Chapter 6
Dominick was the first friend I made when I entered the
workforce. I grew up in a single–parent household. Because we didn’t have much, I was always small and frail, an easy target for bullies.
On top of making fun of my height, they’d laugh at me for not having a dad, calling me a fatherless kid, a pathetic little runt abandoned by my own dad.
I didn’t want my mom to worry about me, so I learned to endure it. I swallowed my pride, kept my head down, and studied as hard as I could to ease her burden.
By the time I got older and went to a good school, the bullying stopped. But the habit of putting up with things quietly stuck with me—it was hard to shake.
I’d gotten used to living a low–key life, keeping myself small and hidden. It felt safer that way. So I coasted through college -neither good nor bad, just invisible—and graduated as one of those unremarkable girls no one really noticed.
Then came the workplace, where someone like me was bound to get walked all over. The hardest jobs? Always mine. Mistakes made by others? Somehow my fault. I wasn’t good at socializing, didn’t know how to suck up to anyone, and because of that, the blame always landed on me.
D
Chapter 6
2/4
It all changed when Dominick showed up. He was the only one brave enough to march into the boss‘ office and speak the truth, clearing my name when I was wrongly blamed. He wasn’t some big, imposing guy with connections or power. However, his honesty and his refusal to tolerate workplace bullying gave him strength. He stood up for me when no one else would.
I still remember that day–when I got to keep my job, spared from being unfairly fired. Dominick bought me a little cake to celebrate and grinned at me, saying, “If anything unfair happens again, just come to me. I’ll have your back!”
I could still see the way his eyes sparkled when he said it. That was the moment—right then and there—I fell hopelessly in love with him.
But I knew Dominick only saw me as a friend. So I hid my feelings well, tucked them away, and stayed by his side as just that–a friend.
With Dominick’s encouragement, I started exercising to get healthier. Knowing how picky he was about food, I secretly learned how to cook, just so I could bring him delicious homemade lunches every day.
Whenever I faced challenges at work, we brainstormed and solved them together. Dominick took me hiking and running, and began to genuinely care about my health. In my dull, barren world, he was a burst of light–vivid and unwavering. He gave me a new sense of purpose and made me look forward to the future.
» Chapter
How could I not fall in love with a man like that? I really couldn’t help but love Dominick. But just as I hesitated about confessing, Madison appeared.
I heard she was the daughter of some big–shot CEO and that she was here at the company just to “experience life“. Gorgeous and delicate, Madison instantly became the goddess every man in the office adored.
Madison was assigned to our team. Dominick made no effort to hide how much he admired her, and she, in turn, seemed to click with him effortlessly. I watched them grow closer day by day, feeling like a thousand ants were gnawing at my heart. I admitted I felt jealous, but more than anything, I hated how painfully ordinary I was.
Not long after, the company organized a team–building trip— barbecuing and hiking, the usual. But the weather had other plans. Just as we were nearing the summit, a sudden downpour broke out. On the way back down, people started slipping and falling, and before long, the group got separated in the thickening fog.
When I realized Dominick was unreachable, my instincts told me something was wrong. Using what little hiking experience had, I guessed he might have been in an accident. Ignoring my own safety and the darkening skies, I grabbed my limited gear and searched the most dangerous areas alone.
And sure enough, there he was–collapsed at the bottom of a slope after helping too many colleagues, completely spent and unable to hold his footing.
Chapter 6
The signal was terrible up there. I tried calling, emergency services again and again, but they couldn’t hear me clearly, and I had to give up. Coupled with the raging storm, panic consumed me. Wasting not even a second, I hoisted Dominick onto my back and carried him down the mountain.
I never knew I could be so strong–that I could carry a grown man. But with my love for Dominick as my strength, I managed to achieve the impossible.
By the time I got Dominick to safely, I was completely drained. But I didn’t stop. I immediately ran down to find help. Yet when I finally brought people back with me, Madison and the others had already found Dominick.
Madison was kneeling beside him, crying so prettily it was like something out of a movie. When he woke up, she was the first to rush to his bedside. “Dom, I’m so glad I didn’t give up. I kept searching with everyone, or who knows what might have happened…‘
Dominick, along with everyone else, believed Madison had saved his life with her perseverance. And I? I stood quietly outside the door, just like now, swallowing the bitter truth and wiping away my tears. There was nothing I could do.
Write your comment
ir Gifts
1/4
After I stopped loving him, he begged me to…
Chapter 7
