When I Walked Away

I glanced toward the monitor by the door, curious who was knocking, and realized it was a girl who had joined us for dinner earlier tonight. She wore a floral maxi skirt with a white blouse, looking young, fresh, and full of energy.

Hugh had introduced her during the meal. Her name was Rylee Snow—a recent graduate with no real work experience yet, but apparently sharp and quick to learn. For now, she would be working as my temporary assistant, but why was she here?

I opened the door and asked her that question.

“You drank quite a bit tonight, and you barely ate anything.” Rylee scratched her head shyly. “I live close by, and I just made something. I thought I’d bring you some too.”

She opened the insulated Tupperware, and the smell drifted out instantly.

“Try it. Don’t worry. I noticed earlier that you don’t handle spicy food well, so I didn’t add too much spice.”

Her words made me pause for a moment.

I had lived with Lucy for years, and I’d told her countless times that I couldn’t eat spicy food. Yet, every meal she ordered had some sort of spice in it. Whenever I asked for something mild, she’d complain. Every time I brought it up, she’d say she forgot. Something that a stranger could pick up on after one meal, she hadn’t managed to remember in more than ten years.

I didn’t turn down Rylee’s kindness. I accepted the food and thanked her. After she left, I tried a small bite and was caught off guard by how perfectly it matched my taste.

At first, I thought she was simply meticulous in her daily life, but I soon realized she was far more capable than I expected. When we first started working together, I intentionally slowed my speech for her, giving her time to process. However, she picked things up fast. Half the time, I wasn’t even done explaining before she already had the answer. The problems that used to take an hour to explain to Lucy, Rylee grasped them in minutes, and she could even expand on them.

A bit stunned, I couldn’t help asking, “You understood all that?”

She looked genuinely puzzled. “Why wouldn’t I? You explained it really clearly. I’ve actually spent tens of thousands on online courses, trying to understand this stuff. Honestly, those instructors weren’t half as good as you.”

Her tone was plain; there wasn’t a hint of flattery in it.

For a moment, I felt something indescribable. Back then, whenever Lucy had questions, I tried every way possible to explain things to her. However, more often than not, she grew impatient, accusing me of making things too complicated. Eventually, she gave up trying to communicate with me and always went to Zack instead.

I used to doubt myself, but thinking about it now, maybe it didn’t matter who explained it. She just wanted to see Zack; she didn’t want to deal with me.

As time went on, Rylee and I grew more familiar with each other. She was incredibly attentive. Sometimes, she’d prepare the things I needed before I even realized I was running out. It had been a long time since I was being taken care of like that, and slowly, I started to feel like I belonged in this city.

Working with her was even more effortless. Eventually, our project launched smoothly, and I landed my first major partnership since joining the company.

That night, Hugh booked a celebration dinner for the two of us. While he went to park the car, I headed up first. However, the moment I stepped through the revolving door, I heard a very familiar voice.

“Oh? Isn’t that Graham?”

Instinctively, I turned my head, and there, at the front desk, stood Lucy, fingers intertwined with Zack as they leaned intimately against each other.