Chapter 5: Watching Him Move On

I moved back to my own studio—the one Derek always called a waste of money, the one I’d stubbornly kept just in case. Even with separate addresses, there was no escaping him at work. We were both at the research institute, just in different departments.

During a handover, I spotted a new face trailing Derek—a grad student, Ashley Chen, all effortless beauty and wide-eyed innocence. I saw him light up when he noticed me, something flickering across his face—hope, regret, I couldn’t tell. I didn’t let myself look back. I just finished the handover, professional and cold.

His expression iced over instantly, like a door slamming. He brushed past me, his shoulder almost bumping mine. I caught a whiff of the cologne I’d picked out for him last Christmas.

Ashley’s voice floated behind me: "How did Dr. Mitchell get that scar on his arm? It startled me at first."

Lisa from HR jumped in, ready as always: "He and Dr. Foster were a perfect match—everyone knows the story. He got that scar carrying her during the earthquake drill. Couldn’t be a pilot after that, so he came here."

Ashley sighed, starry-eyed. "That’s so romantic."

Suddenly, the break room buzzed with stories about Derek’s devotion. They dismissed our cold war as just lovers’ spat—"It’s their foreplay," someone joked, while another asked if anyone wanted to bet on when I’d apologize this time.

"Last time she brought donuts. Maybe this time we’ll get bagels."

I stood in the corner, invisible, listening to them bet on my humiliation like it was a March Madness bracket. But this time, they were wrong.

I stepped forward. "Derek Mitchell and I broke up. Please don’t bring it up again."

The room went silent. Someone awkwardly nudged the half-eaten donut on the counter. The discomfort was thick as mud.

We’d never been the perfect couple everyone thought. Our cold wars had left invisible bruises. I wondered if Derek would even notice I’d stopped trying, stopped fixing everything. Would he ever come to me first? Or was his pride always going to win?