Amanda closed the office door behind her and leaned lightly against it.
She didn't rush.
She didn't panic.
But she wasn't calm either.
She replayed the image in her mind—
Emily standing too close.
Ethan's hand mid-air.
The silence that spoke louder than words.
That wasn't inappropriate.
That was unfinished.
Amanda walked back to her desk and sat down slowly. Around her, the office continued as usual. Phones rang. People laughed. Nothing had changed.
Except everything had.
She had always known Ethan was guarded. Distant. Closed off in ways no one questioned because of his success.
But what she saw today…
That wasn't distance.
That was restraint.
At lunch, Ethan barely spoke.
"You're quiet," Amanda said gently.
"Just tired," he replied.
She studied him for a moment, then smiled politely.
"Then maybe you should rest."
He nodded, grateful for the easy excuse.
Amanda watched him leave.
She didn't feel anger.
She felt clarity.
Emily Carter wasn't just an employee.
She was a chapter Ethan never finished.
And Amanda knew one thing for sure—
She would never compete for a love that already existed.