Page 169 of Love Among the Ruins
CHAPTERFORTY-FIVE
ELENI
Eleni rushed out of the office, past Miranda’s desk and rushed straight into the restroom. Miranda cried out after her, but Eleni ignored her.
In the safe space of the toilet, she locked herself in a cubicle, put the seat down and sat on it. Covering her face with her hands, she closed her eyes and wished she could disappear.
Dominic hadn’t wanted anything to do with her.
He’d looked at her like she was filth. Discarded her like a dirty rag. For the first time ever, she profoundly understood what her mother must have suffered at the hands of her first love, when he’d ditched her.
Tears streamed down Eleni’s cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.
She wasn’t in as bad a situation as her mother had been. She was not pregnant. She wasn’t in love. It had been lust. One hot, smoldering, reckless night. She would, in time, get over it. She had a mountain to climb. New brighter horizons to reach for.
She had a month left of her contract. Alternatively, she could hand in her notice and leave now, but that would be running away and she wasn’t one to run. Despite having saved up enough money for her trip, she would see her time out with dignity.
The sound of a door opening made her sit upright. “Eleni? Are you in here?”
A knock sounded on her door.
“Eleni?”
Miranda.
She wasn’t ready to face Miranda. Not now. Not like this. “Yes.” She forced herself to sound cheerful but failed miserably.
“What happened? Why are you in here? Are youcrying?”
“No!”
“Then come out. Let me see.”
Eleni snorted. “Shouldn’t you be back at your desk in case your lord and master comes back?”
“The lord and master in my dreams, you mean.” Miranda’s attempt at a seductive voice was the last thing Eleni wanted to hear. She dabbed at her eyes, smoothed down her hair, pinched her cheeks to add some color, then rubbed her lips together.
But what for? She wasn’t thinking properly. It was Miranda on the other side of that door, not Dominic.
The less she thought about Dominic the better it would be for her mental health. She was done with him and his moods and his grumpiness.
Forcing a huge smile, she opened the door.
“We should go out tonight, after work,” she suggested. Miranda looked at her suspiciously.
“What happened?”
Eleni washed her hands, caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She didn’t look too bad. “Nothing. You know how grumpy Dominic can be.”
“I did warn you.”
“I should have listened. Dinner and drinks, you and me, tonight?”
Miranda’s face lit up like a firework. “Can we?”
“We can do anything we want. I’m thinking of going home this weekend.”
“Again?”
