Chapter 18 #2
“Then I’ll start my new life,” I said quietly.
“I don’t know what’s ahead, Lila. I don’t know how long this will take.
My company’s falling apart. People are counting on me.
And there’s Ariana… my guilt…” My voice was hoarse from the emotions crushing me.
“There’s just too much I’m carrying right now, and I won’t be able to give you all of me. ”
Lila was still sobbing quietly, looking at me with a heartbreak so deep it unraveled me from the inside. I pulled back slightly so I could cup her face, then leaned in, pressing my forehead gently against hers.
“Don’t wait for me, Lila. Please,” I murmured. “It’ll only make me feel more guilty than I already do.”
“But what if I want to wait for you, Gray?” she whispered through her tears. “What if I want to stay and wait until you’re ready to come back to me?”
“God, Lila. Trust me, you’re better off without me.”
“I will wait, Grayson.”
Her voice, though laced with tears, suddenly carried strength. She sounded resolute—determined.
“I can wait. I promise I’ll wait.”
I let out a deep sigh, unsure what else to say.
One day, she’d understand. She’d see that moving on from me was the right thing—maybe even the best thing.
I was too broken for her, too tangled up in the wreckage of everything I was still trying to piece back together.
My life, my company, my mistakes. The guilt lodged permanently in my chest—a remnant of an ex-fiancée I still couldn’t let go of.
Lila deserved someone solid. Someone steady. Someone who wouldn’t bring all of that through the door with him. She was better off without me.
“I need to go.” I stepped back, letting go of her completely. “Be happy, Lila.”
“You’re leaving now?” she asked, panic flashing in her eyes as she reached for me. “Where will you stay, Gray?”
“I’ll stay at the office in Belrose for now, until I find a place to rent.” I paused. “I’ll come by to pick up my things later. I still have some clothes at work.”
“Gray—”
She was crying again, and I couldn’t bear to watch. So I turned away, forcing myself toward the door.
It’s for the best, I told myself. For her. And for me.
And I walked out.
It was already night.
I sat on the couch in my office, the place I’d be sleeping tonight and probably for several more nights after. My shoes were off, my tie undone, and I just sat there, staring at the wall, letting the silence press in as I thought about everything.
I needed a plan. Fast.
For Belrose. For my company. For Ariana. There had to be a way through this, some angle I hadn’t seen yet, some solution still waiting to be found. But the harder I pushed my mind toward it, the more everything tangled together, each problem bleeding into the next.
How do you fix one thing without breaking another?
It felt impossible. My head was already pounding, the weight of it pressing in from every side before I’d even begun.
A knock on the door pulled me from my spiral.
“Come in!” I called out.
The door creaked open, and Roe stepped inside.
“What is it?” I asked, more impatiently than I meant to. “Please don’t tell me it’s more bad news.”
“I’m afraid it is,” Roe said with a sigh, walking over and sitting beside me. She gave me a once-over and frowned. “You look like you’re planning to spend the night here.”
“Yeah. I’ll be staying here for a few days.”
“Trouble at home?”
“You could say that.” I exhaled heavily. “So, what’s the news?”
“We lost two more, Gray,” Roe said quietly. “Aldi—our other sous chef—and Chang, the pastry chef. They both came to me just now and handed in their resignations.”
I groaned and rubbed my face in frustration. “Can’t we just hire replacements?”
“Technically, yes,” she said slowly. “But can we afford their salaries? To stay competitive in the market, we’d need to raise wages across the board. It’s going to trigger a ripple effect, Gray.”
I seriously needed a break. Just for tonight. A break. A peaceful silence. I couldn’t handle anything more at the moment.
“Can we discuss this tomorrow morning, Roe? I haven’t been sleeping, and I can’t really think clearly right now.”
“Of course,” she said. Then she looked at me with a sad expression. “I’m sorry that you have to take care of everything, Grayson. The damage your father and uncle caused is all on you now.”
“Yeah…” My uncle had passed away, but my father was still very much alive and full of energy to party and socialize—he didn’t care one bit. “Well… let’s just focus on what we need to do, Roe. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Okay.” She pressed a hand to my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Be strong, Gray. Get some good rest tonight.”
“Thank you,” I said, and then I watched her leave.
I decided to take a shower first, and luckily, I had my own bathroom attached to the office, an addition my father had made a while ago. Possibly the only thing he ever did right.
After my shower, I walked back to my desk and called downstairs to have dinner delivered. While I waited, I opened my laptop to reply to a few emails, but just as I did, my phone buzzed.
I checked the screen. It was Taylor.
Seriously? Why couldn’t they just give me a break?
I hit the answer button and grunted, “What?”
“Grayson.” I heard her crying.
I instantly sat up straighter. “What happened? What’s wrong?”
“Gray, I need your help. You have to help me.” Her voice trembled through the line. “This has to be Ariana’s doing. I know it. I just know it!”