He had used my money to start his company. He had spent my youth as his safety net. And now, for profit, he had climbed into another woman's bed and had the nerve to blame me for not being understanding enough.
I raised my hand and slapped him across the face as hard as I could.
The crack rang out sharp and clear down the empty street.
His head snapped to the side. A vivid red handprint bloomed across his pale skin.
"We're done."
I turned and walked away without looking back.
Otto shouted after me. "Joan! If you walk away today, don't ever expect me to come crawling back! You have no idea what you're throwing away!"
I didn't slow down. I raised my arm, flagged a cab, climbed in, and slammed the door shut.
Back in my cramped little apartment, I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out my phone, ready to block Otto on everything.
That was when a new message popped up in my work group chat.