CHAPTER 27
Elena
Thomas looked up from his laptop when I knocked on the glass door, his expression shifting into something measured and professional.
“Come in.”
“Can I talk to you for a moment?” I asked.
He assessed me quietly, then slid his laptop slightly to the side. “Alright. Have a seat.”
I took the seat across from him, folding my hands in my lap.
“I’d like to request some time off,” I said evenly.
He leaned back slightly, studying me. “How long?”
“Three weeks.”
He let out a small breath, not quite a sigh, just acknowledgment, and tilted his head. “You’re aiming high.”
I met his gaze. “I know.”
There was a pause. Not dramatic. Just long enough for him to mentally run through schedules, workloads, reality.
“Elena,” he said finally, “I can approve two.”
I nodded. No surprise. No protest.
“I figured,” I said. “That works.”
He studied me for a moment, his brow creasing faintly. “Everything okay?”
The question wasn’t invasive. It was procedural. But it came from someone who had watched me long enough to notice when something was off.
“I need space to recalibrate,” I said. “I’m still committed to my role. I just need to come back... clearer.”
Thomas studied me for a moment longer, then nodded.
“Alright,” he said.
He exhaled lightly, his fingers tapping once against the edge of his laptop. “I should probably explain why I can’t give you the full three weeks.”
I waited.
“I called Harley in yesterday,” he continued. “About his resignation.”
The words landed more softly than I expected, but they still caught me off guard.
“Oh,” I said quietly. “He... hasn’t said anything to me yet.”
Thomas gave a small nod, as if he’d anticipated my reaction.
“Yeah. I wanted to confirm it with him yesterday,” he said. “This has been under discussion at the executive level for some time, especially the timing, given his background and long-term plans.”
That made sense. Still, I hadn’t expected it to feel like this, like a piece of stability shifting beneath my feet.
“He’s not permanent here,” Thomas added gently, as if reading my expression. “We’ve known that from the beginning.”
“I know,” I said, nodding slowly. “I just didn’t realize the timing would be... now.”
“Neither did I,” Thomas admitted. “But it explains why I need to be careful with approvals right now. Losing him means redistribution, at least temporarily.”
I understood. Of course I did.
There was a brief pause before he looked back at me, more considerate now than procedural.
“That said,” he continued, “your workload has been solid, and you haven’t taken much time off in a while. So if you want to start your leave sooner, while things are still manageable, I can arrange that.”
I lifted my gaze. “Sooner?”
“As early as next week,” he said. “We’ll just need to coordinate the handover. You can loop Harley in, make sure nothing critical falls through before he leaves.”
I considered it for a moment. Not the logistics, those were easy. It was the permission, the quiet acknowledgment that this wasn’t selfish.
“That would help,” I said finally. “I’ll talk to him.”
Thomas nodded. “Good.”
He glanced back at his screen, signaling the end of the meeting, then added, not as my boss, but as someone who’d worked with me long enough to know my patterns.
“Take the two weeks, Elena. Use them properly. We’ll be here when you get back.”
I stood, offering a small, genuine smile. “Thank you.”
As I walked out of his office, the hallway felt the same—keyboards clicking, phones ringing, the steady hum of work continuing uninterrupted. But I felt the shift. Not everything was falling apart. Things were changing, and this time, I was choosing when to step back, and when to return.
I walked back to my desk and saw Harley already there, seated in his chair, sleeves rolled up, eyes fixed on his screen. Our gazes met briefly before he looked away again, a little too quickly.
I hesitated for half a second, then walked over.
“Hey,” I said.
He looked up, clearly not expecting me. “Morning.”
“Do you have lunch plans today?”
His brows drew together slightly, surprise flickering across his face before he masked it. “No. Why?”
“I was thinking we could grab lunch together,” I said, offering a small smile. “I still owe you one, remember?”
He blinked once, processing, then let out a quiet breath that might have been a laugh. “Alright,” he said, nodding.
Then, as if realizing how straightforward that sounded, he added lightly, “Works for me, boss.”
There was something in his tone, casual, teasing, but his expression hadn’t quite caught up yet, like he was still a step behind the moment.
“Good.” I smiled, gave a small nod, and stepped back.
I returned to my desk and opened my laptop again, letting the rhythm of work pull me back in.
By the time the clock crept toward lunch, my shoulders were tight. I stretched, rolled my neck once, then stood and walked over to Harley’s desk.
“Lunch?” I asked.
He looked up, momentarily caught off guard, then pushed his chair back. “Yeah. Sure.”
In the elevator, I glanced at him. “Anything you feel like?”
He shrugged easily. “I’m good with anything.”
“There’s an Italian place two blocks from here,” I said. “Nothing fancy. I’ve been there a few times with Jess.”
He shot me a sideways look, amused. “What’s the occasion?”
I let out a small huff of laughter. “There isn’t one.”
He smiled, but didn’t push.
We walked there mostly in silence, side by side, close enough that our arms almost brushed but never did. Every now and then, I felt his gaze flick toward me. I ignored it.
When we reached the restaurant, Harley stepped ahead and held the door open.
“After you.”
We ordered pasta and iced drinks, nothing alcoholic. Work lunches still had rules.
The food came quickly, and for a while, we just ate.
When our plates were nearly empty, I finally spoke. “I talked to Thomas today,” I said. “I’m taking two weeks off.”
He looked up immediately. “You? Taking time off?”
I smiled faintly. “I know. Hard to believe.”
He leaned back slightly, studying me, then nodded. “Good for you.”
“I’ll need you to cover a few things while I’m gone,” I added. “Just temporarily.”
“Of course,” he said without hesitation. Then, more casually, “Where are you going?”
“Florida.”
He hummed softly. “Sounds... good.”
Silence settled again, not awkward, just careful.
Then he spoke. “I was actually planning to tell you something today.”
I already knew. Still, I waited.
“I’m resigning,” he said. “I meant to tell you myself.”
“I know,” I said gently. “Thomas told me.”
His shoulders dropped slightly. “Yeah… I’m sorry about that. You should’ve heard it from me first. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but it didn’t feel like the right time.”
“It’s okay,” I said honestly. “I understand.”
We fell quiet again. Harley picked up the pen on the table and rolled it between his fingers, a habit I’d seen a hundred times before.
A smile slipped out before I could stop it. “Don’t mess things up over there,” I said lightly. “You won’t have me fixing your reports anymore.”
He laughed, real and unguarded this time, the sound brief but genuine. “I’ll manage. You trained me for five years, remember?”
I laughed too, the kind that slipped out before I could think about it. He watched me for a moment, then hesitated, just enough to be noticeable.
“I hope you’ll be happy again, Elena,” he said quietly.
The sincerity caught me off guard. “Oh,” I said, then smiled. “I will. Thank you.”
He nodded, accepting the answer without asking for more.
— ? —
Adrian
I got home just after seven.
The house was already lit—not bright, not dim—just enough to feel lived in. The quiet wasn’t empty. It was orderly. Functional. Like a place that still worked, even if something important inside it had stopped trying.
“Daddy!”
Haille’s voice came from the living room before I could even put my bag down. A second later, she came running toward me, curls bouncing, arms stretched wide like she’d been waiting all day. I dropped to one knee just in time to catch her.
“How was your day, bug?” I said, lifting her up.
She smiled, her arms tightening around my neck. “Fuuuun,” she said proudly. “Buzz and Alysa draw with me.”
I smiled automatically. “Oh yeah?”
“Yes!” She nodded eagerly. “I color lion, whale, and elephant.”
“Good,” I replied, pressing a kiss into her hair.
Without meaning to, my gaze drifted toward the kitchen. Elena was there, moving calmly between the stove and the counter, sleeves rolled up, hair tied back. Dinner was already halfway done. Of course it was. She always planned ahead.
“Go tell Mommy you want to wash hands first,” I said softly.
Haille slid out of my arms and ran off, already calling out to her.
I stood there for a second longer than necessary, then walked past the kitchen and straight down the hall.
The guest room door was open. It was already starting to feel like mine.
All of my clothes were neatly arranged in the closet—every shirt, every pair of pants, hung or folded in their place, as if they had always belonged there. They had only been moved, like so many other things lately.
I changed without thinking. The motions came easily now. Guest room. Work clothes off. Home clothes on.
By the time I stepped back out, the table was set. We listened to Haille talk as we ate dinner, her hands moving as much as her words, crumbs collecting near her plate as she excitedly pointed things out between bites.
For a moment, it almost felt normal.
“Thomas approved my leave,” Elena said suddenly.
My fork paused halfway to my mouth. “How long?” I asked.
“Two weeks,” she replied. “I’ll start next week.”
Next week.
The word landed heavier than it should’ve.
“Oh,” I said quietly.
Elena turned to Haille then, her voice gentle. “Mommy and you are going on a little trip, sweetheart. We’re going to see Nana and Papa. And the beach.”
Haille perked up instantly. “Mommy say beach!” she repeated proudly, bouncing slightly in her seat. “We play water!”
Elena smiled at her. “Yes, sweetheart. We’ll play in the sand, look for shells, and eat snacks.”
Haille’s eyes widened.
Then she turned to me, hope lighting up her whole face. “Swim with Daddy!”
The room stilled.
I felt it, that instinctive pull to say yes. To promise. To make it easier.
Instead, I forced a smile. “Sorry, bug,” I said gently. “Daddy can’t come. Daddy has to work.”
Her face fell immediately. “But... swim?” she asked softly. “With Daddy?”
I took a steady breath. “Not this time, bug.”
Her lip trembled, disappointment hitting fast and honest.
“But Nana and Papa will be there,” I added quickly. “And Papa’s really good at swimming.”
Her eyes lit up again. “Swim with Papa?”
“Very,” I nodded. “He’s just as good as Daddy.”
That did it.
“Yay!” she laughed, already distracted by the idea, her excitement bouncing back as easily as it had fallen.
Elena watched the exchange quietly, her expression unreadable.
I finished my meal without tasting much of it, listening to Haille hum to herself.
The house filled with the small, ordinary sounds of dinner. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t broken. Still, it didn’t feel like mine.
After dinner, Elena cleared the table while I helped Haille brush her teeth and get into her pajamas. She yawned halfway through a story and fell asleep before I finished the last page.
I stood by her crib for a while, watching her breathe. After making sure she was asleep, I turned off the light and walked out.
Downstairs, Elena was wiping the counter, focused, as if the small task required all her attention.
I wanted to touch her. The urge came suddenly, sharp and overwhelming, to pull her into my arms, to tell her I didn’t know how to fix this but I would learn, to ask her what she needed, to beg if that’s what it took.
Instead, I stayed where I was. This wasn’t my moment anymore. Everything that came next belonged to her.
“Goodnight,” I said quietly.
She looked up. Met my eyes for just a second. “Goodnight, Adrian.”
I went back to the guest room and closed the door. The house settled into silence again, not broken, not healed, just waiting.