The fight wasn't planned.
But neither of us had been sleeping.
A scheduling snafu delayed the steel delivery by five days. My project manager blamed Andrew's team. Andrew blamed my contingency planner. I blamed... everything.
“You went over my head," I snapped, slamming the updated timeline on the table.
He shot back, “Because your head was too busy pretending not to crack under pressure."
The room stilled. Someone dropped a pen.
I stood, breathing hard. “If you want to micromanage every phase, then just say it. Own it. Stop hiding behind concern."
He didn't flinch. “If you want to self-destruct for pride, go ahead. But don't drag a child into that collapse."
My breath caught.
The room emptied fast.
He didn't follow.
He always followed.
But this time... he didn't.
That night,
