- Chapter Forty Four -

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"Sierra, please." I sigh out.

"We can have one more thing before you have to leave." She flashed a charming smile at me and I roll my eyes playfully at her as she kisses my neck.

"You'll literally see me later on." She lifted me onto the counter and placed herself between my thighs. "You know we can get caught right?" I laugh and she just squeezes my sides, I squeak in response as she looks up at me.

"Come on its fine. Everyone knows, it'll be fine if they see us." She grins at me and I cup her cheek. "Besides, it's your last day here, you only have to deal with them outside of work."

"But it isn't your last day."

"They need me. But if I have to I'll work for your ex, huh." She teases in between kisses.

"Fuck you," I smiled.

"You want to." She grinned smugly.

"I'm gonna miss annoying you every day Eden." Sofie says as she helps me clear my desk.

"Well you're always welcome at my apartment," I smile at her. "Thank you for helping with this anyways. I'll miss seeing you everyday you too."

"I can't believe he's letting you go cause of something so small." She sighed.

"It happens." I stare at a photo of me and Sierra. "I'm just happy I have you guys" My mind casting back to the night I left everyone. It still haunts me to this day.

"I'll visit you when Zack's at work." Sierra kissed my forehead before she sat at her desk. "Birthday time whoop whoop!"

Sofie chuckles. "Yeah I'm not gonna ask what yous are doing." She goes back to working with her materials and fabrics.

Mr Blanchet walks in. "I'm really sorry Eden. I wish I didn't have to release you, you're a great PA, but there are reasons I can't tell you." He pulled me into a hug.

"So it's not cause of the argument?"

"Oh no, you were well within your right for that. I was being an asshole." He laughs and I step back. "A higher power forced me to release you, I'm very sorry."

My mouth forms an 'o'.

"Right. I'm going to start packing my things up now, if that's alright?"

"Yes of course. Could you just do one last thing for me, Eden?" I nod. "Keep working on yourself, you're very different to what you were when you arrived here on your first day."

"Okay, sir." I smile and make my way to my desk.

I shove my things into a box and label it before slumping at my chair looking at the framed photos of me, Audrey, Zack, Sierra, Sofie and my family.

"A great birthday present if you ask me." I joked and Sofie stood up quickly before running into the kitchen and bringing a cake out.

"Happy twenty fifth birthday, Eden!" She squealed and gave me the cake. "I made it for you."

"Aw thank you." I grin. And take some.

The day went on and when everyone left for lunch I heard something fall. My heart dropped when I turned around to see a shadow.

A woman emerged, familiar... way too familiar.

"Eden." Julia smiled at me. "You look great. Happy birthday."

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped.

"What are-? You're?" I babbled not being able to comprehend what was going on in front of me.

She moved towards me and I shoved my photographs into the box.

"That's new?" She gestures to my left hand and I glanced down at my engagement ring.

"Well, yeah." I avoided her gaze.

"I didn't move on." She raised and eyebrow at me and sat in my old chair. "I tried finding you." She murmured and I cleared my throat.

"Why are you here?" I asked and leaned against my desk, my eyes moving to Sierra's desk, wishing she was here.

"Who're you engaged to?" I no longer wished Sierra was here.

"I don't need to tell you." I cleared my throat again.

"Is it the short haired girl in the photos?" She smirked at me. "I saw you two early on in the staff kitchen. Keeping on theme with dating coworkers?" She teased and I glanced away.

My emotions were frantic.

"Do you know why I left?" I asked this time and she cleared her throat. We kept avoiding uncomfortable conversations. Always avoiding.

"Did your dad stay here? I thought he'd have been with your mom." She said and I chuckled dryly.

"My mom told you where I was?" I asked, confused at how everyone else kept it a secret except for her.

"Why did she move back? Why isn't your dad with her? I want to see him again," she smiled innocently completely oblivious to how painful this conversation had become.

"He's dead. My dad's dead." I said and her smile dropped. "We came here for a cure that made him more unwell." I could rant and rave about what happened to him. "It's been two years and I still can't get over it."

"I'm sorry." She muttered and stood up. "I didn't know why you left me." She bit her lip.

"Oh really?"

"I've held so much contempt for you for so long. I came here to give you a piece of my mind but as soon as I saw you it melted away." She ranted at me. "I was heartbroken. I loved you. I love you." Julia continued to repeat. "I was going to try! I wanted us to be healthy, I wanted a restart and you left before we could start again."

"I've talked to Diego about it." I mumbled.

"You didn't think about how that would affect us? You leaving for no reason. I went to your place and you weren't there. I slept at your place hoping you'd show up and you never did. I only stopped when the movers started taking your furniture."

She had slowly grown closer to me, her voice raising and breaking as she poured every emotion into this moment. I could tell she had been waiting for this moment for a while.

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