The Boy Who Has No Hope (Soulless 6)

When I checked my email, I saw my lifeline.Hey Emmy,

It’s so nice to hear from you! You know, we’ve never really been able to fill your shoes. We don’t have that same editing position, but we can fit you into the marketing department. How’s that? Sorry it didn’t work out at your current job, but we’re happy to have you back!

–JimOh, thank god. I really needed that.

I hadn’t told my parents that they would have to move back in with me pretty soon. Lizzie and I would have to share a bedroom again, and the four of us would be corralled into a nine-hundred-square-foot apartment. But I was able to pay for my father’s surgery and a lot of his physical therapy, and he was already doing so much better, so it was totally worth it. And I had a good amount in savings for Lizzie’s college fund.

I went through Derek’s company email next. There were quite a few people trying to get in contact with him for speaking events or documentaries. Once he had a viable way for people to contact him, his inbox had been flooded with inquiries, and it was obvious how popular he was.

I closed the laptop and approached Derek in the lab. Like always, he ignored me.

I couldn’t believe this was the same man who had asked me how my father was doing, who teased me about eating burgers, who shared so much of his life with me. He was so different now I hardly recognized him. “Derek, there’ve been quite a few inquiries about interviews and possibly a TED Talk. I know you said you weren’t interested in that sort of thing, but I think it would be a mistake to—”

“I don’t care about your opinion, Emerson. It’s not what I pay you for.” He didn’t even have the courtesy to look away from his work and meet my gaze. He showed me no respect at all. I’d wanted to keep my personal information to myself, and he acted like I’d stabbed him in the back.

I almost snapped back, but I realized he wasn’t worth it. He was the asshole, not me. I had a job lined up, so I would just leave my resignation letter on his desk and move on. He wasn’t worth my rage. He wasn’t worth my heartache. I wanted to believe this wasn’t him, that he just couldn’t control his emotions, but I also knew he was better than this. Without giving him a response, I turned around and walked off.

When I returned to his office, I looked through my bag until I found the old resignation letter that I had put on his desk months ago. I hadn’t left it in my bag because I thought I would need it, but I’d realized I had never thrown it away. I pulled it out, looked through it, and then left it on the desk.

Without saying a word, I left that compound…for the last time.I went to his penthouse and left all my supplies there so he knew I didn’t take any of his personal information. When I locked the door, I slipped my key through the crack at the bottom so he knew I didn’t have any possessions that belonged to him. In my resignation letter, I quit on the spot, even though my new job didn’t start for a week.

When my phone rang that night and his name appeared on the screen, I knew he’d gotten my letter.

I didn’t answer because I didn’t owe him anything.

He called again an hour later; that was probably when he entered his penthouse and saw all his stuff I’d returned.

I still didn’t answer because I had nothing to say.

Lizzie sat on the couch and watched TV, while my mom and I worked in the kitchen.

Now that I was a mother, I understood how easy it was to read your child’s mind. My own mother seemed to know everything when I was growing up, and right now, she knew I was down. She gave me a gentle pat on the back. “Sweetheart, what is it?”

I hadn’t told her that I’d quit my job yet. I’d been dreading the revelation, so I dragged my feet as long as possible. “It’s about work…”

“Yeah, Lizzie mentioned it. Are you and your boss not getting along?”

That was an understatement. He hated me now. “Well…”

A knock sounded on the door.

I turned at the noise, and my heart started racing because I knew exactly who it was.

My mom dropped her hand from my shoulder and went back to the dishes. “You should get that.” It was like she knew it was Derek.

I grabbed my glass of wine and drank the rest of it before I headed to the front door. I didn’t even bother to check the peephole before I opened it.