"Then we'll have our site analysis on Wednesday," Juno said after pausing for a moment. "This concludes our meeting for today."
Varie stayed seated in her swivel chair while the rest of the people in the meeting room stood up almost simultaneously to leave.
"Yes, Ms. Homan?" Juno asked, sitting down in a swivel chair himself.
Varie remained silent, continuing to click her ballpoint pen.
"Ms. Homan," Juno called again, this time more sternly.
Varie met his gaze, and she stopped clicking her pen.
"Sir?"
"Are you going to ask something? Is that why you stayed behind, or have you not been listening to us this whole time?"
"I'm sorry, sir. I wasn't paying attention." She rolled her chair backward, stood up, and excused herself.
Her boss's gaze stayed on her, still questioning.
---
"Girl, what time are you off?" her friend Lily asked her.
Since they chose different career paths, they rarely got to meet up anymore. Varie became an architect, while Lily went into the medical field.
"6 PM," Varie replied.
"You're lucky."
"Why?"
Varie put down the book she was holding. She wasn't reading it, just admiring the cover because it had a pure white Persian cat on it with blue eyes that seemed to be speaking to her.
"Because I'm on the night shift again. And there are reports about women being kidnapped again."
"Huh?"
Since she didn't watch the news, Varie had no idea what kind of people she might meet on the street. She had gotten used to going straight home to her apartment instead of going out.
"Yeah! Like last year, didn't you hear about those kidnappers targeting single women? I bet that kidnapper is lonely."
"Okay, well, you're not single."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "That's why I'm telling you this! You're still not dating anyone."
Varie just laughed. "Sorry, but I could totally fold them in half if they tried to drag me away."
"True," Lily said, laughing.
Ever since she was young, her parents had been paranoid, so she'd taken all sorts of self-defense classes. She wasn't petite or dainty like Lily. She inherited her father's height and her mother's sharp eyesight. So she felt confident that no one could easily approach her, and anyone who tried would think twice.
"By the way, did you accept Josh's invitation?"
She shook her head. "No, I don't want to see him."
"Hmm..." Lily nodded. "Okay." She didn't seem convinced.
"Why?" Varie asked. "I've moved on, okay? I just don't want to see him."
Lily gave her a knowing smile. "Aren't you curious about what his fiancée looks like?"
"No."
"Girl, it's been four years since you and Josh broke up. In those four years, I get that you didn't want to see him, but in all that time, I haven't seen you show any interest in anyone else." Lily pouted, clearly disappointed with her.
"I'm happy now, Ly. I don't need someone to make me happy."
Lily squinted, clearly not believing her.
It was true, though. She had been happy during those four years… well, three of those years. The last year was spent stalking her ex-boyfriend's social media accounts. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she was afraid of getting into another relationship. She didn't want to experience heartbreak again.
It took her an entire year to recover. She neglected herself for a year, and now she was finally getting back on her feet.
Thankfully, she had Lily with her. If not for her friend, she might still be stuck in misery. It would have been fine if it had only affected her emotional and mental health, but physically, she had been miserable too.
Josh wasn't her first boyfriend, not even her second, but he was her third—and her first long-term one. Unlike her other exes, they weren't strangers turned lovers.
They weren't exactly strangers—they had the same circle of friends but weren't that close. Still, that meant they saw each other often, and they knew enough about each other that their first date wasn't awkward. They were comfortable with each other even before becoming a couple, and the relationship just progressed naturally.
"Why don't you two just get together?" one of their friends teased.
"Yeah, why don't we?" Josh had asked her.
For Varie, Josh was the ideal boyfriend.
After a month of dating, Josh introduced her to all his relatives and other friends. After only one month, she was already imagining their future as a married couple. Josh's parents were perfect in-laws—kind and fun to be around. They liked her, and she liked them back.
Her parents, on the other hand, weren't as welcoming to Josh. Maybe they could sense the breakup coming, and despite all her reassurances, she couldn't convince them otherwise.
That's why when they celebrated their 5th anniversary, everyone was waiting for something to happen. She couldn't wait anymore, so she was planning to propose first, having already gotten permission from Josh's family and friends.
But then...
"V-varie, what are you doing here?" Josh's eyes nearly popped out when he saw her in front of the open door.
The cake she had been holding was on the floor, balloons were floating up to the ceiling, and the jewelry box in her blazer pocket was already nearly buried.
She wanted to throw it all at Josh, but she just decided to return it and ask for a refund. Why waste money?
"Baby, is this Varie?" the woman beside Josh asked, wrapped in a blanket, with visible marks on her neck and puffy lips.
"Yes, that's me." She introduced herself before looking away from the woman. She might lose her composure if she kept looking.
For five years, she had thought Josh wanted an exclusive, monogamous relationship. That was clear to both of them. She would have been open to a polyamorous relationship if that's what he wanted—almost all her friends were in one—but why hadn't Josh told her that he had changed preferences?
She waited for his explanation, though all she really wanted to do was explode and stab both of them right then and there. But she reminded herself it wasn't worth going to jail—or worse, dying—for these two pieces of trash. Meeting them in hell would only torture her.
Josh introduced the other woman to her as though they had no relationship and then asked if she wanted to be in a polyamorous setup because apparently, the girl liked her too.
"She likes you—"
Before Josh could finish, her palm slapped his right cheek.
After that, she told their mutual friends about what happened, and it spread to both their families.
Josh tried to reach out to her, but she made sure he would never see her again. She even cut off half of their mutual friends after she found out that some of them already knew about the other woman, but none of them ever told her.
He even used her as an excuse to send a fake suicide note. She heard that his family nearly disowned him after their breakup, but she didn't know if that was true—and honestly, she didn't care to find out.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Lily asked her again.
She just stared at the blue-eyed Persian cat on the book cover.
"Nothing."
Lily exhaled loudly. "Are you really happy?"
Varie just ran a hand through her hair.
Of course, she missed the comfort and companionship and the physical touch. But she was comfortable in her current state. She had reached a point in her life where she didn't want to think about anyone else.
"Yeah, I am." It was a half-hearted answer.
Since becoming single, she had started appreciating things she hadn't before—small things like treating herself and going out alone. She didn't need anyone else's opinions or validation.
Sure, she missed some things, but it was worth it. Being single made her more confident.
She no longer needed a happy life if it wasn't going to be a peaceful one.