Rosalina wished so badly she had the presence of mind to find the right words to cut them both down to size, but she was too discombobulated. Nothing made sense.

“I’m sorry.” Fabiana looked down at the floor. “I never meant for this to happen.”

“You never meant to fall in love with my fiancé? You never meant to kiss him in closets and sext him?”

“No, I didn’t.” Her gaze snapped up. “I resisted it for so long. You have to believe me. I didn’t want to fall for him. But you’ve been away so long, and we spend so much time together…it just happened.”

Energy started flowing in. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Nothing just happens. Every step you took toward each other was a choice. And don’t talk like I’ve been out of touch all this time. I’ve come home from school often. You’ve both come to visit me plenty of times. We still have sex.” She turned to Marcel. “Does she know that? Or have you been playing the role of neglected boyfriend?”

“What? No.” He had the nerve to sound outraged. “It’s not like that at all. Look, give me a chance to—”

“Give you a chance? Marcel, I gave you my trust, and you tossed it in the garbage.”

“Rosalina, listen to me. It’s not what it looks like. I haven’t slept with her.” His tone was pleading.

“Do you think that’s what matters? Whether you stuck your penis in her? God, Marcel. What you did is so much worse. A random hookup is bad enough, but all of this emotion, this passion?” She felt gutted. She wanted to crash. Fall to her knees and hide her face in her hands.

Only, she couldn’t. Not yet. She needed to finish this.

“I’m sorry.” He looked miserable. “I don’t know what to say. Everything got so out of hand.”

“I don’t know what you heard,” Fabiana began.

“I heard everything I need to see who you really are.” The very core of her trembled, like a palm tree in gale force winds. But she needed to stay strong, say what needed to be said. “As my friend, you should’ve walked away the moment you realized you had feelings for my fiancé.”

“Walked away where?” Fabiana said. “I work for you.”

“Then you should have quit.”

Her assistant’s eyes widened, like the suggestion was as absurd as telling her to move to Jupiter.

Rosalina couldn’t take it anymore. Not one more second around these people who’d, in an instant, become strangers to her. “You’re fired. Get your things and leave the building.”

“Rosalina, no.” Her former assistant turned teary-eyed.

Rosalina reached out to Marcel. “I need your phone.”

He immediately pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over.