Chapter 3 The Office

They finally got to Amy's apartment and she slumped down on the couch, exhausted from all the crying she'd done.

"Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?" April asked, unable to keep the anger out of her voice. "What did he do to you?" April asked curiously, wanting to hear the full details about what happened.

Amy sniffled and remained quiet before she finally spoke, her voice raspy from crying. "Brent, he *hic* he... I saw them *hic* together, April. Oh God, it was awful" Amy spoke with the hiccups making her sound barely coherent

"That...that motherfucker!" April growled, folding her fists into balls. "She *hic* she was supposed to be his cousin" Amy paused to swallow the lump in her throat. She had cried all her tears out and now she just felt exhausted. She wished she could just close her eyes and wake up from this bad dream, but no matter how hard she tried, the harsh reality wouldn't let go.

"I- I trusted him. I *hic* I tried to be the perfect girlfriend. I gave *hic* gave him space whenever he needed it. We were *hic* we were happy. I thought we were happy" Amy paused, her last sentence coming out as a whisper.

"Oh my God" Amy gasped as if she'd just realized something. "His cousin? I'm just so *hic* so stupid, aren't I? They got me. They both fucking got me " Amy said miserably.

April couldn't stand to watch Amy's self loathing so she crouched down in front of her, holding both of her hands as she said.

"You're not stupid, Amy. You don't deserve any of this. "You're a smart, beautiful, badass babe and don't need a man to make you feel whole". You're worth so much more than that lying sack of shit."

"First thing tomorrow, I'm heading over there and when I'm done with him, he's going to need a whole facial reconstruction," April said with gritted teeth.

Amy smiled weakly at April before shaking her head. She honestly didn't know what she did to deserve someone as caring as April in her life. No matter how bad things got, April always stood by her and she was grateful to have a friend who genuinely cared for her.

"No, don't. It...It's over. There's no point," Amy muttered, before adding "Thanks April. You're the best friend a person could ask for"

April sighed, her fire in her eyes slowly dying out. She threw her arm around Amy and pulled her in for a hug.

"You're going to get through this, Ames. You'll rise above this and come out even more brilliant than before, I promise." She said, her voice barely above a whisper Amy hummed in response as she held April tighter. "Can you please hold me?" Amy asked, and April complied.

They both moved to the bed and lay down, snuggling against each other. Amy didn't have to wait too long for sleep as crying had drained all the energy she had and she was sucked into a black, dreamless sleep.

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Amy spent the next few days moping around the house. The emotional breakdown she'd gone through had taken a huge toll on her both physically and mentally, and she came down with a fever the next day.

It still hurt to think about what happened, but she was getting better every day and it didn't hurt as much anymore.

"Hey Ames?! How do you feel about toast for breakfast?" April shouted from the kitchen. April had taken leave from work to stay by her side through everything, doing all she could to make sure Amy was comfortable as she nursed her back to health.

"You know you don't need to yell, right? The kitchen is literally right next to my room!" Amy yelled back at her

"Is that sass I hear, young lady?" April teased and Amy rolled her eyes.

"No ma'am, of course not, "Amy replied with a fake gasp to which April just laughed.They then fell into a comfortable silence, with April humming casually as she prepared breakfast.

April was finally done, and as they sat, Amy finally spoke up. "I want to head over to the office today," she said with a serious tone.

April paused and looked up, opening her mouth to say something before stopping herself, then after a few seconds of silence between the two of them, she finally spoke, " Of course, and I'll be right beside you every step of the way"

Amy smiled gratefully at April, then they both returned to eating breakfast. Amy stopped in front of the building, taking deep breaths to prepare herself for what was to come. She'd been dreading ever having to see Brent, but she knew she couldn't stay holed up at home forever.

"We can turn around and come back tomorrow if you want?" April said from beside her.

"No.. I can do this. I have to do this," Amy said, steeling her nerves before she walked in, April following suit.

Amy's heart pounded as she stepped out of the elevator on the top floor of the office building. She had been feeling excited and nervous to show April the startup she had built with her now ex-boyfriend. They hadn't spoken since the incident, but Brent had sent her a text which read "Sorry you had to find out this way. I hope you find happiness elsewhere". April had scoffed at the message and Amy just didn't care anymore.

As she walked into the office space, Amy was filled with pride at what she had helped create. The past few days had been tough, but seeing her company still thriving brought a sigh of relief. She'd given everything to build it, and now the effort was paying off. Motivational quotes adorned the walls, and the team, dressed smartly, diligently worked on their computers.

Colleagues warmly welcomed them, but Amy's heart stung at the sight of Brent. As they approached, they noticed he was engrossed in conversation with a coworker. A nudge from the colleague made Brent turn, catching sight of them at the door. He gave them both a nervous smile and April could only think about knocking his teeth out but she restrained herself as she'd promised Amy she would behave, but that didn't stop her from glaring daggers at Brent who shuffled uncomfortably in his seat as they approached.

As Amy stood at his desk, she could see him squirm in his seat. Brent appeared uneasy, a hint of nervousness coloring his expression. Amy couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction, suspecting it might be the weight of guilt for what he had done to her.

She waved away the unnecessary thoughts and moved past Brent, proceeding to show April around the office space. They stopped at the various desks, each one with its plethora of trinkets, tools, and whatnots– a workplace filled with character and life.

After a few minutes of walking around, Amy decided that, as much as she wanted to avoid it, she had to talk to Brent. She asked April to wait outside and went into Brent's office to speak to him

"Mr. Edward," she said in a professional tone as she spoke to Brent.

"Amy I-" Brent started, but he was immediately cut off by

Amy

"Mr. Edward, please. I would like us to be professional as this is a workspace. Now if you'll excuse me I have a lot of catching up on work to do "

Her ex-boyfriend raised an eyebrow before clearing his throat. "I have something to tell you, Amy," he said in a somber tone. "You don't work here anymore."