My parents had already driven back home upstate yesterday.

I didn't want to bother the few relatives I had in town.

Lying on the hotel bed, I deleted everything related to Chloe.

Including her contact info.

Alone in an unfamiliar place, I actually started to relax.

As I drifted off, I ended up dreaming about the past.

I met Chloe in college.

When we first met, she was crying her eyes out over Jason.

I was just supposed to be a stranger passing by, but I handed her a tissue.

From there, things just spiraled.

She was the undisputed campus queen, with a million friends.

I was the classic bookworm in our class.

The reason was simple: I came from a regular, working-class family.

My parents had given everything they had just to get me through college.

For Chloe, I forced myself to learn about fashion.

Even though I was allergic to dust, I'd go help clean out the equipment room whenever she called.

After graduation, I thought I'd never see her again.

Turns out, she was my direct supervisor at my new job.

The night I got promoted to manager, I confessed my feelings to her, fueled by a little liquid courage.

She told me her ex was emotionally abusive and only wanted her for her money.

So I loved her twice as hard, even bought her a house.

Even though she didn't need one.

When I woke up, it was already afternoon.

There were tear stains on the pillow.

I turned on my phone.

Not a single new message.

You don't dream the same dream twice.

And eventually, you have to come back to reality.

The next day, I went to work like usual.

I just made a point to avoid Chloe.

Of course, she was just here to get some "real world" experience at her parents' company.

The department I was in had nothing to do with what she actually needed to learn.

After a busy morning, the General Manager's announcement hit me like a ton of bricks.

The project I had poured my heart and soul into had been handed over to someone else by Chloe.

"This is Jason, our new team lead. He'll be heading this project from now on."

The GM glanced at me as he said it.

Jason stepped forward with a smug grin and gave my hand a provocative shake.

"I've got plenty of experience. You can rest easy leaving it with me."

The double meaning was crystal clear.