(Rosalind's POV)
I let out a cold laugh. "Honey, you left your bride at the altar to chase a psycho. You are the one ruining the firm's image, I am doing my best to save the situation! What did you expect? Have hundreds of guests sitting there waiting for you to return from playing the hero?"
"I-" He faltered. He wasn't used to me fighting back.
I opened my mouth to tell him about my resignation. About the breakup.
"Asher..." A weak, pained moan came through the speaker. "It hurts... I need you... don't leave me..."
"I'm busy right now," Asher said curtly. "We'll talk later."
Then the call hung up immediately, and I slammed my phone down on the desk.
I took a deep breath, fighting the stinging sensation behind my eyes. I turned my gaze to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Outside, the afternoon sun bathed Manhattan in gold. The streets below were a river of yellow cabs and black sedans, the pulse of the city beating steadily.
I still remember five years ago, our Smith & Black Law started right here in this small office.
Even for an office as small as this, the rent was only affordable because I sold my only apartment. I remember that day, my hands trembling, filled with hope as I handed the keys to Asher.
"How about 'Smith & Black'?" I had asked, my eyes shining as I looked at him. "It sounds powerful, doesn't it?"
Asher had stood by this very window."Whatever," he had said, his voice flat. "You decide the small things."
I didn't care about his tone then. I was too in love. I had thrown my arms around him, burying my face in his chest.
"I love it," I whispered.
He stiffened immediately. His hands didn't wrap around me. Instead, he gripped my shoulders and pushed me away.
"Rosalind," he said coldly, smoothing his suit jacket where I had wrinkled it. "I don't like being touched in a workspace. Keep it professional."
I had laughed it off. I grabbed his arm again, swinging it playfully. "I promise, Asher. I'm going to make you the top lawyer in New York. You just wait."
"As long as you're happy," he had replied.
I kept my promise. He became the star.
But he lied. My happiness never mattered to him.
I turned away from the window. My office was cluttered with five years of life. Photos, awards, legal journals. They weren't just objects; they were pieces of my soul that I had poured into this firm.
I grabbed a cardboard box and started sweeping picture frames into it. Glass clattered against cardboard.
Outside my glass walls, the paralegals and junior associates typed furiously, heads down. The office was quiet.Their unnatural expressions revealed that they had already heard about the wedding. But Asher was a tyrant in the office, and no one dared to whisper while he was technically still the boss.