Chapter 44
Terrence remained silent. The cold night breeze brushed against his face, but it did nothing to cool the turmoil inside him.
Malcolm swirled his wine, watching the deep red liquid spin in the glass. “Back then, you always found her clingy, didn’t you? No matter how many times she called or showed up uninvited, you never took her seriously.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “And now, she’s really gone. Why do you look like the one who’s been abandoned?”
Terrence’s grip on his glass tightened.
Was that what people thought? That he had wanted her gone?
That was what he told himself too.
But then why—why did it feel like something was missing now?
His thoughts drifted back to the City Hall. To Valerie’s clear, unwavering eyes when she handed over her ID. To the way she had spoken—so calm, so certain, so unlike the woman who used to chase after him.
“People change, Malcolm,” he muttered.
Malcolm raised a brow. “That, or you never really knew her at all.”
The words hit Terrence harder than he expected.
He finished his drink in one swift motion and set the glass down with a sharp clink.
Malcolm leaned against the balcony railing. “So, what now? You gonna sit here and mope while Valerie moves on? I heard she’s settling in well back in D.C. She’s even meeting with influential people. Maybe she’s finally figured out that she doesn’t need you anymore.”
Something sharp twisted in Terrence’s chest.
Valerie. Moving on. Without him.
His jaw clenched.
No.
She wasn’t supposed to leave like that. She wasn’t supposed to move on.
Not without him.
Without another word, Terrence pushed off the railing and strode back inside.
Malcolm smirked, watching his friend’s retreating figure. “Now that,” he murmured to himself, “is the look of a man who’s just realized what he’s lost.”
