing I could do for myself. I needed a place to go,somewhere I could stay until I figured out this mess, I’d created for myself.

My hands worked on autopilot, and soon, I’d packed my most immediate necessities. As I walked through the small living room, I pictured him in the kitchen when I offered him water, then on the couch, eating pizza. I imagined him leaning against the door as he said goodbye, that intoxicating smile turning my insides to water.

I was grieving the loss of something that had not fully materialized—the life I had lived here for such a short time and the love that might have been. But now, I would never know for sure.

More tears welled up, and I turned to leave the place that had slowly started to feel like home but now plagued with bittersweet memories.

Chapter sixteen

Anton

When Celia didn’t come to my office before the end of the day, I assumed she was busy. For the past few weeks, it had become routine to spend time with her during work, discussing everything from job-related issues to life outside the office. During those times, we kissed some.

I started to think she might be the missing piece in my life.

By the end of the day, I felt incomplete and out of sorts after not seeing her at all. On my way to the parking garage, I stopped by her desk, ignoring how it might look to anyone still working. Case files were stacked neatly on the corner, but her chair was empty.

When she didn’t reply to my texts, worry began to creep in. Could she have fallen ill? I checked with a colleague who confirmed seeing her earlier that day, but she’d left just before lunch and hadn’t returned.

That was over six hours ago. Her phone went straight to voicemail when I tried calling her.

Panic curled its icy fingers around my chest, making it difficult to breathe as I considered every worst-case scenario. Had she been hit by a taxi? The drivers were reckless, especially during rush hour.

I thought of her cousin, whose number I didn’t have. When Celia still didn’t answer, I drove to her apartment—cautioning myself not to overreact. I would probably get there and see that she was fine, then feel like an idiot for behaving like an overprotective boyfriend.

Boyfriend?

This was the first time I called myself that.

I tried to think logically at what might be going on. If she wasn’t feeling well, maybe she’d turned off her phone to sleep. But why wouldn’t she have told anyone at the office? None of this made sense. It was as though she’d been there and then vanished into thin air. She didn’t strike me as someone who would run off and abandon her work responsibilities.

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, I imagined her reaction to seeing me at her door. She might smile and call me a stalker again, but it would be worth it to see the laughter in her eyes as she invited me in to calm down. As long as she was okay, I would endure any amount of humiliation.

With this thought, I knocked on her door. It swung open to Maddison, who was already speaking. “Celia! I—” Her words faded. “Oh, it’s you.”

My stomach tightened. “She’s not here, then? Do you know where she is?”

She folded her arms and eyed me suspiciously. “She sent me a text. By the time I got home from work, she had packed and left.”

“Can I see it?” I asked. At the dark look on her face, I added softly, “Please.”

She grabbed her phone and held it up in front of me.

The message was brief:

I'll be off the radar for a while. Don’t panic when you come home and find me gone. I’ll text you after I’ve had time to clear my head. Thanks for understanding. XOXO.

The text had been sent four hours earlier.

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