Resign with Grace, Return with Fire Chapter 29
The onlookers immediately turned on Sandra as they watched the drama unfold.
“How do you screw up the ring size for a proposal?”
“No wonder the guy said no. I wouldn’t accept it, either! Who could, when she’s so careless?”
I took off the diamond ring and tossed it to Sandra. “This is in Lester’s size, right? It looks like he needs it more than I do. Give it to him.”
Sandra ran after me frantically. “Fred, wait! I’m sorry. I made a mistake! I can have a new one custom-made for you! Don’t go, please! I’ll do anything as long as you’ll forgive me!”
I stopped and looked at her coldly. “Is that so? Then do me a favor and stop clinging to me. Please disappear from my world!”
Sandra shook her head, tears welling in her eyes again. “Don’t be so cruel to me, please. That’s the one thing I
can’t do…”
She stepped toward me while sobbing.
I’d had enough. I pulled out my phone, ready to call the cops. “These past few days, your relentless pestering has seriously affected my life. I’m calling the police if you still refuse to leave! Can’t we just end this peacefully, Sandra? Don’t make me hate you!”
Seeing that I was serious, Sandra’s eyes dimmed. She slowly let go of me, choking up as she said, “Don’t, Fred. I- I’ll go. Just don’t hate me…”
Tears streamed down her face as she ran off.
Maybe it was because of what I’d said that day, but Sandra didn’t come back to harass me after that. I also made a point of avoiding her.
In the meantime, Ariana and I grew closer. It didn’t take long for us to confirm how we felt about each other, and we ended up together.
“Fred, I want to be the cat’s mom for life. Will you… be her dad for life?” she asked.
I blinked, confused. “Huh? Haven’t I always been her dad?”
Seeing I hadn’t caught her meaning, Ariana flushed and puffed out her cheeks in exasperation. “How can you be this dense, Fred? Do I have to spell it out?”
I stopped teasing when I saw that she was about to get mad. I pulled her into my arms and said gently, “Alright. I’ll stop teasing you. I’m in. Let me say it this time. I like you, so let’s be together.”
The day we made it official, Ariana was as giddy and buzzed as a child. She was practically bursting to tell the world.
She posted photos of us together on all her social media platforms and captioned them with an official announcement. “We’re together!”
This made me think of how things had been when I was with Sandra. She told me that going public would hurt her career-that society was unfriendly toward women. She would lose her competitive edge.
So, to protect her career, she’d never once done anything to tell anyone about me, despite our years together.
Thinking of that, I buried my face in Ariana’s neck and asked, “Ari, won’t going public affect your career? Everyone says that in the workplace, only single women who are unmarried and childless have the biggest advantage.”
She flicked my forehead and chided, “Dummy! You’re obviously more important to me. Besides, a person’s capabilities are what truly matter in the workplace. I’m good at what I do, so there’s nothing for me to be afraid of.”
