Chapter 4 Hidden Love

I braced myself, preparing to stand my ground against Nathaniel, even though I knew he was far stronger than me.

But just as I was about to face him, Emma stepped forward and positioned herself between us, blocking his path. "No, Nathaniel, stop it. You cannot raise your hand against a woman."

I couldn't tell if she was genuinely trying to show humanity or if this was just another act to project herself as a kind, noble person. Either way, I had no interest in her drama or what she was trying to portray. I was done with it. Without a second thought, I turned and walked out of the office.

"Where do you think you're going? Come here, I want to talk to you! I want to show you who I really am," Nathaniel yelled after me.

I stopped, pulling at the door. Anger surged through me, and I gripped the doorknob so tightly my knuckles turned white. Taking a deep breath, I turned back to face them.

"I don't know about you, but I will show you who I am, Nathaniel," I said, my voice calm but filled with fierce determination. "I'll make sure you regret betraying me. And mark my words, one day you'll be on your knees begging for my forgiveness. And when that day comes, I won't just make you suffer, I'll make you lose everything you thought you had..."

With that, I slammed the door behind me and staggered to my desk-now no longer mine. Tears rushed down my cheeks, but I kept wiping them away with the back of my hand, determined to stay strong.

Just then, I felt a hand gently rest on my shoulder.

"Hey..." I didn't even have to look to know who it was. I hurriedly wiped my tears away and forced a smile.

"I... I did it, Dee. I did it. Finally, I'm free..." My voice wavered, but I tried to keep the tremor out of it.

Dee gently lifted my chin, inspecting my cheek. "He slapped you..."

"Don't worry, I slapped him back. That doesn't matter anymore, Dee." I took her hand, the tears threatening to fall again. "I'm free now. That's the only thing that matters. So now, I need to go..." I pretended to search for my bag, hoping to ignore her concerned gaze.

"It's beside the box," she said suddenly, breaking the silence.

I glanced at the desk and realized she was right. It was behind the box where I'd packed up my things. I started going through the box, checking if anything was missing.

Without warning, Dee grabbed my arms and pulled me into a tight hug. I couldn't stop myself from melting into it, and before I knew it, I was sobbing in her arms. She comforted me, rubbing my back as I let the emotions flood out.

When I finally pulled back, feeling a little better, I sniffled and whispered, "Thank you, Dee, for always being there for me. I'm going to miss you so much."

"Come on, we'll still be in the same city, right? Or don't tell me you're planning on running off without telling me." She raised an eyebrow, trying to read me.

With a playful smile, I quipped, "What would you do if I left? Would you come after me?"

"Of course!" She smirked. "I've always told you, I'll follow you even afterlife."

"Ouch! That hurts," I teased, rubbing my arm.

"Well, next time, think before you talk nonsense," she said, chuckling. "Now go on. Pick up your stuff, leave, and start your new life before I throw you out myself."

"Ouch! That hurts too," I said, clutching my chest. "Anyway, I'll stay in touch. For now, let's say goodbye." I threw my bag over my shoulder and picked up the box.

"Take care!" she said, kissing my cheek. "And if you run into any problems, don't bother calling me. The problems caused by troublemakers like you will be impossible for me to solve. So you better find someone who can handle it."

"Well, in that case, I'm afraid I'll never call you, Dee. If I can't call my friend in need, why should I call you?" I raised an eyebrow.

She threw her hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, you can call me whenever you want."

Grinning, I replied, "Whenever I want, Dee? Are you sure?"

She rolled her eyes. "Stop it. Don't you want to leave? Go now, or else I'll flood this company with my tears."

"I'd be the happiest if you did that," I joked.

"I wish I could, babe girl. But I'm not as lucky as you to get accepted into a reputable company. Flooding this place would bring an economic crisis in my life," she laughed.

"I'll miss you, you savage bitch," I said, pouting.

"I'll miss you too, you crazy bitch," she smirked back.

After one final goodbye, I made my way out of the company. As I stepped into the elevator, I glanced back one last time at the office where I had worked for the past three years. I had always been so grateful and happy there, convinced that it was where I had found the love of my life. But I never imagined that it would end in such heartbreak.

After spending some time alone at the beach, I returned to my apartment. As I placed the box on the table, my phone rang.

I dropped onto the couch, reaching for my bag and pulling out the phone. Glancing at the screen, I saw Nathaniel's name flashing.

Rolling my eyes, I rejected the call and tossed the phone aside, throwing my head back onto the cushion. Thoughts of Nathaniel and Emma flooded my mind, and no matter how hard I tried to push them away, the tears kept flowing down the sides of my face.

When my phone rang again, I picked it up without looking. Seeing it was Nathaniel again, I rejected the call and immediately blacklisted his number.

I got up and headed to the washroom, taking a long, soothing bath to calm my nerves. When I returned, I made some hot soup for dinner, but as soon as I took a sip, the taste brought back memories of Nathaniel.

'Why? Why am I still thinking about him? After everything he did, why can't I move on?'

Just then, my phone rang again. I retrieved it from the table and saw it was from an unknown number.

I cleared my throat, took a deep breath, and pressed the answer button.

As soon as I put it to my ear, I yelled, "What the hell is your problem? I walked away from you so you can have your secret romance with your precious Emma. Why are you still calling me? Please, just tell me-what did I do wrong to deserve your betrayal?"

There was a slight pause before the voice on the other end responded. "Ahem... Is this Miss Hemsworth?"

"Um... yes, who is this?" I stammered, caught off guard.

"This is the CEO of ABC Corporation."

*What... the... CEO? My heart skipped a beat. *ABC Corporation? My new workplace? Why is the CEO calling me? Please don't tell me this is a rejection call. Please, don't say I've been turned down...