After Calling Me Old Crow, He Fell Hard

"By my third month on the job, I discovered that my coworkers had been calling me "the old crow" behind my back.The nickname came from none other than Jace's condescending secretary—because at 32, I was still clutching onto an eight-year relationship that hadn't ended in marriage.I confronted Jace. "Do you know your employees have been calling me the old crow?"He didn't even bother to look up. "That's just Sadie—she speaks her mind and means no harm. You're 32; why get so worked up over what a young girl says?"Then he gave me a faint, mocking smile. "Though honestly, it's a pretty fitting nickname."It felt like a cold hand had wrapped around my heart. So that was it—eight years of my youth, nothing more than a joke to him.I turned and walked away, handed in my resignation, and blocked every way he could reach me. But for the first time, the man who had always seemed so calm and untouchable finally panicked."Elara," he pleaded, "please come back.""