Indulgent Love Leaves Scars Across My Sky

I instinctively looked over my shoulder. Across the hall, a man stood tall and confident in his suit. His appearance was striking, and when our eyes met, he paused, a bit taken aback, before flashing a slight smile. He gave me a small nod, a polite gesture.

I barely acknowledged him, he was just a neighbor. Ignore.

The next morning, I woke up to the sun shining through the window, its brightness making me squint my eyes. It was already seven. I stayed in bed for a few moments, grumpy as heck. I finally slid out of bed. I had a very quick shower, put on pretty some track pants and tee to go for a walk. And then grab breakfast.

Today was going to be difficult, and I needed all the energy I could muster.

I stepped outside, but as soon as I reached the building’s entrance, I froze. Steve was already there, leaning against his car, waiting for me. His face was tense, and he walked over when he saw me, his hand reaching out for mine.

I yanked my wrist away before he could touch me.

"Claire, we need to talk," he said, his voice strained.

"We’ve already talked," I shot back, my tone cold. "We’re done, Steve. There’s nothing left to discuss. Have you agreed to my terms, or not?"

Steve looked like he hadn’t slept all night. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he was frowning, his frustration clearly visible. "Claire, I never agreed to break up."

I folded my arms, unimpressed. "Then you’re delusional. We’re over, Steve. You made your choice when you ran to Amy."

He sighed heavily, as if he were dealing with a child throwing a tantrum. "Claire, Amy almost got disfigured. I stayed up all night with her in the hospital. This morning, she told me she hasn't used that email in ages, there's no way she sent those messages. You have to believe me."

I stared at him, my disbelief quickly turning into bitter amusement. "Did you even bother checking the login details? You didn’t, did you?"

He blinked, taken aback by my sudden change in tone. "I… I didn’t think I needed to. Amy wouldn’t… "

"Of course, you didn’t," I interrupted, my voice filled with sarcasm. "Because when it comes to Amy, you believe whatever she says without question. You haven’t changed at all, Steve."

His expression wavered. "Claire, it’s not like that. You don’t understand..."

"No," I cut him off again, my eyes narrowing. "You don’t understand. I don’t care what Amy told you, and I don’t even care if you want to believe her. But I want what’s mine. You give me the project, and we part ways for good, or we drag this out, and trust me, you won’t like where that leads."

Steve’s shoulders drooped in defeat, but he still tried to reach out for me again, as if somehow his touch could convince me to stay.

"Claire, do we really have to make this such a big deal? I mean, can't we just move past this?"

I took a step back, glaring at him. "Steve, you literally had me arrested. You chose her over me. Now, you have to live with that choice."

He opened his mouth to protest, but I raised a hand, cutting him off for the third time. My patience was running out.

“I’ve already told you. Give me the project, and we break up. That’s it. We’ll both move on. You and Amy can live your little happy life, and I’ll be out of it.”

Steve’s face twisted in frustration. “I’ll give you the project, Claire, but I won’t break up with you. I still care about you. I still want to..."

I let out a sharp laugh, cutting him off once again. "You want me to stick around, while Amy’s still in the picture? Do you honestly think I’m that gullible?"

He winced. "Claire, I swear. I am aware I made a mistake, but I can fix it. Let’s work this out."

I stared at him for a long moment, then smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly smile. It was the smile of someone who’d already made up their mind.

“Okay, if you really choose me, then that means Amy’s out of the picture. Completely. No contact, no interference. Can you honestly do that?”

He hesitated, and in that hesitation, I saw the answer. He couldn’t do it. He’d never put me before Amy.

“You can’t, can you?” I whispered, the realization settling in. “Even now, you’re still choosing her over me.”

Steve’s lips pressed together tightly, but he said nothing.

“You know what? Let me save you the trouble, Steve. We’re done.” My voice was firm, unwavering. “Dragging this out is only going to make things worse for both of us. Let’s let each other go.”

His phone rang, momentarily easing the tension. He glanced at the screen, and I saw his mom’s name pop up.

Steve answered with a sigh. “Mom?”

I could hear his mother’s voice, frantic and emotional on the other end. “Steve, Amy’s fainted again! You need to come home now. That Claire girl is making a scene over nothing. You’ve got to fix this.”

Steve’s face hardened. "I'll be right there."

He hung up, his expression conflicted. He looked at me, his eyes pleading, but I had no sympathy left to give him.

“Claire,” he said quietly, “I’ll give you the project. But I won’t stop fighting for us. I’ll win you back.”

I rolled my eyes. “Good luck with that. Who’s overseeing the project?”

“I’ll have Josh handle it,” Steve said, his voice tight.

“Great. Thanks.”

Without another word, I turned on my heel and walked away, heading for the cafe down the street. I didn’t bother looking back. I didn’t need to.

By nine, Josh came by to finalize the project handover. We reviewed all the paperwork meticulously “Once this is signed, the project management officially transfers to your family’s firm,” Josh confirmed.

I took a deep breath, I can’t believe this is finally happening. I left with everything I needed. As I walked to my car, my heart raced with the thrill of being officially in charge.

I returned to the office, I called the police. “Hello Officer, I’d like to drop the charges for the allergy incident.”

‘Are you sure about that?’ the officer asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes, I thought it through, it’s probably an accident, and I don’t want to pursue this any further.” I hung up, a sense of relief washing over me.

After that, I texted Steve, I’ve dropped the charges against Amy, you can relax now. I hit send. A knot formed in my stomach. I needed to let him know I was moving on.

After that, I blocked his number, along with Amy’s and everyone connected to Steve. It was time to cut them all out of my life for good!