The Day The Elevator Broke

heard it in whispers by the coffee machine and sa

ssed my desk. "It' s a picture of Ashley' s desk, covered in flowers. The capt

s also clarifying. Every post, every public display of affection for her, was another nail in the

rmet pastries and artisanal coffee arri

livery guy announced. "Spec

vish spread. My team got the standard office coffee. It was a petty, delibera

we were first dating. He had once driven two hours in the rain to bring me a specific brand of tea because I'

f me. The numbers were clean, the projections were solid. This was real

our biggest client, a project I had nurtured

the partition, try

Got a m

bit busy,

second. Look, about th

ject. I had landed the client, developed the strategy

I asked, keepin

ing my eyes. "She needs more experience with major clients, and I think this is a great o

o her on a silver platter. It wasn't just about giving her an opportunity;

All the late nights, the weekends I' d sp

n his eyes, but it was quick

team, of course," he adde

nside, I felt a deep, seismic shift. He had not only disrespecte

use later that day, a small, elegantly wrapp

m. It was a cheap imitation of a designer piece I had pointed out in a magazine months ago, a piece I ha

he real thing. He had tried to bu

hip: a cheap, hollow imitation of the real thing. He thought he could repl

dn' t throw it away. I

e had bought me for our first anniversary, the one he had forgo

puter and began draftin