Part 3After My Boyfriend Rejected My 99th Dinner Invitation, I Left

On Friday, my store manager, Diane Brooks, slid the transfer form for the new Northbrook store across the counter to me again.

The position came with a 30 percent raise and a housing stipend for the first year.

Last time, I'd turned it down because of Nathan.

Northbrook was only a 40-minute drive away.

But he'd said, "We hardly see each other as it is. If you transfer there, what's even the point of dating?"

This time, I took the form.

"I'll give you an answer by Monday."

That afternoon, during inventory, the acrylic panel on the top shelf of a display case came loose.

I reached up to catch it, and it sliced my wrist open. Blood quickly soaked through the gauze I pressed against the cut.

A coworker took me to the hospital and called Nathan, my emergency contact, on the way.

He didn't answer. A long while later, he finally called back. "What's so important that you keep calling?"

"I hurt my hand. I need stitches. My coworker was worried I wouldn't have anyone with me after she left, so she called you."

It was loud in the background.

"I can't come right now. Vivian lost her wallet with all her ID in it. I'm at the police station with her, checking the security footage."

He paused. "Just wait there for a while. I'll come to the hospital when I'm done."

Before he hung up, I heard Vivian calling him over.

I heard his footsteps quickly fade away.

I got four stitches at the hospital. Even after my wound was bandaged, Nathan still didn't show up.

It was raining when I left. I couldn't hold an umbrella with my injured hand, and one shoulder was soaked through in no time.

Nathan didn't get home until ten that night.

When he saw the gauze on my hand, he looked stunned.

"How did you end up needing that many stitches?"

"Four."

"Didn't you say it wasn't serious?"

"I never said that."

He crouched to read the discharge instructions and asked when I needed to change the dressing and whether I'd had a tetanus shot. Then he rolled up his sleeves and went into the kitchen.

In the past, his concern might have softened me. Now it only felt like a cruel joke.

I was done giving my heart to a man who split his between two women.

Half an hour later, he came out with a bowl of creamy chicken soup.

He'd left out the onions and the black pepper I hated.

"I'm sorry about today."

He continued softly, "She lost her ID and all her bank cards. I couldn't leave her alone at the police station."

He reached out to touch my hair.

"Does it still hurt?"

I turned my head away.

Nathan's hand froze for a moment, but he went on. "Don't do any housework for the next few days. You need to keep the wound dry."

I nodded vaguely, then ignored him.

I didn't need his concern. It had come too late.

At 11, Vivian came home, her eyes red.

"Nathan, the elevator just stalled for a moment. It scared me."

He stood up at once. "How long were you stuck? What did the management office say?"

"Less than a minute. They said it was nothing serious, but I'm still scared."

Nathan grabbed his jacket. "I'll go with you."

I held up my hand. "My hand hurts so much that I can't even pour myself a glass of water. The doctor said I need someone with me. Do you really have to leave right now?"

He hesitated for a moment. "Your meds are on the table. I'll pour you some water so you can take them. I'm going with Vivian to the management office. They're about to close."

Vivian lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry. I was trapped in an elevator once before, so I still get a little panicky."

Nathan stepped in front of her.

"She's alone in this city. She can't manage without me."

I looked at him. "I went to the hospital alone today, too. As my boyfriend, where were you?"

For a few seconds, he didn't say anything.

"You're not like her. You've always been independent. You can take care of yourself."

So the reward for being independent was being ignored.

I picked up the transfer form and signed my full name, Leah Tanner, on the line.

Nathan noticed it. "What's that?"

"Work paperwork."

"Want me to look it over for you?"

"No."

I put the form in my bag.

"You're right. I'm very independent. I can take care of myself just fine without you."

That night, he went with Vivian to the management office. By the time he came back, it was 12:30.

Maybe out of guilt, Nathan offered to go with me to get my dressing changed the next day.

But I refused and said a coworker would go with me.

For the first time, he wasn't on my schedule. And he never would be again.