Alice

I went back to work, and from the moment Lance and Jeraldine left, I never saw him again.

Even if I wanted to say I was fine with it, I couldn’t completely hide my irritation. I worked in silence, focused on my tasks, but inside, my frustration was boiling over.

I didn’t have the right to complain. I knew that.

Still, the sting was there.

Thankfully, when my lunch break came around, that was when I finally checked my phone. The first thing I saw was a message from Shirley—a long, overly energetic birthday greeting that instantly lifted my mood, even just a little.

I hadn’t noticed it earlier...