The little bell above the store door chimed as I returned to the front of my shop, arms full of inventory I had just finished restocking. It had been a long day, and I was ready to close up soon, but something about the way Olivia—the new cashier—was standing made me pause. Her back was stiff, her shoulders hunched as she hurriedly stuffed something into her purse behind the counter. My heart sank.

“Olivia?” I called, setting down the boxes. She jumped and turned toward me, her face pale as if she’d seen a ghost.

“I—I was just—”

I didn’t need her to finish. I had seen enough. Swallowing the tight lump in my throat, I stepped closer. “Empty your bag.”

Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn’t argue. With trembling hands, she unzipped the cheap, worn purse and pulled out two cans of formula and a pack of diapers. My stomach twisted. I wasn’t angry—at least not in the way I thought I’d be if I ever caught an employee stealing from me. I was just… disappointed. And tired.

She swiped at the tears running down her cheeks and finally choked out, “I’m so sorry. I—I have a one-year-old, and I can’t afford—” She sucked in a breath, trying to keep herself together. “I didn’t know what else to do. My boyfriend… he doesn’t help at all.”

That was what shattered me the most. Not the theft, not the betrayal, but the desperation in her voice. The fear.

Before I could say anything, the door chimed again. I turned, expecting a late customer. Instead, the sight of the man who stepped inside sent ice straight through my veins.

Jared.

Of all the people, of all the places, why did it have to be him? My greedy, manipulative ex-fiancé. The same man who had vanished the moment I told him I was pregnant. The man who had broken my heart, stolen my savings, and left me to raise our son alone.

He smirked, completely unaware of the hurricane raging inside me. “Olivia, I called you an hour ago.”

Everything inside me froze.

Now, I was livid.

Olivia’s boyfriend. He was Olivia’s boyfriend.

Jared’s gaze flicked to me, and the smirk slid off his face as realization dawned. His eyes widened. “You?!”

I crossed my arms, a slow, dangerous smile curling at my lips. “Long time, Jared.”

He took a step back, suddenly uneasy. Good. He should be.

But Olivia? She looked between us, confused and wary. Her red-rimmed eyes searched mine, and then something clicked. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “You’re the ex he never talks about.”

The air in the store crackled with tension.

“Olivia,” I said carefully, keeping my gaze locked onto Jared. “Did Jared ever mention he has another child? A six-year-old son, to be exact?”

Her head snapped toward him, eyes widening in horror. “What?”

Jared’s jaw tightened. “That’s none of your business.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Oh, I think it is. Especially when you’re standing in my store, mooching off another woman and letting her steal for your kid while you do nothing.” I turned to Olivia, voice softening. “How much money has he borrowed from you?”

Her breath hitched. Her lips parted, but no words came out.

I already knew the answer. More than she could afford to lose. Because that was Jared’s game. He used people until there was nothing left. Then he left.

She looked at him, realization hitting like a ton of bricks. “You… you told me you had debts from a bad investment,” she whispered. “You said you needed my help.”

Jared exhaled sharply. “I do need your help, babe. Don’t listen to her. She’s bitter.”

“I was bitter,” I corrected, tilting my head. “But now? Now I just feel sorry for her. Because I know exactly how this ends.”

Olivia flinched. And in that moment, I saw it—the same heartbreak, the same betrayal, the same suffocating feeling of being trapped with no way out.

But I also saw something else. A chance.

“Olivia,” I said firmly, “you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to stay with him.”

She hesitated. Her fingers clenched around the formula as if holding onto something solid could keep her from falling apart.

Jared scoffed. “Oh, come on. Like you’re some saint? You’re just mad I didn’t stick around for your kid.”

And that—that—was what finally snapped something inside me.

I turned, stormed toward the register, and yanked open the drawer. I pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, then another, and another, stacking them onto the counter. Olivia’s eyes darted between the money and me, confused.

“You’re fired,” I said simply.

Her breath hitched. “I—”

“But,” I added, shoving the money into her hands, “that’s your last paycheck. And a little extra. Take your baby and get away from him.”

Jared’s face twisted with fury. “You can’t do that!”

I raised a brow. “Oh, I think I can.”

For the first time, Olivia didn’t look at him. She looked at me. And something shifted in her gaze—hope, maybe. A glimmer of it.

She clutched the money to her chest and nodded. “Thank you.”

Jared sneered. “You’ll regret this.”

I stepped closer, lowering my voice so only he could hear. “You’re the one who should be afraid, Jared. Because this time, I’m not letting you walk away without paying for what you did. My lawyer will be in touch about that child support you owe.”

He paled, and for the first time in his miserable life, he had nothing to say.

I watched Olivia walk out the door, clutching that small chance at freedom. And as I turned the lock behind her, I felt something lift off my chest.

Closure.

Jared wasn’t going to win this time.

And Olivia? She was going to be okay. I managed to write a quick note, telling her she wasn’t actually fired, it was just a show so her boyfriend, my ex, would let things go easily

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