Chapter 109 One hundred & Nine
Izzy sank into the chair where her desk used to be, gripping the edge as if it could hold her steady. The office buzz around her sounded distant, muffled, like she was underwater. Her chest felt tight, heart hammering, mind spinning… Dominic, his mom, her job… everything collided in her head.
Her phone buzzed again. Another message from Dominic:
Dominic: Hey, pumpkin. I’m on my way, okay? Don’t leave. Wait for me. I’ll fix this, trust me.
Izzy took a shaky breath. Trust. It had been easy to give him before, but after everything with his mother, the pressure, the lies… she wasn’t sure she could. She set the phone down and stared at the empty space where her desk had been. Papers, photos, little personal touches… all gone. Her stomach twisted.
Minutes felt like hours. Then the office door opened, and her heart jumped. Dominic stepped in, face tense, scanning the room before his eyes landed on hers.
“Hey,” he said softly, closing the distance. “Follow me. Let’s talk.” He started walking down the hall, and she followed silently, closing the conference room door behind them.
“Hey, pumpkin,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms.
Izzy’s lips trembled. She swallowed hard. “You promised me… you said you’d handle her,” she said, voice low but firm. “You said she wouldn’t…”
Dominic reached out, brushing her hand gently. “I know,” he murmured. “And I will. I promise… I won’t let her take this from you. Not your job, not us.”
Izzy hugged herself tighter. “I can’t lose this… I can’t lose my job,” she whispered, mostly to herself.
Dominic pressed his forehead against hers, voice low, rough. “And you won’t. For now… I can find you a temporary place to work, or I can send you money for upkeep until I talk to my mom.”
Izzy pulled back, eyes wide, shock written across her face. “What… did you just say?” Her voice trembled, disbelief and hurt mixing.
Dominic stepped closer, hands raised in calm. “I just want to make sure you don’t lose anything while I handle this with my mom. That’s all.”
Her hands ran through her hair, pulling at it in frustration. “Your mother thinks I got this job because I’m sleeping with you! You want me to work somewhere else through your referral… and you want to send me money? What would she think? That I’m a gold digger!”
Dominic’s voice softened but was firm. “Calm down, Izzy. You’re raising your voice… we’re still in the office. People can hear us.”
Izzy let out a bitter laugh, full of disbelief and hurt. “I didn’t get this job just because… because we… you know… sleep together,” she said, her voice breaking slightly. “I worked hard for this. I earned it.”
Her chest heaved as she looked at him, eyes burning, voice shaking. The mix of anger, hurt, and frustration was raw…
“I… I can’t do this,” she said finally, her voice tight. She looked up at Dominic, eyes wet but furious. “I can’t work here like this. I can’t… I can’t have my effort doubted because we fuck, especially by your mother who hates me for no reason .”
Dominic stepped closer, reaching out for her hand, but she flinched. “Izzy… please, I’m trying to fix this. I can handle my mom…”
“No!” she snapped, cutting him off. Her voice echoed across the empty conference room. “You don’t get it! You think sending me somewhere else, or giving me money, or whatever… makes this okay? It doesn’t. It just reminds me that I’m not… enough in your world. Not in hers!”
Dominic’s jaw tightened. “Izzy, it’s not about that. You are enough. You’ve always been enough….”
She shook her head, tears spilling over despite herself. “No, Dominic. You don’t get it. I can’t be in the middle of your family, your power, or this fucked up mess. I… I need to leave.”
Her voice wavered as she zipped her bag shut. She picked up the small things she had brought and slung them over her shoulder. Her eyes met his one last time. “Goodbye, Dominic.”
He opened his mouth, but no words came. She turned and walked out of the office, the click of her heels on the floor loud in the silence. The office seemed emptier without her presence, her absence heavier than any words could carry.
Izzy sat at the empty space where her desk had been, her hands trembling as she packed the few personal items she’d managed to grab from the shelves. Her favorite mug, a small framed photo of her and Maya, her notebook filled with sketches and notes…. all of it now felt like fragile reminders of a life she didn’t recognize anymore.
Her chest felt tight, and a lump rose in her throat as she stuffed everything into her bag. She took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to steady herself, but the reality hit harder than she expected. She had just lost her job.
She pulled out her phone, her fingers shaking as she typed a quick message to Maya:
“Maya… I just got fired. I don’t know what to do…”
Her thumb hovered over send for a moment, tears pricking her eyes, before she finally pressed it. Almost immediately, she felt a pit in her stomach, the uncertainty gnawing at her. She leaned back in the chair, staring at the empty office around her, and whispered to herself,
“How did it come to this?”