Chapter 10
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“Yara, you really got me this time. You should be proud-this is the first time I’ve ever compromised for a woman. You think i had patience for Molly? Not even a tenth of what I had for you
He was gearing up to brag again, same old Derrick.
I cut him off. “You misunderstood.”
I picked up the document next to me and held it up to the camera.
“I immigrated. I’m not coming back.”
When I hung up, he just sat there-stunned. Like his brain hadn’t caught up yet.
The ring box slipped from his hand and hit the floor.
But I knew better.
He’d catch up soon enough. He always did.
He should’ve seen this coming the second he chose Molly-and turned my life into a nightmare.
This time, his theatrics didn’t shake me. I left the call behind and threw myself back into research.
Maybe he finally got the message, because he stopped trying to win me back.
Instead, he went full public with Molly-traveling, showing off, livestreaming their so-called “love.”
Felt like I was watching two totally separate plotlines from a cheesy drama.
While they were toasting new deals and having candlelit dinners, I was in the lab, debugging robotics software.
While they shopped and ate at influencer hotspots, I was knee-deep in wires, trying to fix a bot that wouldn’t stop glitching.
While they partied and got drunk, posting their “relationship goals” online and soaking up the likes, I hit a breakthrough-a whole new approach.
A month later, all the long nights paid off. We cracked a major problem: autonomous standing in unpredictable environments.
Sure, the cost was still steep. But real progress doesn’t show off. It builds, slow and solid.
No one knows what the future holds.
But that night, the whole team celebrated like it meant something-because it did.
Prof. Harrington was over the moon. He booked a five-star hotel just to mark the breakthrough.
After a few drinks, his face was flushed, and he kept holding my hand, going on about how I’d left too soon. Said if I’d joined the team earlier, we might’ve nailed it two years ago.
Then he pulled me aside, right in front of everyone-juniors, seniors, the whole crew–and called me his best student.
I couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed.
But I couldn’t ignore the sting of regret. Those five years could’ve been the best of my career-wasted on the wrong people, the wrong place.
Still, better late than never.
After dinner, we all split up and headed home.
1/2
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When I got to the front yard of my rental, I saw someone standing there.
At first, I thought I was tipsy and imagining things. I rubbed my eyes.
But then Derrick saw me and staggered over, barely able to stay upright.
The second he got close, the smell hit me-alcohol. Strong.
He was clearly wasted.
I frowned a little.
He stopped a few feet away and slurred, “You look like you’ve gained some weight.”
Wow. Rare moment. He’d never noticed stuff like that before.
Under the streetlight, I caught a glimpse of his eyes-red and tired.
I smiled. “No stress. I eat well, sleep well. Of course I’ve filled out a bit.”
I used to be barely hanging on-5’7″, barely 99 pounds.
Back then, I was stuck taking care of him, stewing over how obvious his thing for someone else was. Lost my appetite day after day. Slipped into a mild eating disorder without even realizing.
It wasn’t until I came to Inglane that I started healing. Started looking-and feeling-like myself again.
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