I quit

CHAPTER 5: AVERY POV

"How are you feeling?" Grace asked as I came awake.

Grace had been my best friend since high school. I had known her the longest, and she was the person I said most of the things to, even when I had been afraid to confide in Leslie sometimes.

I blinked several times, looking around me. I was in my room and now lying on the bed.

I wasn't in my office clothes anymore; instead, I was in my undies. Grace must have changed me out of it.

"Grace," I whispered. She was the last person I was expecting to see. I had locked the door; how did she get in?

"I have a key, remember?" she said, frowning at me. "Are you certain you're fine? Perhaps we should see a doctor..."

"No, I am fine, and I remember," I said, wincing as I tried to sit up. The pain in my lower back was still evident, but it wasn't as intense as before.

I gazed at my thigh and then at the floor, where I had seen blood pooling around my feet. It looked squeaky clean, as if nothing had happened.

"I cleaned the floor," Grace said. "And you, in case you're wondering."

I nodded, sighing.

"Uhm, the fetus," Grace began, and I turned to stare at her.

I shook my head, looking down at my fingers. Blinking back fresh tears as they brewed in my eyes, I sniffled.

"I'm sorry, Avery," Grace pulled me into her arms, caressing my back as I sobbed.

The pain wasn't like anything I had ever felt. Even as Julian didn't want me and had told me to abort the baby, I never had the intention of doing so.

A part of me still believed he'd return just for the child. I had held onto that and imagined a life together with our baby. But all hope was gone.

For a few minutes, I stayed in Leslie's embrace, crying and wishing for many things I knew I wouldn't have until the tears subsided.

"Are you certain we don't need to go to the clinic? I mean to ensure the foetus and placenta are fully expelled."

"I'm fine," I croaked out. "I'll be fine."

It was to assure myself even though I knew no matter how many times I said it, I wouldn't be.

Grace looked like she'd argue with me but thought against it and shook her head.

She stood from the bed, pacing the room, and stopped to look at me, "You can't live like this anymore, Avery."

"What do I do, Grace?" I whispered.

"The first thing you need to do is get him out of your system. He doesn't care for you. How can he treat you in such a disrespectful way after moving in and out of his bed for four years? I mean, he sees you as a mere joke. And the child? I doubt he cares about it," Grace had the privilege to get mad on my behalf, and I knew if Julian was in her presence, she was going to say many nasty things to him.

She didn't like Julian one bit, and I had tried to stop her from coming to my workplace to see him as I didn't trust her just seeing him alone.

"Of course, I know he doesn't care!" she grunted.

"Maybe it's my fault," I whispered, looking down at my hands. I picked on the loose thread of the blanket wrapped around me.

Grace came to sit next to me, "Why would you say that?"

I shrugged.

"You're gorgeous and the most lovable person I've ever seen. Anybody would want to mate with you. Your so-called mate or Julian, whatsoever he's called, is too blind to see that," Grace snapped.

"The goddess gave him eyes, but he chose to see with his butt," she added.

I giggled, nudging Grace, "Stop that."

"Hey, I am saying the truth," she argued. "If he weren't blind, he'd see you are a treasure."

I nodded. Or maybe he saw me as a treasure but didn't want the treasure who was me.

***

For someone who had just lost her baby, I recuperated faster than I could have imagined. It felt as though nothing significant had happened to me. It was only the dull ache in my heart and the emotion swirling within me that reminded me of what had happened.

When the afternoon came, I left for Julian's house. I had taken Grace's word seriously. To flush Julian out of my system, the first thing I needed to do was pick up my stuff from his house.

"290993," I muttered as I input the password on his door.

"Incorrect?" I frowned, inputting it again. I was sure as hell it was Julian's birthday.

But it seemed not to be working.

I tried three times; however, I got the same result.

Turning to leave, the door opened, and Emily stood at the entrance.

Blinking twice, I stared at her.

Now, Julian was very particular about his privacy. I had never known him to bring anyone home or even let outsiders into his home.

Even when I was in his bed, I had never spent more than a night in his house in the past few years. I only sleep and leave as soon as the morning comes.

But here Emily was, in nothing but comfortable shorts and a tank top that exposed her stomach.

Emily was right about her and Julian seeing each other. He must have given her access to the house, and she had changed the password soon after.

"What are you doing here?" Emily asked me, her eyes filled with disdain, and she looked me up and down.

"I am here to pick my things," I simply said.

"Your things?" Emily questioned, "In the guest room?"

I nodded.

"Oh, they looked like trash, and it's not anything I could use. I've been wondering what I was going to do with them. Don't worry, I'll have them wrap up for you." She said.

Emily entered the room, shutting the door behind her, and she opened it only a few seconds again.

"Toss them out," she told the maid who had followed her.

"Yes, ma'am," the maid said and began to throw my things as was instructed.

One might think Emily was excellent enough when she had said she was going to wrap it up, but she had stuffed everything in trash bags.

"Is that all?" she asked the maid, and she nodded.

Emily smiled sweetly at me and waved. She stepped into the house without uttering another word.

Sighing, I dragged myself out of the entrance towards my things and picked them up after the other, driving back to the office. I was late for work.

When I arrived, Julian called me in.

"Emily called and said you went to the apartment to remove your things." Julian looked away from the paperwork in front of him to stare at me and then back again to it.

I snorted. He made it seem as though I stepped inside when I was outside watching her throw out my things as if I were a maid who had offended her.

And here he was, believing every shit she said about me.

"You know what? I quit." I said. "I want nothing to do with you in the future, Julian Saint Clair."

"Quit?" Julian smirked.

"Are you resigning because I refuse to admit you're my girlfriend?" he asked arrogantly, eyes narrowing on my face.

I clenched my hands tightly to stop me from slapping the arrogance out of him.

"Tell me you're kidding about quitting," he said.

"I am not kidding," I affirmed. "If you want an official letter, I'll do so at my earliest convenience," I started to walk away, and I heard him yell;

"You won't even last a minute out there without my protection, Avery Wells!" he retorted, his arrogance slicing through the air.

"We shall see, Julian Saint Clair," I murmured to myself, a smile forming on my face as I slammed the door behind me.