Chapter 33
MADDY
Ipractically float into the office Monday morning, offering a bright, bubbly “Good morning!” to each coworker I pass.
“Someone’s got pep in her step,” Ivan teases as I breeze by him in the hallway, coffee in one hand, tote bag swinging in the other.
I’m a walking ray of sunshine.
He’s not wrong. I’m riding a glorious high fueled by a lethal combo of caffeine, endorphins, and pure, unfiltered happiness.
We’re T-minus five days until the Gala, and—miracle of miracles—everything is actually going according to plan.
No last-minute disasters, no unexplained mixups, no dramatic vendor meltdowns.
If I had a whiteboard outside my office, it would proudly read: This Event Has Been Dumpster Fire-Free for 3 Whole Days!
And okay, maybe my good mood isn’t entirely work-related.
Ben saw me off this morning with a goodbye that’s still making my knees wobble. He backed me up against the door of his condo, kissed me like it was his last chance, and whispered all the things he had in store for me tonight. I’m amazed I managed to leave at all. I haven’t stopped blushing since.
I’m so high on life and so blissfully wrapped in my bubble of joy that when I enter my office and close the door, I don’t even notice I’m not alone.
“Hello, Madelyn,” Kathleen’s cool voice cuts through my happiness cocoon like a steel blade.
She sits in a chair just inside the door, looking every bit the politician’s wife in her matching skirt and blazer set.
Derek is standing by the floor-to-ceiling window wearing one of his many suits and a defeated expression.
He holds a bouquet of roses limply in one hand.
“Hi, Maddycakes,” he says tentatively.
“What are you doing here?” It comes out harsher than I intended. No. On second thought, it comes out exactly as harsh as I mean it to.
Derek looks to his mother for…I’m not sure. Direction? Is he looking for permission to answer? I don’t know and I really don’t care.
“We’re here so you two can talk things out.
” Kathleen’s soft tone is in direct contrast to the hard set look in her eyes.
“This has gone on long enough, Madelyn. I should have expected it, really. Wedding planning can be stressful and with the move and your job, it was more than you were capable of handling. But Derek is willing to look past everything that’s happened.
We will still proceed with the July wedding, but we really need to get back on track. ”
I look between Kathleen and her son as I decide the best way to respond. Finally, it hits me.
I smile at her with fake warmth before saying, “Get the fuck out of my office, Kathleen.”
Mother and son wear matching expressions of shock. Mommy Dearest recovers first, her spine snapping straight.
“I beg your pardon,” she says, her voice like ice cracking across the frozen canal.
“I’m serious,” I reply, my voice calm but firm.
“I don’t owe either of you anything. Not an apology, not an explanation, and definitely not another chance.
Honestly, I can’t even begin to understand why you’re pushing for a reconciliation.
The only reason I can think of is that you’re too embarrassed to tell your country club coven the wedding’s off.
Well, it is off. So do us all a favor and cross it off your social calendar. ”
Her mouth drops open, painted on red lips trembling with outrage. “You ungrateful little—”
“Mother, stop.” Derek’s voice cuts through the tension. He moves quickly, crossing the room to her side. With surprising gentleness he takes her by the hand and helps her to her feet. “Please…wait for me in the lobby.”
Kathleen blinks at him, stunned. “Darling, this is not what we discussed.”
“Well,” he says, casting a glance over his shoulder at me, “plans change. Clearly. I’d like to speak to Madelyn alone.”
It’s obvious Kathleen is barely holding it together. She gives me a seething look, but to my amazement, she doesn’t argue. Instead, she pivots on her stiletto with a huff of indignation before leaving us alone.
Goodbye, forever! I sing-song in my head.
Derek closes the door behind her and turns back to me. It feels like a face off. We’re two opponents, grappling for control. But I remind myself that I’ve already won and I don’t have to play this game any longer.
“Madelyn,” he speaks calmly and professionally, like I’m a difficult client. “Is there any chance we can salvage this?”
“Derek,” I match his tone. “Do you actually think what we had is worth saving?”
Aside from the brief flaring of his nostrils, his face remains neutral.
“So that’s it?” He asks, matter-of-factly. “You’re really calling this?”
I sigh, sitting on the edge of my desk. “I am sorry, Derek. But I don’t want to be with you. I don’t think I have for a long time, if I’m being honest. And I think if you're being honest with yourself, you don’t want to be with me either. Am I wrong?”
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he turns to the window, watching the city beyond it like it might offer some kind of answer. The silence stretches, heavy but not hostile.
“Everything about us made sense,” he says eventually. “On paper.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah. On paper, we looked perfect. I think we both convinced ourselves that should be enough.”
“But it wasn’t.” His voice is quieter now, more reflective. “My parents were really pushing me to settle down. I thought that was what I wanted, too—or maybe I just didn’t want to disappoint them. I don’t know. I’m not even sure anymore.”
“You still have time,” I say gently. “You’ll find someone who wants the same things you do.”
He scoffs, giving me that familiar little eye roll—the one that used to make me clench my jaw and bite my tongue. “Are you going to start giving me dating advice now, Maddy?”
“No,” I reply, offering a faint smile. “But can I give you a bit of life advice?”
He shrugs. “Sure. What the hell.”
“Figure out what you want, Derek. What kind of life you want to build, what kind of partner will actually fit into that picture. Don’t make choices just to please your parents or to hit someone else’s milestones. Make them for you.”
He’s quiet again, his brow furrowed like he’s trying to solve a case with half the evidence missing.
“My parents gave me everything,” he says after a moment, almost defensively.
“I get that,” I say. “But think of your life like a car. Just because your parents gave it to you, doesn’t mean they get to drive it.”
He huffs a laugh, the edge of a real smile tugging at his mouth. “That was actually… kind of profound. Can I be honest now?”
“Please do.”
“I felt…relieved,” he admits. “When you left. I didn’t want to say it at the time. I didn’t even want to admit it to myself. But I think a part of me knew it was for the best.”
I meet his eyes and nod. “I felt the same way.”
“And I really hate that fucking cat.”
I grin. “He hates you more.”
“So,” he says, voice low, hand still holding the bouquet like he doesn’t know what to do with it. “This is goodbye?”
I nod, gently but firmly. “Yeah. This is goodbye.”
For a beat, neither of us moves. Then he lifts the flowers between us, awkwardly. “These were…for you.”
I offer a faint smile, then shake my head. “Give them to your mother.”
He raises an eyebrow. “That’s…generous of you.”
I don’t mention that I’m secretly hoping she pricks herself on every single thorn.
“Goodbye, Derek.”
“Goodbye, Madelyn.” He looks around the room again, more appreciatively this time. “This is a great office. I wish you the very best.”
“Likewise,” I tell him.
And then he’s gone.
I glance around the room and shake my head. If I had incense, I’d light it right now—anything to cleanse the space of Kathleen’s lingering perfume.
A notification chimes from my desk. I grab my phone from my bag and find a new message from Ben. It’s a selfie of him on our bed, all eighteen pounds of Cheshire settled on his chest. He captioned it “Male Bonding.”
I grin at my phone thinking about Derek’s words. “I wish you the very best.”
I already have it.