The Vase Girl

While out for lunch, a sudden stomach cramp forced me to step away to the restroom. When I returned to our table, my boyfriend and my best friend were already gone. I reached to call them, only to realize my phone was still sitting inside my purse. And my purse was right there on the chair. I had been sitting against the wall, with my boyfriend beside me and my best friend across from him. Neither of them had noticed my bag. Neither of them had noticed my half-eaten meal. This was not the first time it had happened, and a wave of deep exhaustion washed over me. 1 I did not grab my bag and chase after them like I used to. Instead, I sat back down in quiet solitude. Without the endless talk of software architecture, product metrics, and bug reports buzzing in my ears, I finally enjoyed a peaceful lunch. When I got back to the office, I did not go upstairs to complain to them either. I went straight to my workstation at the front desk. All three of us worked for the same tech firm. The difference was that my boyfriend, Derek, was the R&D Manager, a core pillar of the company. My best friend, Brooke, was a Senior Product Manager, one of the elite rise-stars. And I was just the front desk receptionist. They were bright and accomplished. Compared to them, I was little more than a pretty piece of office furniture. "Hey Paige, Derek and Brooke already went upstairs. Why didn't you go with them?" my shift partner asked, looking at me curiously. In the past, I always went upstairs with them before the end of lunch break. We would drink coffee and chat in the breakroom. Though, it was mostly the two of them talking while I listened. They talked about work stuff I did not understand and could never join in on. "I am fine down here," I replied casually. It was time I seriously considered whether this relationship was worth keeping. At three in the afternoon, my phone buzzed with a text message. [Hey Paige, are you back at your desk? Something urgent came up at work, so we had to rush back first.] I flipped my phone face down and did not reply. It was always like this. Urgent work matters, high-level discussions, things a simple receptionist supposedly could not grasp. At five o'clock sharp, I clocked out. I did not wait for them. They worked overtime constantly. In the past, I would ask what they wanted to eat, pick up the takeout, bring it upstairs, and keep them company late into the night. Even if they stayed till dawn, I stayed with them. Today, I bought groceries and went straight home. Not to Derek's apartment, but to my parents' house. My true home. "Paige is back! How come you have time today? Isn't work busy?" My mother took the shopping bags from my hands and called out toward the kitchen. "Honey, stop reheating the leftovers! Paige is home, cook something fresh!" Listening to my father's cheerful voice from the kitchen, I sank into the sofa. No making dinner for those two, no stressing over how late I would have to stay up, no worrying about missing my alarm the next morning. An unprecedented sense of relief filled my chest. Then a text notification ruined the peace. [Paige, Brooke wants that spicy Thai food from across the street. Grab a takeout order and bring it up to the fourth floor.] So he was not checking in on his girlfriend. He just realized his food delivery person was missing. A surge of annoyance hit me. [Order it yourselves. I went home.] It took thirty minutes for his reply to come through. [Why didn't you tell us sooner? Brooke is starving. Fine, get some rest, don't wait up for me.] Rare for him to send two texts in a row, though one was a guilt trip and the other was a brush-off. 2 At the dinner table, my parents kept piling food onto my plate. I caught myself staring at my dish, realizing I used to do the exact same thing for Derek. He used to do it for me too, at the beginning. But then a third person joined us. Brooke used to laugh at us, calling us sickeningly sweet. From then on, Derek never put food on my plate again. Putting down my fork, I took a deep breath. "Mom, Dad, I want to change jobs." They both looked up at me. "Did something happen at work?" my mother asked softly. I stayed silent and shook my head. She studied my face carefully. "Did you and Derek have a fight?" I paused before speaking. "Mom, do you think... he and I are just not right for each other?" When Derek and I first started dating, my mother said that Derek had a great degree and a promising career, while I might not be as accomplished, but I was sweet, pretty, and good-natured. A balanced match. She seemed to guess what was going on. My father began clearing the dishes, giving my mother a subtle look. "Derek is a capable young man, Paige," my mother said gently. "But it is your life. If you feel you cannot walk this path together anymore, taking a step back to clear your head is not a bad thing." She was right. A step back was long overdue. I was never the sharpest student growing up, but I was blessed with good looks. That was the primary reason I was hired as the face of the company at the front desk. During a heavy rainstorm three years ago, Derek and I were stranded at the office late one night. That was how we met. He did not know who I was, but I knew him. He was a brilliant software engineer, and I heard people praise his talent constantly. When I first met him, he was quiet, a classic introverted tech guy. I pursued him first. Perhaps because of my looks, it only took a month of courting before we became an official couple. Over the three years we were together, Derek rose from a junior developer to R&D Manager, and the company even provided him with a corporate apartment. I remained at the front desk. As soon as he got the apartment, Derek insisted I move in with him. It was close to work, so I happily agreed. Not long after I moved in, Brooke reentered my life. She had just lost her job and came to the office to visit me, running into Derek in the lobby. Knowing she was my friend, Derek asked if she wanted to interview for an open position at our firm. Brooke was nothing like me. She was brilliant, picked up everything instantly, and held a degree from a top tier university. She passed the interview with flying colors. In no time, she was promoted to Senior Product Manager. I could not pinpoint when it started, but suddenly they had an endless stream of work topics to discuss. At first, I would pucker my lips and ask them not to talk about work during our dates. They were cooperative at first, raising their hands like school kids promising to stop. Yet whenever they sat together, the conversation drifted back to work automatically. Gradually, they forgot there was another human being sitting right beside them. The very next morning, I handed my resignation to HR. The HR manager told me the offboarding process would take a month. I nodded and agreed. At noon, Brooke and Derek walked toward the front desk together, laughing at an inside joke. "Paige, let's go get Thai food across the street!" Brooke said warmly, linking her arm through mine like she always did. "We went last night after you left, and it was amazing. You have to try it." I looked over at Derek. "I thought you couldn't eat spicy food?" Derek rubbed the back of his neck, but before he could speak, Brooke chuckled. "He really can't handle spice, but we can't make everyone suffer just for his weak stomach, right?" Derek chimed in immediately. "Brooke is right. We shouldn't avoid spicy food just because of me." I loved spicy food. But because Derek disliked it, I had spent three years accommodating his palate, cooking bland meals every day. It turned out he did not mind accommodating someone else. I gently pulled my arm out of Brooke's grip. "You two go ahead. I will pass." 3 Brooke stopped smiling and reached out to touch my forehead with concern. "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?" Derek stepped closer too, his eyes softening. "Where does it hurt?" I stepped back, putting physical distance between us. "I am completely fine. Go enjoy your lunch." Brooke suddenly gave Derek a playful shove. "Oh, this is all your fault! I knew it! It's because you kept talking about work during lunch yesterday. See? You made Paige upset again." Derek put his hands up helplessly. "How was that my fault? You brought up the testing phase first!" "I was worried your engineering team wouldn't meet the deadline!" "When has my team ever missed a deadline? If your product specs weren't changing every five minutes, we would have shipped last week!" "Those specs came from my market research! Without my oversight, could you even launch on time? Instead of thanking me, you complain!" "Fine, fine, Manager Brooke is always right..." I turned around and walked away, refusing to listen to another word. I took three steps before Derek realized I was leaving. "Paige, don't be like this!" Brooke ran up after me. "I'm sorry, Paige! It's his fault for getting me worked up. I won't talk about work anymore, I promise!" To prove her point, she zipped her lips with her fingers, wide-eyed and staring at Derek dramatically. Derek chuckled at her antics, then turned to me. "Paige, give it a rest. If you stay mad, Brooke is going to blame me all afternoon." When I did not respond, a flash of annoyance crossed Derek's face. "Honestly, I should be the one mad at you for walking out last night and running off to your mother's house without a word," he added, his voice hardening. "We were just talking about company projects. Why are you getting so petty lately?" "Enough," I interrupted him. I turned around, looking at him with cold detachment, and uttered the words I had weighed all night. "Derek, let's break up." The moment the words left my mouth, even I felt a brief shock. I had not expected saying it to feel so simple, so liberating. Derek froze, caught off guard for a second, before breaking into a sudden chuckle. "Paige, stop playing around. That's not funny at all." "I am not joking." "I am completely serious. You should take time to process it." Brooke had tried to jump in when I first said the word breakup. Seeing my stony expression now, she could no longer hold back. "Paige, please don't be mad!" she pleaded, reaching out for my hand. "It's really not a big deal, just take a deep breath..." I dodged her hand cleanly. "I am not mad, and I am completely calm. I mean every word. Derek, we are over." The dismissive smile in Derek's eyes melted into irritation. Treating my breakup statement as a childish tantrum, he grabbed Brooke's elbow. "Brooke, let's go," he snapped. "Let her sit here and cool her head." "Wait, Derek, Paige hasn't eaten yet!" "She's an adult, Brooke. When she gets hungry, she'll eat." As if deliberately trying to spite me, Derek pulled Brooke along, walking away without looking back once. Brooke kept glancing back over her shoulder. I did not stand there sulking. I turned around and ordered takeout on my phone. Right after I finished eating, Brooke came rushing back into the lobby holding a sleek takeout container, with Derek trailing casually behind her. "Paige, I packed some food for you! Eat while it's warm!" An hour had passed. They had clearly finished their own meal. "No need to trouble yourself. I already ate." Brooke froze mid-action as she opened the container. Seeing my indifferent expression, Derek lost his patience entirely. He stepped forward and shoved the food containers back into the bag. "I told you not to bother packing food for her," Derek sneered at Brooke. "Now you see what happens when you try to be nice? If she wants to starve, let her." I remained silent, watching him calmly. Truth be told, I had never seen Derek act this sharp and impatient before. He was defending Brooke, just as he used to defend me years ago. Having dated him for three years, claiming I felt no pain would be a lie. My chest felt tight, suffocatingly sore. 4 From that day on, Derek initiated a silent treatment. I remained unaffected, staying comfortably at my parents' house. The only time I crossed paths with him was during the morning rush at the office entrance. Derek acted as though I were invisible. Even if we accidentally ended up face-to-face, he would shift his gaze away, as if delivering a silent punishment. I paid it no mind, focusing solely on finishing my final month at work. Brooke continued to greet me every morning. I responded politely, maintaining the exact tone one would use with a distant coworker. At lunch, Derek still pulled Brooke along to eat out every day. Brooke played the part of the helpless, sympathetic friend caught in the middle of a couple's squabble to perfection. After dining with Derek, she would come down to lecture me on reconciliation. "Paige, stop picking fights with Derek. Just make up with him already." When Brooke brought it up yet again, I could not hold back a weary sigh. "Brooke, I am not picking a fight." I looked her dead in the eye. "And we have officially broken up. Please stop telling me to make up with him." Even if he had not verbally accepted it, the words had been spoken. As far as I was concerned, the relationship was dead. Brooke looked stunned. "Paige, what is wrong with you? I just want to see you two happy." I tilted my head, studying her. "Happy? And then what? Continue letting you tag along on every date? Or rather, continue letting me play third wheel to the two of you while I get ignored?" My direct confrontation made Brooke's eyes well up with tears. Looking utterly wronged, she turned and ran off. Not long after she left, Derek stormed downstairs in a fury. He no longer ignored me. He walked straight up to my desk, his face set in a stern glare, looking like a manager about to reprimand an incompetent subordinate. "What did you say to Brooke?" I knew he was here to fight Brooke's battles again. A wave of profound powerlessness washed over me. I could not help but roll my eyes. "I didn't say anything." Derek snapped instantly. "You didn't say anything? Then why is she crying upstairs?!" "Paige, whatever issues exist between us, why do you have to take it out on Brooke? If you have a problem, direct it at me!" "Isn't she supposed to be your best friend?" "Look at yourself! When did you become so bitter and petty?" "Over one tiny argument, you are throwing a massive fit!" Derek raised his voice, completely uncaring of how sharp the stares from passing colleagues felt against my skin. Tears spilled from my eyes. Not out of hurt or embarrassment, but out of pure, unadulterated rage. "Derek, who do you think you are, talking to me like that?" "What did I do to her?" "Did I hit her, curse at her, or steal her boyfriend?" "In what capacity are you standing here interrogating me and protecting her?" "As her boyfriend?" A flicker of panic crossed Derek's face, but he recovered instantly, letting out a cold laugh. "I knew it. You are jealous." "You just can't stand seeing me discuss work with Brooke!" "I told you a thousand times, it's work! Purely professional!" "You are always so immature. You make everything so exhausting for everyone around you." His mocking words nailed me to the spot. The rage that had been boiling inside me instantly went cold, chilling me from head to toe. Having heard the commotion, Brooke came running downstairs again. "Derek, what are you doing?" she yelled, grabbing his arm. "How could you say that to her?" Derek realized his words had been harsh, though he merely shifted his eyes briefly before regaining his righteous posture. "She's the one making a scene out of nothing," he muttered, turning on his heel and walking away. Brooke looked at me, her eyes filled with guilt. "Paige, I didn't know... I didn't know he would say those things..." I let out a cold laugh, cutting her off. "Brooke, you must be feeling pretty proud right now." "He just humiliated me to defend you. You must be thrilled." I rarely spoke with such venom, but seeing her tragic, innocent act made my stomach turn. "Paige, how could you think of me like that?" Brooke looked deeply hurt. "Why shouldn't I? Didn't you run upstairs to cry to him? Isn't this exact outcome what you wanted?" Brooke choked on her words, unable to produce another innocent excuse. "Now if you will excuse me, I am working. Please refrain from coming down unless you have official business." I wiped my tears away and ignored her entirely. Before the day was over, news of the blowup between Derek, Brooke, and me had spread through the entire company. 5 My shift partner at the front desk offered a few comforting words before leaning in. "Paige, did you really break up with Manager Derek?" I nodded without hesitation. "Completely." She smiled. "Good for you! Every time I saw those two flirting under the guise of work, I wanted to throw up." It turned out everyone saw it clearly. I was the only fool clinging to denial. Seeing my pale face, my coworker dropped the topic. "Anyway, it's in the past now! With a face like yours, you can get any high-quality guy you want. Don't waste tears on him." Brooke seemed truly stung by my words, as she did not come down to see me for several days. Derek continued his cold shoulder routine, pretending I did not exist. Just like that, a whole week passed without a single word spoken between us. Yet, being in the same building, gossip about them never stopped reaching my ears. For instance, how Manager Brooke and Manager Derek teamed up to launch a major new product feature. Or how the two of them worked late into the night together and received praise from the executive board. A few curious colleagues tried to pry information out of me, but I simply smiled and told them Derek and I were split up, and his life was none of my concern. Until one afternoon, the front desk received an urgent courier package meant for the Administration Department on the fourth floor. My shift partner happened to be on break, so I had to take it upstairs myself. In the elevator, I ran into a few colleagues from marketing. They looked at me with a mix of pity and subtle anticipation. I knew why they pitied me, assuming a simple front desk girl had been dumped by a rising manager. But I did not care to entertain their drama. I just wanted to drop off the document and head back down. However, the moment the elevator doors slid open on the fourth floor, I bumped right into Brooke. "Paige! You came up!" "Are you here to see Derek? How did you know we were in the conference room? Let me go call him out for you..." Before Brooke could finish her sentence, Derek walked out from the hallway, having clearly overheard her. His eyes swept over me coldly. "Since you're here, come sit in my office for a moment." His tone was aloof. "No thanks. I am only here to deliver an urgent package to Admin." Brooke looked at the thick envelope in my hand and snatched it right out of my grip. "What package is so important? I'll drop it off at Admin for you! Go sit in Derek's office and rest." She gave me a gentle push toward Derek. Wearing high heels, the nudge forced me to take two steps toward him to keep my balance. A knowing smirk flickered in Derek's eyes. He reached out to steady my elbow, lowering his voice. "Come on. Brooke will deliver it for you." "Since you realize you were wrong, let's just forget about the past few days." "You throwing a fit like this hasn't been easy on me either." Without a second of hesitation, I pulled my arm back and stepped away from him. "Manager Derek, we are broken up. This kind of physical contact is inappropriate." Derek's eyes darkened instantly. "Paige, are you ever going to stop?" Unwilling to waste more breath, I turned to Brooke with polite distance. "Then I will trouble Manager Brooke to drop off the file. I have work downstairs." Derek's face turned thunderous. Brooke gave his arm a light nudge. "What are you standing there for? Go after her! Why else would the front desk send her up to deliver a file personally? She's just putting up a front because she's stubborn." I heard Brooke's words clearly, but I did not bother to clarify. They could believe whatever fantasy made them feel superior. Derek made a move to step forward, then caught himself and stopped. As the elevator doors closed, I heard Derek call out sharply, "Don't run around during work hours!" I could not tell if he was speaking to me or to himself. When the elevator reached the third floor, another colleague stepped in. It was Phoebe. We had joined the company in the same hiring batch. She held a master's degree and worked in the analytics team. During our first year, she often came down to the front desk to chat with me, and we became close friends. But she had always made a point to avoid eating lunch with Derek and me. 6 "Paige, I haven't seen you come upstairs for lunch lately," Phoebe said, taking my wrist. "I have a few things I really need to tell you. Come with me to the breakroom." I assumed she wanted to complain about work, but seeing as the front desk was unattended, I declined gently. "I can't right now, Phoebe. I'm the only one covering the desk today. Let's catch up after work." Phoebe looked disappointed, but nodded. "Alright, I'll come down to see you as soon as I finish this report." I thought I would coast through my remaining two weeks peacefully, but the very next morning, the moment I set foot in the lobby, my shift partner pulled me aside frantically. "You're finally here! Did you sign for an urgent envelope yesterday for the Admin Department? Mr. Briggs from Admin is throwing a massive fit upstairs right now! Go take the file up to him!" I frowned in confusion. "I brought it up yesterday afternoon." My coworker knitted her brows. "That's strange. Why is he screaming that he never received it?" "Never mind that, just go upstairs and clarify with him before he calls HR!" Under her urging, I hurried up to the fourth floor. Mr. Briggs, the head of Administration, was bowing and apologizing into his desk phone when I walked in. Seeing me enter, he motioned for me to sit on the couch and wait. After five minutes, he slammed the phone down, his face dark as a thundercloud. "Paige, where is that courier package?" "I brought it up yesterday afternoon." "Brought it up? To whom?" "I gave it to Manager Brooke right outside the elevator. She promised to hand it to you personally." "Brooke?" Mr. Briggs stood up immediately. "Come with me to get it. That file contains crucial vendor contracts for the new project launch!" Realizing the severity of the situation, I quickened my pace behind him. We found Brooke inside Derek's office. The two of them were leaning over a laptop, discussing work. Mr. Briggs knocked forcefully on the glass door. Both of them looked up. Brooke immediately stood up and walked toward me with a wide smile. "Paige, are you here to see Derek again? I'll head out so you two can talk!" Every single time I came upstairs, she made sure to announce to the room that I was chasing after Derek. Finding it intensely pathetic, I ignored her jab and spoke in an official tone. "Manager Brooke, did you fail to hand yesterday's urgent package to Mr. Briggs?" A flicker of panic flashed across Brooke's eyes. Mr. Briggs could not hold back his impatience. "Brooke, that document is extremely time-sensitive! Hand it over right now!" "I..." Brooke shot a helpless glance at Derek. A bad feeling bloomed in my chest. Derek stood up, stepping between Brooke and Mr. Briggs. "What document, Mr. Briggs? Is it really that urgent?" "Of course it's urgent! It's the master licensing agreement from headquarters! My team needs it to finalize the quarterly compliance report!" Hearing how critical the document was, Brooke cast another pleading look at Derek. "Brooke, Paige said she handed it to you directly," Mr. Briggs demanded, holding out his hand. "Where is it?" At that moment, Derek took a step forward, completely shielding Brooke behind his back. "Mr. Briggs, Brooke was working in my office all afternoon yesterday. I certainly didn't see her take any document from anyone." "That's impossible! She literally grabbed it out of my hand by the elevator!" the protest burst from my mouth. Derek narrowed his eyes at me, his gaze laced with cold warning. "Paige, delivering files is front desk responsibility," Derek said smoothly. "Brooke is a Senior Product Manager. Why would she do your job for you?" "If the document is missing, it is obvious you lost it yourself." I stared at Derek in sheer disbelief, then turned my gaze to Brooke. Derek shifted his eyes away from mine. Brooke kept her head lowered, too guilty to look me in the eye. 7 "Mr. Briggs, I swear on my job I handed that file to Brooke," I said firmly. "If you don't believe me, pull the security footage from the fourth floor elevator hallway from yesterday afternoon. You will see her take it from my hands." "Paige!" Derek snapped, his face turning dangerously dark. Mr. Briggs was already beside himself with anxiety over the missing paperwork. Hearing my suggestion, he snapped, "I'm going to Security right now. If that file isn't found, someone is getting fired!" I moved to follow Mr. Briggs, but Derek suddenly grabbed my wrist with a firm grip. He lowered his voice, his tone shifting into a mixture of pleading and expectation. "Paige, listen to me. Brooke was exhausted last night and forgot about the file, and now she can't find where she misplaced it. Can't you just say you lost it downstairs?" My eyes widened as I looked at him, feeling as though I were looking at a complete stranger. "Say I lost it? Why should I take the blame for her mistake when she literally..." Derek rubbed his temples, interrupting me with rising irritation. "I know she took it! But you heard Mr. Briggs, that file is worth a fortune to the company!" "You are just a receptionist! Taking a strike on your record for a lost package is no big deal! But Brooke is a product manager. If she gets tagged with a blunder like this, it will ruin her reputation with upper management!" Just a receptionist. I thought Derek was merely a oblivious guy lacking social boundaries, but it turned out he harbored a deep seated professional snobbery. A sharp, unbearable ache radiated through my chest. In that moment, I had to admit the painful truth: I had misjudged his character entirely. I ripped my wrist out of his grip and slammed my hand across his face with a loud, ringing slap. "Derek, do you have any shame left at all?!" The slap echoed sharply in the quiet office. Brooke gasped in horror and immediately stepped in front of Derek, shielding him. "Paige! How could you hit him?!" I glared at her, my voice ice-cold. "Because of your pathetic, incompetent mistake!" Brooke's eyes turned red, tears instantly welling up. "Fine! It's all my fault! I was careless! I'll go tell Mr. Briggs the truth right now!" She made a dramatic move to leave, but Derek caught her arm instantly. "Brooke, don't be stupid!" Derek urged, holding her back. "You worked so hard to get this position! If headquarters penalizes you over this contract, your career trajectory is ruined!" Brooke hesitated, biting her lip. "But we can't make Paige take the fall..." Seeing that I remained completely unmoved by her tears, Brooke gritted her teeth. "At worst, they can just fire me!" Hearing that, Derek turned to me and barked furiously, "You slapped me, you yelled at her, haven't you vented enough?! Can't you just help Brooke out this once?!" "Isn't she supposed to be your best friend?!" "Can't you do a simple favor for her?!" "Paige, don't make me despise you!" Looking at the two of them standing united against me, my stomach churned so violently I nearly gagged. "Save your breath," I said coldly. "Once Mr. Briggs checks the surveillance footage, the truth will speak for itself." Hearing my words, Derek did not look nervous at all. Instead, a mocking smirk touched the corner of his lips. My heart sank instantly. Within minutes, Mr. Briggs marched back down the hall, fuming with rage. "Unbelievable! How could that hallway camera happen to be offline yesterday of all days?!" I whipped my head around to stare at Derek. Derek met my gaze with a triumphant smirk. He had actually used his systems access to wipe or disable the footage just to protect Brooke. Mr. Briggs stopped in front of us, rubbing his temples. "Paige, the footage is missing. I don't care who touched what, I only care about accountability!" Before I could speak, Derek immediately stepped forward. "Mr. Briggs, I can testify as a department head that Brooke never received any file yesterday. However, I did see Paige come up to the fourth floor afternoon. She claimed to be delivering a document, but where she dropped it off, nobody knows." Derek looked at me with cold cruelty, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.