It Wasn't Over

The next morning, Jane woke up feeling restless.

She had barely slept, her mind clouded with thoughts of Paul, his words, and the emotions they had shared the night before. But she refused to let her guard down. No matter what he said, no matter what she had felt in that moment—he had still taken away her freedom.

She got dressed and made her way downstairs when she heard him call for her.

Paul stood by the door, his expression unreadable.

Then, he did something unexpected.

He opened the door.

Jane froze. Her eyes flickered between him and the open doorway.

"You're free to go," Paul said, his voice calm.

Shock paralyzed her.

She didn't move.

Paul let out a soft chuckle. "I got what I wanted, Jane." His lips curled into a sad smile. "I know now that if you hadn't met Nick first, it could have been me." He exhaled heavily. "But I don't want to be selfish anymore."

Jane stared at him, searching for any deception in his words.

"I'll drop you home," he added, stepping aside and opening the passenger seat door for her.

Slowly, hesitantly, she climbed in.

The entire drive, she watched him cautiously, waiting for a trick, a hidden motive. But Paul just kept smiling, the same soft, almost bittersweet smile.

Finally, he spoke. "If not love, can we at least be friends?"

Jane turned away, staring out of the window. "After what you did to me… I can't accept that, Paul."

His grip tightened on the steering wheel. "I lied," he admitted suddenly.

Jane frowned, looking at him. "What?"

Paul kept his eyes on the road. "I didn't do anything to you that night, Jane."

She stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"It's true that I drugged you," he admitted. "But I never touched you."

Jane's heart pounded.

"You threw up all over your dress," he continued, his voice steady. "I had a maid clean you up while I waited outside. I only came inside right before you woke up."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"So you mean—"

"Yes," he confirmed. "Nothing happened between us. But you assumed it did… and I let you believe that."

Jane's head spun. The anger, the shame, the fear she had carried for weeks—it had all been built on a lie.

She exhaled sharply. "You've got a twisted brain, Paul."

Paul let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "I confessed. I apologized. So now, will you forgive me? Give me a chance to be your friend?"

Silence filled the car.

Jane stared at him for a long moment.

She thought about everything—his obsession, his mistakes, his remorse.

And then, she made her decision.

"Okay," she said softly.

Paul's foot slammed on the brake.

Jane gasped, gripping the seat as the car jerked to a sudden stop. "What the hell?!"

"Really?!" Paul asked, his eyes wide with childlike excitement.

Jane sighed but couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips. "You realized your mistake and you're letting me go. I appreciate that," she said. "So… I'll make the effort to be your friend."

Paul's face lit up with pure happiness. "You won't regret it," he grinned, pressing the gas again.

He drove towards Nick's office.

As soon as he parked, Jane unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped out of the car, her heart racing with excitement. Without a second glance at Paul, she ran towards the building.

Paul leaned back in his seat, watching her disappear inside.

He should've felt sad.

But instead, he just smiled wickedly.

Jane rushed into the reception area, her heart pounding.

"I need to see Nick," she said breathlessly.

The receptionist barely glanced at her before turning back to her screen. "He's not here," she said coolly.

Jane frowned. "When will he be back?"

"He's abroad. Won't be back for a week."

The words hit her like a punch to the gut.

Nick was gone.

Jane swallowed hard, disappointment settling deep in her chest. She had finally escaped, and the one person she needed to see wasn't here.

Feeling lost, she turned and walked out of the building.

Paul was leaning against his car, watching her with quiet curiosity.

"He's not here," she told him, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. "I'll just go home and call him later."

Paul nodded. "Alright. Take care, Jane. I'll see you around."

For the first time in weeks, she felt no fear in his presence. He had set her free, and that meant something.

She gave him a small smile before catching a cab.

Maria stood by the door, watching Jane put on her shoes.

"Are you sure you want to go today?" she asked carefully. "You could take a few more days to rest. Maybe even a week?"

Jane shot her a suspicious glance. "Maria, why do you keep insisting I stay home?"

Maria hesitated before forcing a laugh. "I just… I don't want you to stress yourself too soon. You've been through a lot."

Jane narrowed her eyes. Something about Maria's concern felt… off.

Maria quickly grabbed her bag. "You know what? I'll come with you."

Jane raised an eyebrow. "To my office?"

Maria nodded too quickly. "Yeah! I just— I just don't want you to be alone."

Now Jane was really suspicious. Maria was acting strange. Was she hiding something?

But instead of questioning her further, Jane simply sighed. "Fine. Let's go."

The moment Jane stepped into her office building, she felt a sense of relief. The familiar scent of coffee, the low hum of conversations—it was comforting after the nightmare she had lived through.

But the moment she walked past the reception desk, she noticed something odd.

The way people looked at her.

Some whispered. Others averted their gaze completely.

What was going on?

Ignoring the unease bubbling inside her, Jane made her way straight to the director's office.

Maria followed closely, nervous.

The director, a well-dressed woman in her late forties, looked up as Jane entered. There was no warmth in her gaze.

"Jane," she said, gesturing to the seat in front of her desk. "Sit down."

Jane swallowed hard and did as she was told.

"Where have you been all this time?" the director asked.

Jane's pulse spiked. She couldn't tell the truth.

"I… I needed to take my mind off things," she lied. "So I went to India."

The director sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Jane, so many things happened while you were gone. You should have at least called and informed me."

Jane stiffened. "What happened?"

The director glanced at her computer screen, then back at Jane. "I tried to reach you for more than fifteen days. When we couldn't get in touch, we tried your abroad number—it never went through. As per company policy, you were relieved from your post."

Jane's breath caught in her throat. "What?"

The director's expression remained unreadable.

"But… you knew what I was going through! You said I could take time off, that I could return once things settled!"

The director exhaled sharply. "I'm sorry, Jane. But the decision has been made. There's nothing I can do."

Jane stared at her, feeling the weight of betrayal. The woman who had once been so kind to her was now cold, distant—like a stranger.

"Your settlement has already been sent to your account," the director continued. "I wish you all the best."

That was it.

Jane had been erased from the company, just like that.

The director pressed a button on her desk, and the secretary entered. "See Miss Jane out."

Jane didn't argue. What was the point?

She stood up, her body moving on autopilot as she walked out.

Maria followed her, silent.

Only when they stepped outside did Jane finally let the shock sink in.

"They fired me," she murmured.

Maria nodded. "I… I knew this might happen."

Jane turned to her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Maria looked guilty. "I thought maybe they'd reconsider if they saw you again. And besides, you can't tell them the truth, right?"

Jane clenched her fists. "No. I can't."

With a sigh, she pulled out her phone and checked her bank account.

The severance pay had been deposited.

Her brows furrowed.

Something wasn't right.

"Maria… this is too much."

Maria looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

Jane stared at the screen. "Company policy states that if an employee leaves without notice after working for a year, they get one month's severance pay. But they deposited my entire year's salary."

Maria's face paled. "Maybe they just… wanted to compensate you?"

Jane shook her head. "No. This doesn't make sense. And another thing…"

She opened her emails and found her termination letter.

"It says I was fired two days after my disappearance." She looked up at Maria, her voice trembling. "But the director just told me they made the decision after fifteen days. Why would she lie?"

Maria stayed quiet.

Jane's mind raced.

Then, suddenly, she remembered that night.

The night the director invited her to dinner.

And never showed up.

Her stomach twisted.

Was she in on it?

Had Paul and the director been working together?

Jane exhaled shakily, feeling exhaustion creep over her.

She was too drained to chase this mystery now.

But something told her…

This wasn't over.