Page 101 of My Ex's Best Friend
“Dad, Mom,” I say, looking up through my tear-streaked eyes. Looking at their hopeful, proud faces I realize just how much I’ve messed up. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
25
JAKE
All my hopes of meeting Kiera again go down the drain when she sends in her resignation letter. I guess I expected that from her. It was just a matter of time before she quit.
I feel numb as I read the words on the screen. "Due to personal reasons, I won't be able to continue my position at firm..." The rest of the words kind of just blur together after that.
She's gone because of me. I can sense the disappointment of the rest of the team at her absence.
As I walk past one of the conference rooms, I hear one of my employees say, "I mean if she knew she was going to move on so quickly, why did she take on such a huge responsibility? Now we have to scramble to find a replacement or the museum project timeline is effed."
Bea has nudged me about the recruitment a couple of times. I told her to shortlist someone from the previous job position we put out. I don't really care who comes in. They'll be nothing compared to Kiera.
Everybody else knows that.
I know I have the power to bring her in if I want to. She can't just vanish into thin air, just announcing that she has quit.
Three days after she sends in the letter, I instruct the HR department to summon her into the office.
I know it's cowardly not to do it myself, but I know that she won't come in if she sees my name on the mail. She needs to do that by herself.
Unfortunately, although she does reply, it isn't to say she will be dropping in. Instead, I get worse news.
I spend the next few days thinking about my choices. Kiera is stubborn. Since she has decided that she doesn't want to see me, she'll do everything in her power to avoid me. I cannot force her hand either. She needs to choose me.
And she obviously hasn’t, and I cannot force her to.
Henry texts me a couple of times and insists that I meet him at the bar downtown. We used to meet there a couple of times a week, just the two of us, before work got too busy.
I know he’s not going to give up, and perhaps he’s the only person who’ll understand what I’m going through. Everything is eating me up from inside, and I need to talk to someone, or I feel like I’ll drown.
I felt lost the first time I lost Kiera, but this time, it’s different. I’m sick to my stomach with dread and uncertainty.
***
I’ve spent the last couple of days moping around. Everybody at the office has noticed it, especially Bea.
“Did something happen between you two?” she says.
“I don’t want to discuss it,” I say, staring at my computer.
She looks sad. “I’m sorry things went wrong.”
The door closes after her. I stare down at my hands.
I’m angry at Kiera, and more so at myself. Why couldn’t she trust me enough to tell me what was bothering her, instead of just up and leaving?
Did I freak her out by asking her to move in with me? I know things were happening way too fast, but I just wanted to ensure I was there for her and the baby. Maybe she felt overwhelmed when I left her alone in the apartment. I shouldn’t have made the meeting a priority over her.
But Soledad was so sweet, and once I got there, I found out that she was trying to track down and restore one of her grandfather’s old paintings.
“Kiera, baby, why did you leave?”
I need to know where she is right now. She had to physically mail in her resignation into the office. She hadn’t completed an entire quarter, and we required a correspondence address. Is she still in the city?
All I want to do is to show up at her door and talk to her. But how can I ask for forgiveness when I don’t even know what I’m asking for?
