In the end, my parents stuck around to comfort me. "Why don't you come back to Caverton with us?" They'd asked before. I slumped in my seat, glanced up at their hopeful eyes. Caverton-capital city, home to the biggest law firm around. Their firm. I became a lawyer because of them. I was supposed to join right after graduation. Then I met Owen in grad school and followed him to Ainsley instead. He came from a tiny rural town.

He hated it when anyone brought up having more, so I kept my background quiet. For five years, he thought I was just another small-town girl like him. So for the past five years, I never told him the truth. In his eyes, I was just another small-town girl like him. In those five years, I went from newbie to name partner material. We crushed firm bonuses three years straight. Everyone called us the golden couple. I figured someday he'd be cool with the truth. But that moment never came. I sighed.

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No point now. "Okay. I'll go." My parents lit up. Mom squeezed my hand. "Good girl. We'll book your flight. You're not staying here and suffering." After settling them in, I went home. Still cold. Still empty. I tossed together some pasta, opened social, and boom-Vanessa's latest post. She was in a tight workout set, all snuggled up to Owen. [Dragged someone's almost-groom to play a match with me. He was kinda grumpy, but I promised him dinner at my place. That did the trick, hehe.] I gagged.

He wasn't coming back tonight. Same old story. Thank goodness we never made it legal. I was done swallowing my pride. *** Next morning, I grabbed my bags and turned in my resignation. Mr. Specter, my boss, wasn't having it. With my track record, he tried hard to change my mind. While we were talking, Owen strolled in with some files. One look and-bam. Love bite on his neck. Fruity perfume still clinging to him. He looked like he'd just crawled out of someone else's bed.

Funny, he used to hate when I left marks. Said it looked unprofessional. So I never did. Even at our most intense, I'd dig into the sheets instead. Guess it wasn't about the marks. Just who they came from. Mr. Specter groaned. "Perfect. Talk to your girlfriend-she's quitting. You two fight or something?" "It's not about him," I said. "You're resigning?" Owen jumped in, talking over me.