The TwoClick Departure

Chapter 1 The day before my final interview for a promotion at corporate headquarters, my girlfriend secretly submitted an application to transfer me to our Africa branch.

I was furious and demanded to know why she did it. She just shrugged and said carelessly, "Liam used my laptop the other day and accidentally submitted it for you. It was just a joke." "Doesn't it require a twostep verification? Just reject it."

Liam. The new intern on Emma’s project team this year. He was young, athletic, and spent every waking moment hovering around her. She knew perfectly well that if the application wasn't rejected within 12 hours, the system would autoconfirm it. I would be stationed in Africa for three years.

It turned out that in her eyes, my career and my future were nothing more than a punchline. I didn't say a single word. I logged in and confirmed the transfer to Africa.

Later, when Emma saw my passport and visa processing, panic finally set in. "Didn't it require twostep verification?! Why didn't you reject it?!"

1 When I received the transfer order for Africa, the blood in my veins turned to ice. Yesterday, I had asked Emma to submit my application for the internal promotion to the Marketing Department at corporate HQ. Instead, the only email in my inbox was an approval for a "ThreeYear Residency in West Africa."

A message from HR popped up: "Hey Ethan, did you submit this by mistake? You have 12 hours to decline the transfer."

Emma and I had been dating for six years. I was planning to propose to her by the end of this year. Everyone in the company knew there was absolutely zero chance I would volunteer for Africa right now.

My hands were shaking. When I dialed Emma's number, my fingernails were digging so hard into my palms they almost drew blood. "What is going on? I just got an email saying I'm being transferred to Africa."

A careless, lighthearted laugh came through the speaker. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Liam came into my office the other day while I was working on your files. He started talking about how the Great Migration in Africa is so epic, so he submitted an application for the West Africa branch as a joke." "He's just an intern, he doesn't know any better. He was just messing around." "Doesn't it ask for a second confirmation? Just click decline."

She talked about it like someone had accidentally ordered the wrong coffee.

"You think this doesn't matter?" Her tone shifted, lacing with impatience. "You're overthinking this again." "Do you have to be so dramatic? Just change it back." "If Lucy from HR hadn't messaged me, this transfer would be final." "Liam illegally accessed the company’s computer system and violated my privacy. I can report him to HR."

Emma's voice instantly went freezing cold. "Ethan, you are being completely unreasonable right now." "It was a joke, and you want to report him to HR?! When are you going to drop this ridiculous hostility toward him?" She paused, her tone growing harsher. "How many times do I have to tell you? He just graduated. He doesn't know anyone in the company. As his mentor, what is wrong with me looking out for him?" "He made a harmless joke! If you want to report him, you might as well report me too!"

She hung up on me.

I sat at my desk in a total daze. Seven years. From college clubs to the same company, from being interns together to being project partners. Everyone always said we were the perfect couple.

But now, she was staying in the Marketing Department, and I was going to West Africa. With the entire Sahara Desert and a guy named Liam standing between us.

Canceling the application only required a single click of the mouse. But I stared at the screen, completely motionless.

A coworker tapped on my cubicle divider. "Ethan, someone's at the front desk for you."

Liam was wearing a loose, oversized grey hoodie, holding two cups of coffee in his hands. When he saw me, he strode over. "Hey, Ethan." He handed one of the coffees to me. "I just got off the phone with Emma. She's in a bad mood, so she wants to get everyone together for a camping trip this weekend. Do you think... it's appropriate for me to go?"

His voice was dripping with provocation, his eyes practically gleaming with smug satisfaction.

It had been three months. Ever since he was assigned to our department as an intern, it had been like this. Pretending to be innocent while constantly, subtly challenging me.

I took the coffee, didn't drink it, and shot back: "What do you think?" Liam scratched his head, acting bashful. "I don't know, I didn't want you to misunderstand. Emma said you've had an issue with her lately, so I thought, maybe I should keep my distance..." "Then don't go."

He froze. "Didn't you come here to ask for my opinion?" I set the coffee down on the reception desk. "My opinion is: don't go."

Liam's face contorted. Before he could respond, the elevator doors chimed open. Emma walked out. Seeing the two of us, her brows instantly pulled into a deep frown. "Liam, I told you to wait for me downstairs. Why are you up here?"

"I just came to ask Ethan if it was okay for me to come camping with you guys..." Liam lowered his head, his voice dripping with fabricated victimhood. "I was afraid he'd be mad."

Emma patted Liam's shoulder protectively. "Don't be silly, why are you asking him? I invited you, so you're coming." Liam looked up at her, his eyes lighting up like a puppy's, before casting a hesitant, fearful glance in my direction.

Emma turned to me, her tone dripping with intense irritation. "Look at how much Liam cares about your feelings, and look at you. You can't even take a simple joke."

Liam went completely pale. Emma glared at me, her expression turning lethal. "Are you done?! When did you become so bitter and toxic?!" "Your mind is so twisted! It's a completely normal professional relationship and you're blowing it wildly out of proportion!" "Liam is being the bigger person by not holding this against you. You owe him an apology, and then we're dropping this."

I let out a harsh, incredulous laugh. "Are you insane? Me? Apologize to this little prettyboy? Never going to happen."

Emma's face went completely flat. "Ethan, I suggest you stop testing my boundaries!"

I smiled. Boundaries? I'm practically wearing a neon sign on my head saying my girlfriend is cheating on me, and she wants to talk about boundaries? Oh, right. I used to be her boundary. Looks like she swapped it out for a new one.

"Then let's break up."

Emma scoffed coldly. "Fine, let's break up. Just don't come crawling back begging me to get back together later." With that, Emma grabbed Liam's arm and pulled him toward the elevator. As the doors closed, I heard her say to him: "Just ignore him. Let's go plan the camping trip."

Back at my desk, the HR portal was still open on my monitor. The countdown timer to cancel the transfer had exactly one hour left.

I started Googling information about the West Africa projects, what to prepare for a longterm overseas residency, and business reports on the SubSaharan region. The minutes ticked by.

12:00 PM on the dot. The countdown hit zero. The window to cancel had expired.

"Transfer Confirmed. West Africa Project Team, ThreeYear Residency. Please report to the branch office within one month."

Even though working in Africa was going to be grueling, the expatriate salary was double my current pay, and I'd be guaranteed a twolevel promotion upon returning to the States. It honestly didn't seem like a bad deal at all. Before this, I had planned a much more conservative career trajectory just so I could align with Emma's goals. Now, I regretted holding myself back.

I closed my laptop just as a text from my buddy, Mark, popped up. "Ethan! I'm at the Blue Note Bar and I just saw Emma and Liam! Dude, they're practically making out in the booth."

He attached a video. It was a little blurry, but I could clearly see Emma surrounded by people cheering, with Liam sitting right next to her, staring at her with pure, unfiltered adoration. "Emma, truth or dare? A dare could be hugging the closest guy to you for a whole minute!" Amidst the howling laughter, Emma turned and threw her arms around Liam. The booth erupted into cheers and whistles.

My heart gave a sharp, painful twinge, but then, almost instantly, it settled into complete calmness. I texted Mark back: "It's fine." Then, I started packing up my desk.

Two weeks later, Emma's executive assistant brought a heavy, embossed envelope to my desk. "Director Emma is hosting a project celebration dinner at the Skyline Club tonight. She specifically requested that you attend." "I'm not going."

The assistant looked shocked. "Why not? You were a core member of this project..." "I have other plans." The assistant forced a polite smile. "You can bring a plusone! Director Emma made it very clear she expects you to be there."

A few coworkers glanced over from their cubicles. I took the invitation.

That night at the Skyline Club, Liam was standing at the entrance of the banquet hall, wearing a sharply tailored suit, greeting the guests like he was the host. When he saw me, he immediately walked over and clapped me on the shoulder. "Ethan, you made it! Today is the day I officially transition from an intern to a fulltime employee. I wanted to celebrate, so I begged Emma to combine my welcome party with her project dinner!"

I nodded. "Congratulations." "Thanks, bro." He smiled even brighter. "Go on in, I saved you a seat at the head table."

I ignored him and found an empty chair at a table near the back wall. A few minutes later, Emma tracked me down. "Ethan, go to the head table. What are you doing hiding back here?" "It's fine right here."

Emma took a deep breath. "I let you ignore my calls and ice me out for two weeks. Are you still throwing a tantrum?" "When have you ever not sat next to me at a celebration dinner? Over a stupid little transfer application? Really?"

People at the neighboring tables started looking over. A coworker I was friendly with tried to smooth things over. "Ethan, come sit with us, we saved your spot."

I reluctantly moved to the head table. There was one empty seat right next to Emma. As I pulled out my chair, Liam casually strolled over and slid right into the empty seat beside her.

"Oh, hey Ethan, you're here too." He smiled smoothly. "Emma and I were just discussing the upcoming Industry Summit. Now that I'm officially fulltime, she said she wants to take me along to show me the ropes." He raised a single eyebrow at me. "Should all three of us go together?"

I picked up my water glass and took a slow sip.

At the end of last year, Emma had promised to take me to the biggest Industry Summit of the year. She said she was going to personally introduce me to the heavy hitters in the industry."Make sure we take a lot of photos for Instagram," she had said, adjusting my collar in the mirror. "I want everyone who says you only succeed because of me to see that you have your own merits."

I had teased her about it back then, but inside, I had felt incredibly warm. Seven years. Even after all that time, my heart still skipped a beat when I looked at her.

But now... absolutely nothing. I just felt a profound sense of absurdity.

"You two go ahead." "I have too much handover work to do right now. I don't have time."

After the dinner, I stepped out onto the terrace to get some fresh air. Emma followed me out and grabbed my wrist. "Ethan, what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." I pulled my arm out of her grip.

Emma let out a furious, exasperated laugh. "How long are you going to keep up this passiveaggressive act? The transfer thing? Just go into the portal and cancel the application!" "I asked Liam about it. He was planning on telling you anyway, you just happened to see it first. Even if you hadn't, he would have reminded you the next day!"

I nodded slowly. "Wow. I guess I really owe him a huge thank you, then."

"Don't talk to me with that tone." She crossed her arms, her voice turning commanding. "You are coming with me to the Industry Summit on Monday. I promised you months ago, and you are going!" She turned on her heel and marched back inside.

At 9:00 AM on Monday, I stood by the window in my office, looking down at the street. Emma and Liam were standing by her car near the building entrance, occasionally glancing up toward my floor. I pulled the blinds shut.

My phone buzzed. A text from Emma: "Come down here. Do you really want me to come up there and drag you down?" I replied: "Busy. Not going.""What could you possibly be busy with? The HQ interviews are already over!""If you don't come today, you are going to deeply regret it!"

She drove off with Liam.

That afternoon, she posted three updates on Instagram in a row. Liam was prominently featured in every single one.[Taking the new guy to see the toptier industry summit. Seeing the light in his eyes reminds me of when I first started out.][The kid got praised by some massive CEOs today, he was so shy!][Summit group photo! The new guys need as much exposure as they can get.] ...

The comments section was blowing up."Is Director Emma mentoring an employee or showing off a new boyfriend? So dedicated!""Did Ethan not go? Did the golden duo finally split up?""Liam really knows how to play the game. Director Emma has a great eye."

Mark screenshotted the posts and sent them to me, absolutely livid."Is Liam doing this on purpose?! This is purely to piss you off. You guys might not be 'public' at work, but everyone with a brain knows you're together! He's literally rubbing it in your face.""He's desperately throwing himself at her like a pathetic homewrecker.""Are you really not going to do anything?!"

Was I pissed off? No. I just felt it was pathetic. But at the same time, I felt incredibly light. It only took one intern to show me exactly what her "love" was actually worth. For the last seven years, I had put her on such a high pedestal that I was practically a lapdog. The more I loved her, the more recklessly she treated me.

The deadline to cancel the transfer had passed, and that was that. I started packing my bags for my international move.

Adjusting to West Africa wouldn't be easy. I had to get malaria pills, a laundry list of vaccines, and undergo specialized training. But once my mindset shifted, it actually felt like an exciting new beginning.

Right before I left, I asked Mark to grab dinner with me at an African restaurant in the city, just to get my palate used to the food. Mark was baffled. "After the stunt Emma pulled last night, you're actually in the mood to try a new restaurant? This doesn't seem like you."

"Why wouldn't I be?" I smiled. Work was work, and life was life. I used to tolerate Emma's drama and coax her through everything, but this time, she had completely obliterated my boundaries.

West African cuisine was heavy on spices, but beneath the heat, there was a raw, vibrant energy that I surprisingly enjoyed. Walking back to my apartment, I found myself humming a song. Mark gave me a weird look. "Are you really over it? Because I saw Emma and Liam's Instagrams... after last night, they seem even closer..."

I didn't answer. As we walked past a building near our office, I told Mark to head home first. I took the elevator up to the rooftop to get some fresh air.

During my first year at the company, this rooftop was my sanctuary. Whenever the pressure of a project got too heavy, this was where I came to breathe. Back then, Emma was my manager.

Once, a project I was in charge of got completely rejected by a client. I hid in the stairwell, smoking and feeling like a failure. She found me and brought me up to this rooftop. "Look down there," she had said, pointing at the sea of city lights. "A failed project doesn't even register as a single pixel in all that light."

The terrified, insecure rookie eventually grew into her most reliable righthand man. Later on, we spent countless nights up here, brainstorming proposals, venting about clients, and gossiping. When we eventually became equals at the same management level, we still came up here after late nights at the office.

Emma liked to lean against the railing, staring out at the glowing skyscrapers in the distance. "Ethan, the speed at which you're improving... it's actually giving me anxiety." I had grinned at her playfully. "Then Director Emma better work harder, or I'm going to leave you in the dust."

After the client left, I stood in the empty conference room, staring at Emma's back as she organized her files. My throat felt incredibly tight. That was the day I started pursuing her like a madman. Six months later, we were officially together.

I stood on the rooftop, letting the wind hit my face, quietly watching the city below. My phone vibrated. It was my mother.

"Ethan... your dad is in the hospital. The doctor says it might be cancer. He needs surgery immediately, and the deposit is $15,000..." She broke down sobbing. "Can you... can you please lend Mom some money? Your sister is still in college, I honestly don't know what else to do..."

My throat constricted. My relationship with my father had always been terrible. He was an alcoholic and a gambler, and my parents divorced when I was in middle school. But blood is blood.

"How much do you need?" "We need to put down $15,000 right now... and there will probably be more bills after..."

I hung up, leaning heavily against the railing, feeling as if every ounce of strength had been drained from my body. I had savings from working all these years, but I had just bought a house the year before last, and my monthly mortgage was heavy. If I scraped together every cent of liquid cash I had, it was about $10,000.

I was short $5,000.

I scrolled through my contacts and called Emma three times. She didn't answer. Ever since we started dating, I transferred her $1,000 every single month for her to do whatever she wanted with. She lived in my apartment rentfree and had almost zero living expenses.

When she didn't pick up, I called a few close friends and managed to borrow $3,000. I was still short $2,000.

The location tag was set to Emma's apartment. The timestamp was one hour ago.

I stared at the post, my stomach violently churning. That watch cost at least $3,000. It was nearly a month's salary for me.

In the end, I had to ask Mark. Without hesitation, he transferred me $2,000. "No rush, pay me back whenever you're comfortable. We're brothers, don't even worry about it."

It wasn't until the following afternoon that Emma finally returned my call. "What happened last night? I was helping Liam review his very first independent project, my phone was on silent."

I stared at the scanned copies of my father's medical records on my computer monitor, forcing down the heavy lump in my throat. "Did that watch you gave the intern cost a lot?"

Emma went silent for a few seconds. "Are you being paranoid again? I know you've been under a lot of pressure lately, but honestly, are you seriously throwing a fit over an encouragement gift for an intern?" "Liam and I have a completely normal mentormentee relationship. He just finished his first solo project, and as his mentor, I wanted to show my appreciation. What exactly is the problem?"

Encouragement is fine. Giving a gift is fine. But inviting him to your apartment late at night to give him a luxury watch? Not fine.

I hung up the phone without another word.

A text from Emma popped up immediately. "Did you cancel the transfer application yet?"

"None of your business." I had no desire to tell her that I was already confirmed for West Africa.

Emma sent an eyerolling emoji. "I know you're going to cancel it eventually. We've been partners for seven years, you can't survive without me." "Before you transfer to the Marketing Department, you have to formally apologize to Liam. Otherwise, you can handle your onboarding by yourself. I won't introduce you to the directors!"

We had agreed on this months ago. She was going to leverage her connections in Marketing to introduce me to the senior leadership, smoothing my transition. Obviously, I could prove myself on my own, but having her pave the way would have made things exponentially easier.

Unfortunately, I wasn't going to the Marketing Department anymore.

I blocked her work number, and her personal number. I was going to Africa.