He said there was an emergency at the company. He wouldn't be back until the next day.
He swore up and down on the phone, apologizing, promising he'd make it up to me.
I believed him.
I even felt sorry for him, pulling an all-nighter at the office.
Turns out his "emergency" was spending the night with his college ex.
I looked up at the photo on the wall.
We'd taken it at the beach after we earned our first real profit from the company. In the picture, Barret was cupping my face in his hands, smiling at me like I was the only person in the world.
Tears slipped down from the corners of my eyes and splattered onto the back of my hand before I could stop them.
I ripped the photo off the wall.
The photo, the suit, the note. I shoved all of it into the trash.
The front door beeped with the sound of the keypad unlocking.
Barret walked in, propping up a pale-faced Queenie at his side.
The moment they stepped into the living room, they saw the mess on the floor and my packed suitcase.
"Maggie, what the hell is wrong with you?"
Barret let go of Queenie and strode toward me.
"Queenie just got back to the country. Her stomach condition flared up and she had no family around. I went to the hospital to look after her. What's the problem?"
"What, I'm not allowed to have a female friend after we get married?"
He pointed at me, his voice dripping with impatience.
"Your need to control everything is insane! You're completely unreasonable!"
Queenie tugged at his sleeve, her eyes rimmed red, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Barret, this is all my fault."
"Please don't fight because of me."
She turned to look at me, her voice small and wounded.
"Maggie, don't be angry with Barret. He runs the whole company every day. The pressure is enormous."
"If you love him, can't you be a little more understanding?"
"He didn't even eat a proper meal because he was taking care of me. It's all my fault."
"Why don't you go make him a bowl of noodles?"
As she spoke, she stumbled on purpose, letting her body fall against Barret.
"I'll leave right now. I'll never bother you two again."
"If you're upset, take it out on me. Yell at me, hit me, I don't care."
But for all her talk of leaving, she stayed pressed against Barret's chest, clinging to him like her life depended on it.
Barret looked at me with disappointment.
"Look at yourself. You don't have half the grace Queenie has!"