Chapter 2: The Road Trip

The blinking cursor rested beneath the last sentence of my resignation letter.

Effective immediately.

I stared at those two words for a long time.

A month ago, I would never have imagined writing them.

Wantrell Corporation wasn't just my workplace.

It was where I had spent seven years building my career.

It was also where I had met Derrick.

Back then, he wasn't the company's CEO yet. He was an ambitious department manager who stayed in the office later than everyone else. We survived impossible deadlines together, celebrated successful projects with cheap takeout dinners, and dreamed about building the company into something extraordinary.

Somewhere along the way, those dreams had become his alone.

And I had become just another employee.

I closed the document without printing it.

Not because I had changed my mind.

Because I wanted one final confirmation.

If Derrick truly still cared about me, surely he would notice something was wrong.

Surely he would ask why I had barely spoken to him for three days.

Surely he would realize I was reaching my limit.

I was wrong.

The next morning, the office buzzed with unusual excitement.

"Did you hear?" one of the marketing executives whispered. "Mr. Cromwell approved Molly's proposal."

"Which one?"

"The self-driving client tour."

"Seriously? That's going to cost a fortune."

"Apparently, she's accompanying him herself."

I paused while pouring coffee into my mug.

The self-driving road trip.

It had originally been my proposal six months ago.

I had suggested visiting clients across several cities to strengthen long-term partnerships.

Derrick had rejected it almost immediately.

"Too expensive," he had said.

"Not worth the investment."

Yet somehow, after Molly presented the exact same idea with slightly different slides, it had become brilliant.

I couldn't even bring myself to laugh anymore.

Around ten o'clock, Molly walked into the office carrying a luxury suitcase.

She wore oversized sunglasses even though we were indoors.

"Everyone," she announced cheerfully, "Mr. Cromwell and I will be away for about a month. Make sure nothing falls apart while we're gone."

Several employees forced polite smiles.

Others simply returned to work.

She stopped beside my desk.

"Yara, could you organize all of Mr. Cromwell's meetings while we're traveling? He likes everything neat."

"Of course," I answered calmly.

She blinked.

For a moment, disappointment crossed her face.

She had expected an argument.

Or jealousy.

Or anger.

Instead, I simply opened my calendar.

"Anything else?"

"No... that's all."

She walked away looking oddly confused.

A few minutes later, Derrick emerged from his office.

He carried his laptop bag in one hand and car keys in the other.

His eyes briefly landed on me.

He waited.

Probably expecting me to ask where he was going.

Or to complain about spending an entire month traveling with another woman.

I did neither.

I simply continued reviewing quarterly reports.

His footsteps slowed.

"Yara."

I looked up politely.

"Yes?"

"I'm leaving."

"Have a safe trip."

That was all.

No questions.

No accusations.

No pleading.

The muscles in his jaw tightened.

"That's it?"

"Is there something else you need?"

He stared at me for several seconds before replying.

"Nothing."

Then he walked away.

From the office window, I watched Derrick and Molly climb into his black luxury SUV.

Molly laughed as he opened the passenger door for her.

She looked over her shoulder toward the building.

Our eyes met through the glass.

A victorious smile spread across her lips.

I quietly pulled the blinds closed.

The office felt strangely peaceful after they left.

Around noon, my manager, Ethan Lawson, approached my desk.

"Can we talk?"

I nodded.

Inside the small conference room, he closed the door behind us.

"You're really resigning?"

I looked at him in surprise.

"How did you know?"

"I've watched you for years, Yara." He smiled sadly. "When you stop fighting, it means you've already made your decision."

For the first time that day, I smiled genuinely.

"You're right."

"Have you found another company?"

"Not yet."

"Then why leave now?"

I thought about Derrick.

About seven years of compromises.

About apologizing after arguments I hadn't started.

About watching another woman receive everything I had worked for.

"Because if I stay any longer," I said quietly, "I'll stop respecting myself."

Ethan didn't try to change my mind.

Instead, he reached into his briefcase and handed me an envelope.

"Human Resources asked me to give you this."

Inside was the official resignation form.

All it needed was my signature.

My hand remained perfectly steady as I signed my name.

"I'll submit it today," Ethan said.

"Thank you."

"He'll regret this, you know."

"Maybe."

"And if he doesn't?"

I folded my copy carefully.

"Then leaving is still the right decision."

That afternoon, Human Resources forwarded the paperwork to Derrick for final approval.

Because he was traveling, the documents were sent electronically.

His assistant called him.

"Mr. Cromwell, several approvals need your signature."

"I'm driving," Derrick replied impatiently.

"Just send everything."

Within minutes, his digital signature appeared across dozens of documents.

Expense reports.

Purchase orders.

Travel reimbursements.

And...

My resignation.

Approved without being opened.

Back in the office, the notification appeared on my screen.

Resignation Accepted.

Effective Immediately.

I stared at the message quietly.

Seven years.

Reduced to a single automated notification.

No phone call.

No meeting.

No questions.

Nothing.

I packed my belongings slowly.

A framed photo of the entire strategy team.

Several notebooks filled with handwritten ideas.

A coffee mug one of the interns had given me during my third year.

Finally...

I opened the bottom drawer of my desk.

Hidden inside was a small velvet box.

My engagement ring.

I had stopped wearing it three days ago.

No one had noticed.

I closed the box and slipped it into my handbag.

As I turned off my computer for the final time, the office lights reflected softly across the blank monitor.

For years, I had believed this company was my future.

Now it was simply another place I used to work.

When the elevator doors closed behind me, I didn't look back.

Halfway across the city, Derrick's phone buzzed again inside the moving SUV.

Without checking the screen, he handed it to Molly.

"Anything important?"

She glanced at the notification.

A smile slowly appeared.

"No," she lied as she locked the screen.

"Just another approval confirmation."

She quietly deleted the notification before handing the phone back.

Neither of them realized...

The woman Derrick expected to be waiting for him after the trip no longer worked for his company.

And by the time he returned...

She wouldn't be waiting for him at all.