Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
Solenn
Nina’s apartment was warm, and cozy, and smelled faintly of vanilla and cinnamon.
It was the kind of place that made people feel safe, a stark contrast to the emotional wreck I had become over the last twenty-four hours.
I was curled up on her couch, drowning in an oversized hoodie and a blanket, my hair an unbrushed mess, and my face puffy from crying.
The only things keeping me together were the tub of ice cream in my lap and Nina sitting beside me, watching me like she was waiting for me to combust.
"You look like a raccoon that lost a fistfight with a trash can," she finally said, breaking the silence.
I stabbed my spoon into the ice cream without looking up. "How comforting."
She stretched her legs out, propping them on the coffee table as she picked at a piece of lint on her sweatpants. "Okay, I let you cry all night. I even let you hog my bed while I suffered on the couch. Now, spill. Every. Single. Detail."
I sighed, my grip tightening around the spoon. "Do I have to?"
"Yes," Nina deadpanned. "Because you’ve been staring at that ice cream like it personally betrayed you, and I need to know who to murder."
I took a slow breath, my chest tightening as I thought about the mess I had walked away from. "Fine," I muttered, shoving a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth before I lost my nerve.
And then, I told her everything.
I told her about the gala, about Maverick’s stupid possessiveness, the way he held me like I was his.
I told her about the way Nadia appeared, and how she looked at me like I was nothing.
How she practically slithered into that elevator with me, smug and untouchable.
How she poured that damn wine on me like she was the villain in a soap opera.
And then—the kiss.
I forced the words out, even though they felt like knives in my chest. "I walked into his office, and she was kissing him."
Nina’s brows shot up. "You’re kidding."
I let out a hollow laugh. "I wish."
She leaned forward. "And then what?"
I poked at my ice cream, voice flat. "I left."
Silence.
Then Nina frowned. "You left?"
I shrugged, still avoiding her gaze. "What was I supposed to do? Stand there and wait for him to pull away? Wait for him to say something that would somehow make it okay. I’m not an idiot, Nina."
She exhaled, rubbing her temples. "So let me get this straight. You saw him kissing the witch, didn’t even give him a chance to explain, and just walked away?"
I shot her a glare. "Why does that sound like you’re blaming me?"
"Because I kind of am," she said unapologetically. "Babe, did you even ask what happened?"
I scowled, the ache in my chest growing sharper. "What explanation could make that okay?"
Nina gave me a long, unimpressed look. "Oh, I don’t know. Maybe something like he didn’t kiss her, she kissed him? Maybe something like security footage exists in every inch of that damn company, and you could’ve checked before deciding your entire relationship was doomed?"
I opened my mouth. Then closed it.
A beat of silence stretched between us.
Nina’s eyes widened. "Oh my god."
I cleared my throat. "I mean?—"
"You didn’t even consider checking the footage, did you?"
I shoved another bite of ice cream into my mouth, refusing to look at her.
"Solenn!" She smacked my arm with a throw pillow. "Are you serious?"
I swallowed, still avoiding her gaze. "Look, it doesn’t matter, okay? I walked in, I saw what I saw, and I’m not about to humiliate myself by going back there just to find out if I was wrong."
Nina groaned, slumping back against the couch. "Unbelievable. And what if you were wrong? What if he’s sitting in his billionaire office, miserable, wondering why the hell you just up and left without a word?"
I hated how badly that sounded exactly like Maverick.
I let out a slow breath, setting my ice cream down on the coffee table. "It’s too late now, Nina."
"It’s not."
"It is," I said firmly, grabbing my laptop from the armrest. "Because I’m resigning."
Nina’s mouth fell open. "What?"
I powered up my laptop, my fingers moving quickly across the keyboard. "I was going to wait a few days, but honestly, the longer I sit here doing nothing, the more pathetic I feel."
"So your solution is to quit?"
"Yes," I said simply. "Because of of this? This is humiliating. And I refuse to sit in that office pretending like everything is normal while knowing exactly what happened."
Nina crossed her arms. "But you don’t know what happened."
I froze for a split second. But only a second.
Then I inhaled sharply and kept typing.
"Sol," Nina said, her tone softer now. "You’re doing this because you’re hurt. And I get it, babe. But what if you’re making a mistake?"
I clenched my jaw, staring at the cursor blinking on the screen. "I can’t afford to be wrong, Nina."
She sighed, shaking her head, but didn’t say anything else.
I finished typing, rereading the words carefully.
Subject: Resignation
Maverick,
I am submitting my resignation effective immediately.
Please consider this my official notice. There is no need for further discussion. My decision is final.
Solenn
Short. Direct. Cold.
I hovered over the send button for too long.
Then, with a deep breath, I clicked it.
And just like that, I cut myself out of his life.