I Wish the Autumn Breeze Knew My Heart

While we were touring the penthouse, the sales agents eyes curved into crescents.
The bedroom gets so much natural light, she chirped. Nolan will love it.
My feet froze to the floor.
I had never told her my fianc's name was Nolan...

1
She seemed to realize her slip of the tongue. Her smile vanished, replaced by a practiced, professional mask as she gestured forward.
"Ms. Sutton, the dining room is this way."
Just then, my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID before answering on speaker.
"Claire, where are you?"
A rich, magnetic voice filled the air. A step away, the agentHannahvisibly tensed.
I gave Nolan the address before turning back towards the reception hall. Hannah, after a moment's hesitation, hurried to catch up.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a distinguished, coolly composed man strode in. He took my hand in his, his grip firm and familiar.
I smiled, my expression betraying nothing. "Weren't you in a meeting? What are you doing here?"
Nolan raised an eyebrow. He leaned in, the cool gleam of his glasses catching the light as the tip of his nose brushed against my cheek. "Isn't it obvious? I missed you..."
I was always a sucker for this side of him. This man, so aloof and unapproachable to the rest of the world, was only ever tender with me.
The unease from a moment ago began to fade. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Nolan? There was no way. Perhaps the agent had simply seen a photo of us together in some financial report.
As we started back toward the penthouse, I noticed she wasn't following. I glanced back.
Her eyes were glistening, brimming with unshed tears.

2
"Do you two know each other?" I let go of Nolan's hand, my gaze flicking between them, demanding an explanation for the story I was clearly missing.
The spacious hall suddenly felt small as the other employees turned to stare.
Hannahs face was pale, her eyes darting to Nolan in a silent plea. "We... we were..."
"We were college classmates," Nolan stated, his expression unreadable as he glanced at her.
The girl froze, a thousand unspoken words seemingly trapped in her throat.
Nolan's brow furrowed. "Are we going to see the apartment or not?" His voice was suddenly sharp, laced with an unnerving edge.
The sales manager scurried over, apologizing profusely to Nolan and trying to smooth things over. Another agent gently pulled Hannah aside, leaving her looking isolated and pitiful.
My Herms bag felt heavy in my hand as I walked toward her. "You failed to do your job, and no ones even reprimanded you. What exactly are you so upset about?"
Her voice, thick with tears, was barely a whisper. She bowed repeatedly. "Ms. Sutton, I-I'm so sorry..."
"Enough!"
The roar came from behind me. It was Nolan.
I turned to see him tearing into the sales manager, his usual composure gone, berating him for his unprofessional staff.
The atmosphere was ruined. There was no point in looking at the penthouse now.
Back in the car, Nolan fastened my seatbelt for me. Seeing the storm brewing on my face, he softened his voice. "We can look at another place tomorrow, okay, Claire?"
I met his gaze. "That 'Enough!' you shouted," I said, my voice level. "That was for me."

3
It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
His hand, midway through buckling my seatbelt, froze. Then, a faint smile touched his lips. "Why would you think that? Claire, when have I ever yelled at you?"
I had no proof, but a woman's intuition is a powerful thing. I knew that "Enough!" was meant to stop me from speaking to Hannah.
My eyes narrowed. "What, exactly, is the relationship between you two?"
"College classmates," he repeated, a hint of weariness in his voice. "That's all, Claire. Don't doubt me. I swear."
I stared into his eyes. "You know how much I hate being lied to."
He handed me his phone, his gaze clear and unwavering, a silent testament to his fidelity.
The passcode was my birthday. Hed always said he had no secrets from me, that I could walk into his office anytime without knocking.
A wave of embarrassment washed over me. I had chosen this development. I had even specifically requested that agent, feeling sorry for her when I saw her standing alone. If I checked his phone and found nothing, I would look like a fool.
After all, everyone knew I was Nolan's first and only lovethe one secret he had ever made public.
Finally, I looked away, a stubborn pout on my lips. "Let's just look somewhere else. I don't like this place anymore."
Nolan took my hand, his voice a mix of indulgence and resignation. "Alright. Whatever you want."

4
A week later, I found myself driving past that same sales center. On a whim, I pulled over and went inside.
Hannah was nowhere to be seen.
A familiar agent rushed to greet me. "Hannah?" I asked, my voice casual.
"Oh, Ms. Sutton! Hannah doesn't work here anymore," she said eagerly. "I can assist you from now on. I know our properties even better than she did..."
Suddenly, my heart lurched. A strange, sinking premonition took hold.
Acting on instinct, I drove to Nolan's company.
The receptionists face lit up when she saw me. "Ms. Sutton! Here to see Mr. Pierce?"
Her hand was already hovering over the telephone, a flicker of panic in her eyes.
I stopped, my gaze fixed on the elevator. "You've never spoken to me before."
The color drained from her lips. She snatched her hand back from the receiver, her eyes darting away. "Oh... I just..."
My patience snapped. "You. Come with me."
The elevator chimed, opening onto his executive floor. The outer office was a quiet hum of productivity. I made a beeline for Nolan's private office.
"Ms. Sutton!" the receptionist cried out behind me, her voice laced with desperate panic.
I ignored her, my hand closing around the doorknob.
Click.
The door was pulled open from the inside.
Nolan stood there, a smile on his face. "Claire. What a surprise."

5
I swept past him into the office. The desk was immaculate. The sofa was perfectly arranged. Everything appeared normal.
I sat down in his chair. "Since when," I asked lightly, "does my arrival cause such a commotion?"
His brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?" He stood beside me, dialing the internal line for HR.
Just as the call connected, I reached for the tall, built-in wardrobe in the corner of his office. I yanked the door open.
A startled cry echoed in the silence as a woman tumbled out, pulled from the wardrobe by the force of my tug.
Nolan didn't have time to stop me.
As she looked up, her face pale and frightened, I read the name on the employee badge clipped to her blouse.
"Sales Department. Hannah Nash."
The office was dead silent. For a long, long moment, no one moved.
Finally, Nolan broke the silence. "She's a college classmate," he began, his voice strained. "We ran into each other here at the company, just catching up. She hid because she was afraid you'd misunderstand... Claire."
I looked at the woman on the floor. Her hair was a mess, but her clothes were neat. She was biting her lower lip, staring back at me.
"That's right, Ms. Sutton," she stammered. "I passed the interview and got the job. After what happened at the sales center... I couldn't work there anymore..."
"Go on," I said, my gaze locked on hers. "Tell me. What did I do to you at the sales center that was so terrible?"
She was speechless. Her eyes started to well up with tears.
"Claire."
Nolans voice came from behind me, tight with frustration. "Don't scare her. This is my fault." He shot Hannah a look, and she immediately lowered her head and scurried out of the room.
We were alone.
He rubbed his temples. "With your status, you made her uncomfortable. Of course she couldn't stay in her old job."
A cold laugh escaped my lips. "You're certainly quick to see things from her perspective."

6
Nolan froze.
In an instant, he was kneeling in front of me, taking my hands in his. "Claire, I know you're angry, but don't say things you don't mean. Don't hurt me like this."
"I haven't done anything wrong. I only had her hide because I didn't want you to be upset. I swear, we're just old classmates. Nothing more."
I said nothing.
He sighed. "I can have HR fire her, if that's what you want." He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "But Claire... Hannah's mother is sick."
He let the words hang in the air, watching my reaction. The only sound was the low hum of the air conditioner.
My face hardened. "Are you trying to tell me that if her mother dies, it'll be my fault?"
He winced. "That's a harsh way to put it."
I stood up, but he grabbed my arm. "Claire! Don't overthink this, that's not what I meant at all..."
Suddenly, I couldn't hold it in any longer. "But that's exactly what you've done! You brought her into your private office! You told the receptionist to warn you when I arrived! You're using her sob story to emotionally blackmail me!"
Then, it hit me. "Nolan, if you just 'ran into each other' at the company, why would the receptionist need to give you a heads-up? Were you... getting ready to cheat on me?"
He looked stunned, then almost let out a disbelieving laugh. "What are you thinking? Claire, how could I?"
He answered my question with another question, deflecting.
I stared at him. "She even knew you like waking up to a sun-drenched room. Nolan, what is the real story between you two?"

7
The air in the room was thick, suffocating.
I pulled away from him. "Fine. You can answer me when you've figured out what the truth is."
I wrenched the door open.
Hannah was standing right outside, looking startled. She met my gaze and awkwardly offered me the coffee in her hand. "Ms. Sutton, I... I was just worried you two might be thirsty..."
My eyes fell to the distinct smudge of lipstick on the rim of the cup, then back to her face. "A used cup. Are you trying to send some kind of message?"
She froze, the cup hovering in mid-air. Her eyes reddened again.
"Claire," Nolan's exasperated voice sounded from behind me. He turned a cold glare on Hannah. "Who gave you permission to do anything other than your assigned work? Get back to your desk!"
Flustered, Hannah nearly dropped the coffee. "Yes, Mr. Pierce," she choked out, before practically running away.
Nolan's brow was still furrowed. "If you really want to ruin her career, Claire, I can call HR right now. You don't have to get worked up every time you see her."
A hot surge of regret washed over me. I should have taken that coffee and thrown it right in his face.
Even in the car, I couldn't calm down. Nolan's cold indifference was reserved for strangers. But the things he'd said to me, because of her... it was a clear attack. And I was supposed to believe he didn't care about her? That their relationship was innocent?
I didn't believe it for a second.
A notification pinged from the tablet on the back seat. I suddenly remembered Nolan had logged into his messenger account on it once when his phone was dead.
I took a deep breath and tapped on the new message.
There was no name saved for the contact, just a username: [Puppy's Tears].
[I'm so sorry. I caused you trouble again.]
[Yeah.]
[So... can I still work here?]
[Yes.]
The exchange seemed innocent enough. Until the next message from Puppy's Tears.
[Don't worry. I haven't told anyone about our past. Not then, and not now.]
Nolan hadn't replied.
Then another message came through.
[Can we... can we love again...]
[I won't cause you any trouble.]
[Nolan, I miss you...]
There was nothing after that. A moment later, a system notification popped up on my tablet: [You have been logged out of your account.]
The dark screen reflected my own ugly expression.
Then, Nolan called. His voice was warm, just like always. "Claire, where are you?"
"Just watching," I said, my voice dangerously calm, "a man and a puppy having an affair."

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