Page 35 of Surrendering to the Obsession

She dragged in a shaky breath and leaned forward, elbows on the desk, her face buried in her hands.

Then—ding!

The sharp chime of a new email sliced through the air.

Her head snapped up, eyes flying to the screen. A reply. Already.

Her pulse spiked again as she clicked it open, bracing herself for the rejection she knew was coming—some icy message from HR saying her contract was “under review,” or worse, a direct message from Alexander himself banning her from leaving the company.

But when the words appeared on the screen, her breath caught.

‘Your resignation is accepted.’

She blinked once. Then again.

“What…?” she breathed out.

Leaning forward, she reread the line twice to make sure she hadn’t imagined it. “It was approved? Just like that?”

Her fingers hovered frozen above the keyboard. The silence in the office suddenly felt too loud—the hum of air conditioning, the distant ring of a phone, the murmur of coworkers—all blending into a muffled haze.

For a long, stunned moment, she didn’t move.

Then slowly, she reached out, began gathering her things. Each motion felt mechanical. Her notebook, her pen, her water bottle. Her ID card clinked softly as she set it down on the desk.

When she was done, she stood. Her chair rolled slightly back with a soft creak.

Her heels clicked dully as she walked through the office one last time. No one noticed her leaving. No glances, no whispers. Just the quiet sound of her own footsteps.

Outside, the afternoon sunlight spilled across the pavement. She blinked against it, tightening her grip on her bag. The glass tower of Graves Corporation loomed behind her, reflecting the sky like a mirror.

Janet turned back once, her gaze tracing the familiar building. A faint, bitter smile touched her lips.

‘Now I’m completely free of him,’ she told herself. ‘No one can ever control me again.’

But then, a strange heaviness settled in her chest.

‘Isn’t this exactly what I wanted?’ she thought, clutching her bag tighter. ‘Then why… don’t I feel happy at all?’

It wasn’t long before Janet reached home. The moment she stepped inside her apartment, she dropped her bag and keys on the small dining table with a soft thud. The quiet hum of the apartment filled her ears until the sound of a door opening broke it.

A tall woman appeared from the hallway, adjusting the hem of her jeans. Her long hair was tied up loosely, and she looked ready to head out.

“You’re home early,” the woman said, glancing at Janet curiously.

“Yeah…” Janet exhaled, rubbing her forehead tiredly. “I just left the company. Resigned.” Her voice came out weary. “Where are you going all dressed up?”

Christie—her best friend—frowned. “You resigned?” she asked, walking closer. “So suddenly? I thought you were happy there. They paid you really well, didn’t they? I remember you said no other company offered that kind of salary.”

Janet bit her lip, looking down. Her hands twisted together as she thought, ‘Should I tell her? Should I tell her about Alexander… and that contract?’

Her chest tightened at the thought. ‘No. If I tell her, she’ll gossip again. She never keeps secrets. She’ll tell everyone—and worse, she might even tell my boyfriend about it. If that happened, it would create a whole new mess.’

She looked up and forced a weak smile, trying to make up an excuse. “It’s just—”

But before she could finish, Christie cut her off, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. “Wait, don’t tell me—it was your manager, wasn’t it?” she guessed, crossing her arms. “There’s no way you’dleave a job like that over nothing. Someone must have been giving you a hard time.”

Janet looked up quickly and nodded, seizing the excuse. “Yes… yeah, it was because of that.”