107

~Matt~

The next day, as I prepared myself for the office.

Neeral approached me with a bright smile, holding a cup of coffee. “Matt, here’s your coffee, just the way you like it.”

But her lie lingered in my heart, poisoning any joy I might have found in her gesture. “I don’t need it, thanks,” I replied coldly, brushing past her before driving off to the office.

I kept myself occupied with work, trying to push aside the turmoil within me. Suddenly, I noticed someone placing a brown bag on my desk. I looked up and saw Neeral standing next to me.

“I brought lunch for us,” she said, her voice filled with hope.

I rolled my eyes and walked out without a word. “I don’t want it.”

She looked so hurt, and I knew I was being rude to her, but I couldn’t comprehend what was happening to me. She had lied, and I couldn’t stomach the fact.

When I returned home from the office, I immersed myself in a soccer match, losing track of time. But as the clock struck eleven, reality hit me. She still hadn’t c