My Platonic Love

Chapter 3

My voice came out flat and hard, cutting him off.

He went completely still, his eyes locked on me. I looked away. Chloe walked in just in time to catch what I had said. A spark of triumph flickered across her face.

"Julian, I was never really mad at Mia anyway. I just didn't expect her to be so impulsive, throwing away your engagement over nothing. It's almost like she doesn't care about you at all."

She glanced at me as she spoke, her satisfaction barely hidden.

"Anyway, if Mia wants to call it off, let's just go. We still have toys we haven't tried yet."

The anger Julian had been holding back surged right back. His eyes went bloodshot as he glared at me.

"Mia. You'd better mean what you said today. I don't do used goods."

He let out a cold scoff and walked out fast, Chloe trailing behind him.

Three minutes later, my termination notice appeared on my phone.

I knew this playbook. Julian had used it on me before. Every other time, I would have folded immediately and begged him to take me back.

This time, I didn't want to.

I looked out the window at the yellowing ginkgo leaves and felt something almost unreal settle over me. I had thought we would argue, that there would be a fight. But now that the moment was here, all I felt was quiet.

I used what little savings I had left to settle the hospital bill, packed the few things I had with me, and went back to the cramped studio we once shared.

The door swung open, and a cloud of dust hit my face, sending me stumbling backward into the shoe rack. A photo frame toppled off and shattered against the floor. The yellowed picture slipped out from behind the broken glass.

My fingertips trembled as they traced the two smiling faces.

The memories flooded back, bittersweet and sharp.

Back when Julian and I were just starting out, we had nothing. No money, no resources, nothing but the stubborn fire in our blood. We squeezed into that tiny apartment and lived on boxed mac and cheese. We talked endlessly about the future back then, and it never felt hard.

Now we had everything.

And we had lost each other.

I wiped my nose and pulled out my phone. Some stubborn part of me still wanted to send Julian one last goodbye.

The screen lit up, and I saw the news about Chloe's award instead.

That was how I found out. The company had fired me, and the new gastric medication I had spent five years developing now belonged to Chloe. It had her name on the patent.

The interview video played. Julian held Chloe's hand, looking at her with a tenderness and admiration I had never once seen directed at me.

"Developing this drug was an immense challenge. Chloe led the team through countless sleepless nights. I'm a lucky man to be able to have her. We'll support each other and build something beautiful together."

He kissed her on camera. The perfect happy couple.

But that drug was mine. I had tracked down specialist after specialist across the city, learned every ratio from scratch, and formulated it with my own hands.

I forced down the ache in my chest and called Julian.

It took a long time for him to pick up. When he did, his voice was heavy with impatience.

"I told you to think carefully. It's been what, a few days, and you're already regretting it?"

"You gave my research to Chloe. You let her file the patent. You knew what that drug meant to me and you still..."

"Are you done yet? Are you going to apologize or not?"

He cut me off cold before I could finish.

"It's just a drug. Why does it matter this much? The company already pushed you out anyway. At least this way, Chloe gets some use out of it."

He paused. His tone went flat.

"Chloe's new to the industry. If she wants to build any kind of reputation, she needs something concrete to show. At least your little drug finally serves a purpose."

A roar filled my head. The anger broke through.

"Julian. What gives you the right to hand over my work like that? You knew how hard I fought to develop that drug. It was my life's work."

"That's enough. Don't raise your voice at me. It's one drug. Stop being so dramatic. And one more thing. As of today, all your shares in the company will be transferred to Chloe."

"Julian. You've gone far enough. We built that company together."

Something in my voice must have wavered because he softened his tone.

"So what? I'm the one in charge now. Take this as a lesson. Come apologize to Chloe in person within the week, and I'll forget any of this ever happened. Our engagement still stands. You can stay home and be a good housewife."

The call ended with a cold click.

The last trace of attachment inside me died right there.

I didn't scream. I didn't cry. I quietly pulled up the property settlement agreement I had drafted long ago and scheduled it to be sent to Julian.