Chapter 4 I'll Be Broken With It, Gone Forever

Before Alexander's thoughts could settle, a sound came from the adjoining room, followed by Suzanne's voice. "Alex, are we leaving for the company now?"

She stepped out barefoot, her expression uneasy when she spotted him standing in Florrie's room. "Sorry, Florrie, I didn't mean to intrude..."

Suzanne pressed a hand to her temple and swayed as if she might collapse.

At once, Alexander dismissed Florrie's strange behavior and rushed toward Suzanne, lifting her into his arms. "It's freezing in here. Why are you walking around without shoes? Do you have any idea how worried I'd be if you ended up sick?"

He didn't spare Florrie another glance. Carrying Suzanne back toward the master bedroom, he instructed over his shoulder, "Get what I told you done quickly. I'm taking Suzanne to the company this afternoon."

Florrie nodded quietly, watching his back until he disappeared, her mind growing distant and hazy.

She remembered how Alexis used to hold her just like that, his voice both warm and teasing. "Babe, you're running around the house barefoot again? What if you get sick?" he'd ask with a worried laugh.

She had lost the love of her life-the man who had always put her first and saved her one last time before dying right before her eyes.

Alexander never learned the truth-he had a brother, five years older, who went by Alexis. And that man was her real "Alex."

For him, she would have walked through fire, just to stay close to him.

Later, while driving to the office, Florrie's thoughts swirled, heavy and unspoken.

When she stepped inside, a group of colleagues whispered nearby.

"That girl with Mr. Jenkins today is his fiancee, isn't she? She looks incredible."

"I heard they've known each other forever, and her family's background is perfect for his. She went abroad for a finance degree and only just recently returned..."

Florrie couldn't help but give a small, bitter smile.

No one ever knew that Florrie had been Alexander's wife for three years, yet his childhood sweetheart who had only just returned was already being introduced proudly by him to everyone.

She ignored the whispers around her and headed straight into her office.

When she finished sorting through the project files, noise suddenly rose outside her door.

Alexander walked in with Suzanne close behind him, his arm slightly angled as though to shield her. With a faint smile, he announced, "Starting today, Miss Suzanne Hewitt will serve as the deputy director of the Marketing Department. I expect everyone to support her in her new role."

The news sparked a wave of surprise through the office, and Florrie's hand froze over her mouse.

That position had once been hers.

Adalyn Davies, Florrie's loyal assistant, darted a cautious glance toward her before she asked, "Mr. Jenkins, what about Florrie?"

Alexander's tone was calm but dismissive. "She'll be assisting Suzanne for the time being, especially with the Greenhill Village redevelopment project."

The staff exchanged uneasy looks, though Suzanne's cheeks turned pink as she smiled shyly. "Then I'll be relying on you, Florrie."

She moved forward, stretching out her hand. The moment Florrie touched her fingers, Suzanne stumbled backward, sending a cup crashing off the desk.

Florrie's eyes widened as she reached out instinctively, but she missed. The cup hit the floor and shattered into fragments.

Pieces of porcelain scattered across the floor. Suzanne swayed and caught herself, turning a wide-eyed look on Florrie. "Florrie, do you dislike me?" she asked softly.

Her words weren't an accusation, but the message was obvious.

Suzanne clearly expected Florrie to argue, yet Florrie didn't speak. She just stared at the shattered cup, her whole body trembling, tears filling her eyes.

That cup had been Alexis' last gift to her, given on Christmas Eve, the night before his death. He painted the two of them on it-her in a wedding gown leaning in his arms as they walked toward the church. He had remarked, "Florrie, one day I'll marry you. Let this cup be my promise. If I break that promise, you can smash it, and I'll be broken with it, gone forever."

Since losing Alexis, she had treasured that cup. Now, it was nothing but fragments on the floor.

Rage surged through Florrie as she clenched her fists. Without a second thought, she strode forward and slapped Suzanne hard across the face.