After being reborn, I make up my mind to stop chasing after my husband and daughter

The sound of the door closing rang out in the quiet, sharp and final. I stood by the bathroom door, zoning out for ages before finally sinking into the hot water. The warmth wrapped around me, and only then did my heart finally settle down, wrapped in comfort and quiet.

I had no idea what would happen after Ryan left–and honestly, I didn’t want to know.

He was just heading back to his own world, and I was nothing, but a firework in his life–blazing bright for a moment, then gone, just ashes left, nothing to remember me by.

For me, breakups had become so routine, they barely even fazed me at work anymore.

Honestly, it was just my way of protecting myself–throwing up a fortress around my heart and tucking my feelings deep inside. As long as I didn’t let myself think about it, it didn’t hurt.

By dusk, after a few days of clear skies, it started snowing again.

By six, everyone else had headed out, and the once lively office was suddenly quiet.

“Vic, why are you still here? Didn’t your boyfriend drop by today?” A few of my close coworkers liked to joke around with me–they all knew I was dating a younger guy, but nobody had a clue what he actually did.

“So, what are you guys up to tonight?” I asked with a grin.

They were all single, and I’d heard them talk about their fun plans before. Tonight, I figured I might as well join in and let loose with them for a change.

“We’re heading to a chill bar to hit on some hotties,” one of them laughed.

“Yeah, I heard they’ve got some college students doing live music there. Vic, you should come check it out with us.”

I tucked my papers into the drawer, stood up with a smile, and said, “Sure, why not? I’ve been so caught up in work, I haven’t had a chance to unwind.”

“So… Vic, can we expense tonight’s drinks?” one of the girls asked, giving me those puppy dog eyes.

I waved my hand dismissively. “Nope, no expensing. I’m covering it.”

“Woohoo! Vic, you’re the best!” The girls jumped up and down, cheering, and then started plotting how they were going to take advantage of me.

my team’s loyalty was just

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Chapter 550

my year–end dividends were going to be so fat my hands would get tired counting them. First, there was the cash coming in from Jared’s side-

I was seriously loaded

big, with that trendy industrial–chic decor. Still, the place was

or we’d never have gotten a seat,”

spot right in the center, and all the servers were young guys–fresh–faced, clean–cut, and grinning from ear to ear. They kept calling us “ladies” with

here. You drinking tonight?” one of the girls

to the music–the chill DJ set

over the place, but Ryan would’ve already set

today, my phone was dead quiet,

lost someone, it went from a

is their house special,” one of the girls said, sliding

then a wave of sweetness, and finally a little burn at the

up on you,” someone warned,

tonight. Is it because you just closed a bunch of

“Yeah, work’s been going great. Everything’s falling

stage, singing and dancing with all the energy of youth. Their vibe was infectious,

2/4

07:32 Sat, 6 Sept

Chapter 550

my seat, my black turtleneck starting to feel a bit too warm. My hair, which I’d had up earlier, was coming undone, so I just pulled out the hair tie and let it tumble down around my shoulders.

attractive, and with the alcohol buzzing in my veins, my gaze turned sultry and unfocused as I watched

slowly unbuttoning his shirt, peeling it off piece by piece, until all that was left was

stomach lurched and I almost gagged. I shot up

bathroom.

fantasizing about Ryan doing something so seductive?‘ I thought, feeling