You May Be the Alpha, but I’m Kicking You Out!

The next day, I was in a work meeting.

My phone vibrates a few times inside my uniform’s pocket.

“Seems urgent.” Pamela, my coworker whispered to me.

We were in the meeting of morning briefing. Pamela and I was standing a bit farther from the center crowd.

“It can wait. Look--” I gestured towards the whiteboard with a quick nod. “--we're already on the Teletummies' Laughing Sun slide.” Beneath the laughing sun, the bolded text read [Questions?].

True enough, Alex, our supervisor, dismissed us from the meeting.

Today I had been assigned on a pre-dawn shift. I woke up around three, doing my usual preparation rituals and directly call a cab to the hospital.

When I got to a quieter hospital hall, I checked on my phone to find 20 missed calls from Dawson.

He beat me up to it before I could press the call button though.

The contact ID [Hubby<3] shown up at the front of my TalkApp. I slightly scrunched up my face. Did I really put Dawson’s contact with that name?

“Hello?”

"Saddie, why didn't you wake me up? I overslept! There’s an important meeting with the client today and I need to prepare early, you know?” Dawson’s voice was dripped with palpable annoyance. "You just up and left and didn’t tell me you had a morning shift?" he continued to process.

But in fact, I had told Dawson about my schedule. I sent him a file of my schedule earlier this week.

“Well? You didn’t tell me you had to wake up early.” I replied, casually. No tone of sarcasm there. I wasn’t even in the mood to argue this early.

I could understand his frustration though. I used to take care of Dawson’s every need. Over-serving him, even—especially after we finally got married. I would prepare his clothes, his breakfast, checking on his schedules so that I could remind him when we finally had that breakfast together, and so on.

I was secretly thanking the Moon Goddess for never vowing to do those routines for the rest of our marriage life. At least, it gave my mind the freedom to just stop doing those stuff when I no longer feel like it.

I was not his babysitter. I had the right to refuse.

"Dawson, I think it’s better for you to get up since you’re going to be late."

Dawson harrumphed from the other end. "You didn’t prepare my shirt! What am I going to wear today?"

"Whichever you want to wear. You can take one from the closet," I replied.

"What do you mean take one from the closet?!" Dawson raised his tone.

I instinctively put my phone away from my ears. I frowned because my right ear was ringing.

“Saddie! Norton’s mom brought us some donuts, which one do you want?” Pamella called around the end of the hall.

“Wait!” I replied Pamella. Then I hurriedly said to the phone again, "Something came up. My colleague asked for my help. Just pick one clothes from the closet. I need to go, Dawson."

I approached Pamella and went to the staffroom before continuing my shift.

However, my phone kept on vibrating.

Dawson sent me a picture with texts: [It’s wrinkled! Are you serious, Saddie? I can't wear this to meet up my client.]

Then another texts: [There’s no food. You didn’t cook up breakfast?]

Then another: [Did you see the blue folder I usually put on my study desk?]

[Saddie, answer me!]

I kind of regretted opening my TalkApp.

“Saddie, got a moment?”

I looked up from my desk and turned just at the office’s entrance. I saw Alex, my head department, poking out his head. He approached me once I nodded.

"You need to listen to me and take this opportunity, Saddie. It’s not going to be there forever," Alex said with patience, but the excitement in his eyes and his ear-to-ear smile betrayed that calm facade.

I let out a small laugh. “What is it, Alex?”

He cleared his throat, "Well, after assessing your performance, it looks like the hospital wants to discuss your further training. I decided to tell you this because you seem to have fully recovered now, too!"

True, Alex had given me the same news around the end of last year. At that time, I declined the offer since I planned on having children with Dawson. I would have a busy schedule if I went through with the training and be granted a likely promotion.

I didn’t want to skip too much time for my child and my husband back then.

But now that things had gone through this way….

I didn’t plan to stay longer with Dawson and get myself wasted in more pain.

"I'll take the training offer, sir," I replied with a determined smile. “Thank you for giving me a second chance."

"Bravo!" Alex clapped his hands. It was his sign of ‘yes!’ He then asked me to make preparations from now and be ready whenever the training date was set.

Seeing his enthusiasm, I couldn’t help but smile.

I would definitely make up the most of this opportunity. This would be my start over to live independently from Dawson.

Morning turned into noon, then to dusk. My shift ended in a flash. I couldn’t believe how fast the time passed when noticing the sky outside had turned dark.

Just then, my phone vibrated. Dawson was calling.

"Where are you, Saddie? There’s no dinner at home."

At that I let out an involuntary sigh that I had long kept inside. The moment I heard his complaints, the thought of going home becomes something… revolting to me.

“Saddie?” His tone surprisingly got softer.

I pinched the bridge on my nose. “Dawson…” I make a brief pause. “Today was a hectic day. And Nate just asked me to have a shift switch with me, because she had something urgent coming up—”

Well, the last one, I didn’t lie.

“—Maybe order some food online. I’m going to continue working after this.”

"Huh?" Dawson sounded surprised.

"That’s not a problem, right?" I asked rhetorically, I just wanted to get over with the call.

"No…. No, it’s not a problem. I just…” Dawson hesitated before continuing, “Careful when going home, alright? You’re taking two shifts without break."

I nodded. "I will. Thanks"

Dawson was silent for a while.

I was about to end the call but he suddenly spoke,

"Saddie, are you mad at me?"

I immediately closed the call. I could pretend that I never even heard that if Dawson brought up the talk.

Oh, Moon Goddess, save this child of yours…

With him running a business, there was NO way Dawson would be oblivious to this!

Why did he even ask? Was he simply trying to make sure and calm me down later?

Then, I shook my head.

I need to stop this.

I promised myself that I wouldn’t get mad at him anymore since we’d end our relationship.