Chapter 3: The Resignation and the Unwanted Reunion
1544 Words
The next morning, Lila woke up in her tiny studio apartment, the marriage certificate resting quietly on the nightstand beside her.
For a moment, her mind was blank.
Then the events of the previous day rushed back all at once—Ethan’s betrayal, her mother’s relentless demands, the absurd parade of blind dates, and Julian Westbrook’s unexpected agreement.
She reached for the certificate and stared at the two names printed side by side.
Lila Carter.
Julian Westbrook.
She let out a slow breath.
Today was the day she would resign from her job at Carter Hotels—the job she had taken because of Ethan, the job that had kept her tied to her family’s endless drama.
After everything that had happened, there was no reason to stay any longer.
Lila got dressed in a fitted blazer and tailored slacks, carefully ignoring the lingering soreness in her abdomen. Each movement pulled slightly at her stitches, but she refused to let the discomfort slow her down.
Within an hour, she arrived at the Carter Hotels headquarters.
The building stood tall in downtown Manhattan, an elegant structure of polished marble floors, sweeping staircases, and crystal chandeliers that sparkled beneath the morning sunlight.
Lila had worked in the marketing department for three years, eventually working her way up to the position of junior marketing manager.
Yet despite her efforts, she had always felt like an outsider there.
Her mother had made sure of it.
Margaret often introduced her as “just here to learn” or “helping out temporarily,” even though Lila had earned her position through hard work and long nights at the office.
Walking through the familiar lobby, Lila felt strangely calm.
This place had once meant everything to her.
Now it felt like nothing more than a chapter she was finally ready to close.
She headed straight to her desk, pulled out the resignation letter she had typed the night before, and signed it.
Her cubicle neighbor, Sarah, looked up in surprise.
“You’re going to HR?” she asked.
“I am,” Lila replied casually.
Sarah glanced at the envelope in her hand and frowned.
“Wait… are you resigning? Lila, why? You just got promoted!”
Lila offered a small, polite smile.
“I’m moving on,” she said simply. “New chapter. New opportunities.”
She didn’t mention the marriage.
She didn’t mention the revenge.
Those were things no one here needed to know—at least not yet.
The HR department processed her resignation quickly, but there was one final step.
A signature from the marketing director.
Ethan.
Lila felt her stomach tighten slightly at the thought of seeing him again.
But she pushed the feeling aside.
She just needed the paperwork signed.
That was it.
“Ethan isn’t in his office right now,” the HR manager explained while checking the schedule. “He’s attending the company celebration on the tenth floor. They’re celebrating the new partnership with Westbrook Industries.”
Westbrook Industries.
Lila paused.
The name sounded familiar.
Julian’s company?
For a moment she considered the possibility, then shook her head.
It had to be a coincidence.
There was no way the man she had impulsively married yesterday was connected to this.
“Thank you,” she said politely before heading toward the elevator.
The party on the tenth floor was already in full swing.
Music filled the room, champagne glasses clinked together, and groups of employees laughed as they gathered around the decorated tables.
Lila stepped inside and instinctively scanned the room.
Her eyes landed on them almost immediately.
Ethan.
And Sophia.
They stood near the bar, Ethan’s arm wrapped casually around Sophia’s waist as he leaned down to whisper something in her ear.
Sophia laughed brightly, resting one manicured hand against his chest.
Then she looked up.
Her eyes met Lila’s across the room.
A slow smirk spread across her lips.
Almost deliberately, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Ethan’s cheek.
Lila felt something burn sharply in her chest.
But she didn’t look away.
Instead, she lifted her chin and walked straight toward them.
Ethan noticed her approach, and the smile on his face disappeared instantly.
His expression hardened as he removed his arm from Sophia’s waist, though he made no effort to step away from her.
“Lila,” he said flatly. “What are you doing here?”
“I need your signature,” Lila replied calmly, holding out the documents.
She avoided meeting his eyes.
“It’s my resignation paperwork. HR said you have to approve it.”
Ethan glanced down at the papers briefly.
Without even reading them, he grabbed a pen from the bar counter and scribbled his signature across the page.
“There,” he said indifferently. “Done.”
Lila blinked in slight surprise.
She had expected resistance.
Maybe an argument.
Maybe even an attempt to convince her to stay.
But Ethan didn’t ask a single question.
He didn’t even seem curious about why she was leaving.
The indifference stung.
But at the same time, it made things easier.
Much easier to walk away.
“Thanks,” Lila said quietly as she took the papers back.
“I’ll clear out my desk before the end of the day.”
“Wait,” Sophia suddenly said, stepping forward.
She looked Lila up and down slowly, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.
“Why don’t you stay for a while, Lila? We’re celebrating tonight. You should join us.”
Her smile widened slightly.
“After all, it’s not every day Ethan and I finally go public.”
Lila looked at her for a moment before letting out a cold smile.
“No thanks,” she replied evenly.
“I have better things to do than watch my ex-boyfriend and my stepsister pretend to be the perfect couple.”
She turned to leave.
But before she could walk away, Ethan grabbed her wrist.
His touch was warm and painfully familiar.
It made her skin crawl.
“Lila, wait,” he said quickly. “Can we talk?”
Lila pulled her arm free and glared at him.
“There’s nothing left to talk about, Ethan.”
“Yes, there is,” he insisted, lowering his voice slightly.
He glanced at Sophia, who looked visibly annoyed, before leaning closer to Lila.
“I know you’re upset,” he murmured. “And I know I messed up.”
His voice softened.
“But I still love you, Lils. Sophia… she’s just a distraction.”
He looked at her with an almost pleading expression.
“We can still be together. Like before. Just… keep it quiet for a while. I’ll fix everything, I promise.”
For a moment, Lila felt genuinely nauseous.
How dare he.
How could he possibly believe she would accept something like that?
After everything he had done?
“Ethan, you disgust me,” she said coldly, loud enough for Sophia to hear.
“I would never go back to you. Not now. Not ever.”
Her gaze flicked briefly toward Sophia.
“You two deserve each other. Two selfish people who can’t stand seeing anyone else happy.”
She stepped back.
“Now let go of me.”
Without waiting for a reply, Lila turned and walked quickly toward the elevator.
Her vision blurred slightly as tears threatened to spill over.
But she refused to cry.
Not here.
Not in front of them.
She reached the elevator and pressed the button, leaning against the wall as she forced herself to breathe slowly.
The doors slid open.
Lila stepped inside.
Just as the doors were about to close, a hand reached forward and stopped them.
She looked up.
And froze.
Julian stood there.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored gray suit, he stepped calmly into the elevator beside her.
His blue eyes studied her face carefully, and a faint, knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
“Crying in an elevator?” he said lightly as he pressed the button for the lobby.
“Not exactly the image I expected from the woman who demanded a marriage contract yesterday.”
Lila quickly wiped at the corner of her eyes and shot him an irritated look.
“I’m not crying.”
Julian raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue.
After a moment, he spoke again.
“He’s not worth it.”
His voice was quieter now.
“The kind of man who chooses someone else over you?”
A faint scoff escaped him.
“He’s a fool.”
Lila didn’t respond.
She stared at the floor, her thoughts tangled in confusion.
How did he know?
Had he seen everything that happened upstairs?
And why did his words make her feel… slightly better?
The elevator doors opened.
Julian stepped out first, holding the door open for her.
“Come on,” he said.
“I know a place where you can calm down.”
Lila hesitated briefly.
She barely knew this man.
Technically, she had only known him for less than twenty-four hours.
And yet…
After everything that had happened today, she found herself too exhausted to argue.
For some strange reason, being around Julian felt safer than being alone.
So she stepped out of the elevator and followed him.
- Writer
