Ditching Me for His 'Soulmate'? His Loss. Next Stop: My New Life novel Chapter 102

Chapter 5

The subject line of the email, bold and glaring on his screen, sent a heavy weight settling deep in Nate’s chest. He hesitated for a moment, fingers hovering over the mouse, when Zoe suddenly appeared, striding in with a confident air as if she owned the entire office.

“Nate, here’s the report you wanted,” she announced, dropping a thick folder onto his cluttered desk. Without waiting for a response, she circled around and placed a hand lightly on his shoulder—a gesture that once felt like a secret, playful flirtation between them.

But now? It felt wrong. Uncomfortable. Out of place.

Nate straightened in his chair, forcing himself to focus. He opened the folder and scanned the first page. His brow furrowed deeply.

The content was a disaster.

While the formatting was neat and professional, everything else was off—completely wrong. She had even misnamed the department. The careless mistakes hit him like a punch.

With a sharp slam, he dropped the report back onto the desk, his voice cutting through the quiet office like ice. “Who wrote this?”

He shook his head in disbelief. “Do they have any clue what they’re doing?”

“Get Olivia in here,” he ordered, frustration boiling over. “What the hell is HR even doing with their hiring?”

Zoe’s face drained of color in an instant, her usual confident mask cracking. “Nate… I did it,” she admitted quietly.

All of Nate’s anger evaporated in a heartbeat.

He looked at her—really looked—and saw genuine surprise and hurt in her eyes. For the first time in a long while, exhaustion washed over him.

Tears welled up, her voice barely above a whisper. “Nate… are you saying I’m stupid now?”

She wiped a tear from her cheek, her tone softening into that stubborn, vulnerable voice she always used when playing the victim. “If you really think I’m too dumb for this job… I’ll quit.”

“You can find someone smarter, more capable,” she added, turning toward the door.

Without thinking, Nate reached out to stop her, but the moment he caught sight of those tear-filled, pleading eyes, his hand froze in midair.

Sophia never looked at him like that.

She carried herself with pride, no matter how tough things got. She never cried to get her way or begged for anything.

If only Sophia were still here…

His fingers clenched at his sides, the thought catching him off guard.

He pulled his hand back as if it had burned, pressing his palms to his temples and letting out a heavy sigh. “Just… go, Zoe.”

She hesitated, voice trembling. “Nate—”

“Out,” he interrupted, his tone sharp and final.

He had no patience left.

Zoe bit her lip, clearly reluctant, but she walked away without another word.

Once the door closed behind her, Nate sank back into his chair, staring blankly at the useless report. Suddenly, memories flooded his mind, vivid and unrelenting.

Seven years ago, I was just a clueless rookie.

No fancy degree, no impressive credentials.

Nothing on paper that made me stand out.

But somehow, I was the only one who made it past the internship.

Back then, I was hungry—desperate to prove myself.

He couldn’t bring himself to treat her with kindness.

Instead, he deliberately chose someone like Zoe—

The complete opposite of Sophia—

As a twisted form of rebellion against the life he never wanted.

But now…

With Zoe acting more and more absurd,

Nate felt nothing but exhaustion.

He couldn’t shake the image of Sophia’s face as she walked away,

Leo cradled gently in her arms, her posture straight and unyielding.

His heart hammered painfully in his chest.

Maybe…

Maybe it’s time to grow up.

Maybe she’s not the same Sophia anymore.

Maybe…

Neither am I.