But days before I was supposed to submit my materials, Les went cold on me. Threatened to end things if I left. Said if I went, we were over for good.
I lost my mind and gave it up.
Professor Hale was so furious she wouldn't speak to me for days. My colleagues shook their heads.
I smiled and told them, "It's fine. I'll have another chance."
Only I knew that night I locked myself in the lab and cried until morning.
I thought my sacrifice would make him cherish what we had.
Instead, what I got was him taking my international conference slot without a second thought.
What I got was him talking soft to another woman while I was on the edge of dying.
When I came back to the lab, every pair of eyes carried the same look: pity, laced with something harder to name.
I had always been the hardest-working young researcher on the team. My track record was strong. Professor Hale used to call me "a future star in the making."
And I'd let one relationship turn me into a joke.
Professor Hale called me into her office. She looked at my pale face and let out a long breath. "Madge, be honest with me. Is this because of Les Gilbert?"
I kept my head down and said nothing.