Chapter 3: Broken heart
TERESA'S POV
People have always called me dumb, and the nicer ones say I'm just gullible. Honestly, I've never argued with either. So, it wasn't exactly a surprise when my one-month-old relationship—the longest I've ever had, by the way—came crashing down right after I told my boyfriend about the Vista contract. That was probably the only reason he stuck around.
Now, here I was again, back in my tiny one-bedroom apartment, buried under a mountain of crumpled tissues, bawling my eyes out.
It's one thing to be dumped. It's another to be used and tossed aside like an expired coupon—which is exactly what Mark did. Just like every other guy. But that wasn't the only reason I was drowning in my own tears. This time, I was staring down the barrel of unemployment. And not just any job—the job. My job at Vista July, where I've hustled for over five years. I started as an intern, clawed my way to a full-time position, and now, thanks to my genius dating choices, I committed the ultimate sin: spilling confidential company information. Come Monday, I might not only be out of a job—I might be sitting in a jail cell.
I blew my nose and tossed the tissue onto the pile. What now? Mark had already published his article using the classified intel I thought I was sharing with my boyfriend. The source would obviously be traced back to me. I was so screwed.
I curled into a ball on my couch, pulling my blanket over my head like it could shield me from reality. My face was puffy, my eyes felt like sandpaper. I'd been crying since Wednesday, and it was now Friday. My phone was off, and I had no intention of turning it back on anytime soon. I was planning to hide out here until I ran out of food or, better yet, just starved to death. Seemed like a better alternative to facing the music—or worse, my boss.
Eventually, exhaustion dragged me under, pulling me into a restless, nightmare-riddled sleep. I dreamed of jail cells and Mark's smug grin, like he'd won.
******
"Teresa! Open the door or I'm breaking it down!"
I jerked awake, heart racing. It took a second to remember where I was, but the pile of tissues on the floor brought me back to reality—unfortunately, the reality where I was one step away from prison. Fresh tears welled up at the reminder.
"Teresa! Open the door!"