Page 26 of Lovesick

So I did.

The next morning, I drafted my resignation letter before the sun even rose. I didn’t overthink it. I didn’t read it twice. I kept it short, professional, polite. Just like he would’ve liked it. Except this time, it wasn’t for him. It was for me.

I printed it, signed it, and tucked it into an envelope. Then I got dressed, not in business formal, not in anything meant to impress, but in something that made me feel steady. A soft sweater. Comfortable jeans. Shoes I could walk out of a life in.

The office was quiet when I arrived. Early enough that most people weren’t at their desks yet. That had been the plan. I didn’t want goodbyes. I didn’t want to explain.

I stepped off the elevator and made my way through the familiar hallway. My chest was tight with the weight of what I was finally letting go of.

I entered my office and reached my desk. It was exactly how I’d left it a week ago, and after looking around for a moment, I started packing. I took my time with it.

Not because I wasn’t sure about this. But because it deserved a quiet ending.

The framed photo of my parents and me. My favorite pen. The sticky notes I always kept stacked neatly in the top drawer. The lavender hand lotion I so often used. I slipped each item into a box.

I didn’t cry.

I didn’t falter.

In fact, I wasn’t feeling anything at all.

Packing was calm. Clean.

Once the box was full, I walked out of my office without looking back. Dean’s office door was closed, and the idea of him sitting inside made me anxious. It would be the last time I would face him. The last time I would talk to him. But I knew I had to do it. I had to pull through or I’d feel like a failure for the rest of my life. I had to do this.

After knocking softly but firmly, I pushed open the door to head inside. Dean looked up, barely looking at me before his eyes met mine. His lips parted in surprise. He hadn’t expected me here. Hadn’t thought I would come back to work.

“Emilia, are you feeling better?”

I ignored his question and walked up to his desk, handing him the envelope without saying a word. I couldn’t. My voice would break, and I needed to stay strong. Stay composed and true to myself.

He furrowed his brows as he took in the envelope, and before he could ask me what was inside, I turned and left his office for the very last time.

Leann wasn’t at the front desk yet. Nobody else was in the office. It was too early, but I would send her an email later. Or tomorrow. Or whenever I felt like talking about this decision.

The elevator doors slid open when I called for it, and I stepped inside with the box resting against my hip. I pressed the button and waited, heart calm. I told myself this was the end. That I’d walk out of here without ever seeing his face again. That I wouldn’t look back. But seconds before the doors closed, Dean walked out of his office, moving toward me with long strides. “Emilia, wait.”

My jaw clenched, and I wished the doors would’ve closed faster. But he was quicker. He stepped between them, stopping them from closing. His eyes met mine. They didn’t flicker with anger, or indignation, or even confusion. Just heartbreak. Plain and visible and raw.

He kept looking at me.

The letter trembled slightly in his fingers. I saw him glance down at it, then back at me. “You’re really leaving,” he murmured.

“Yes,” I replied.

His throat moved as he swallowed. “I didn’t want it to end like this.”

I tightened my grip on the box in my arms. “Neither did I.”

“I never wanted to hurt you,” he said.

I bit the inside of my cheeks. I was getting angry now. I just wanted to leave. “But you did.”

He nodded once, like he’d already told himself the same thing. Over and over. Maybe he had.

Dean looked at me like he wanted to say more. But he didn’t open his mouth again.

Because it wouldn’t change anything, and, deep down, he knew.

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