Page 60 of Starting Over with Her Billionaire Boss

Tina whirled around in her chair. “He didn’t tell you?” Tina acted shocked, almost like Kinsley was playing a prank.

“No—what do you mean?”

“Mr. Westerhouse left at one yesterday to head to the Miami office. I don’t think Roger is going to have a job after this one.” Tina rolled her eyes, stifling a small chuckle.

“He left?” Kinsley sat down across from her, trying not to let her emotions come through. “I had no idea he was leaving.”

“It could have been in error.” Tina turned back to her computer. “He left in a hurry yesterday to head down to Miami. It was all very last-minute and since you weren’t here, he probably figured he had to just go it alone,” Tina tried to reassure her.

Alone.That’s what all this circled back to. Love had only ever led Kinsley to being alone.

The only difference in this moment was that she knew Daeganhadto return; this was his company, after all. But the fact that he could pick up and leave at a moment’s notice, without even saying goodbye, left her rattled. If he could do this now, what would he do in a serious relationship? The very same thing. At the very least, he could have called to see if she was feeling well, and tell her that he’d be out of town for a while.

Kinsley didn’t know why it seemed to matter; she didn’t matter to him. He had only been going after her house. This was just more proof to the point.

Tina must have been studying her for a long time before she spoke. “He cares about you, Kinsley. I see the way you two look at each other, those small glances and secret smiles. I’ve known that son-of-a-gun for his whole life and I can tell you right now that the chemistry the two of you share is nothing like I’ve seen him have with any other woman, including that whore he was set to marry.” Tina remarked, not mincing her words. “Since you arrived, he’s…changed. He’s different, better I think.”

Kinsley shook her head, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. “I can’t do this anymore, Tina,” she said, her voice trembling, though not wanting to admit it all. “I just… I can’t.”

Tina’s voice was soft, but didn’t press. “What are you saying, Kinsley?”

Kinsley inhaled deeply, trying to steady herself. Her hands clenched into fists before releasing, letting go of something she realized was never hers to begin with. “I quit.”

Tina’s eyes widened. “Kinsley, wait?—”

But Kinsley was already standing, her decision made. Enough was enough. If Daegan couldn’t respect her or her boundaries, then staying was only going to hurt her more.

“I’m sorry, Tina,” she said, her voice firm, even as tears threatened to spill over. “I need to put myself first for once.”

And with that, Kinsley turned and walked out, leaving behind the office, the job, and the man who had both mended and broken her heart. But as she stepped into the elevator, her hand hovering over the button to take her down, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was leaving a piece of herself with it.

Daegan’s thumbhovered over the screen as another call went to voicemail. A heavy weight settled beneath his ribs. He swallowed hard; the instructions on the line to leave a message sounded hollow. Her voice was always so warm and bright. He had tried calling Kinsley twice, but the line didn’t even ring. His few texts had gone unanswered. Despite the growing rift between them, Daegan couldn’t help but worry about Kinsley.

If she truly wasn’t feeling well, if she was suffering alone, he wanted to be there for her—a shoulder to lean on, a comforting presence in her time of need. It was the decent thing to do, the right thing, even if their romantic future was uncertain. But a small, insidious voice in the back of his mind whispered harsh truths—maybe her illness was a convenient excuse, a way to avoid the messy, uncomfortable conversation they both knew was coming. Maybe she was tired of him. Maybe she didn’t care as much as he did.

As the hours ticked by with no word, Daegan felt his resolve harden to a bitter acceptance. Perhaps this was a sign, a cruel but necessary reminder that their relationship was not meant to be.

How could he build a future with someone who kept secrets, who hid parts of herself away? His jaw tightened as the image of Kinsley turning to a man he’d never met for comfort, seekingsolace in a stranger’s arms, stabbed through him. It was a betrayal he couldn’t fathom, a wound that cut deeper than he could have imagined.

With each passing moment, Daegan felt the distance between them growing. The once-vibrant connection they had shared, the spark that had ignited a flame of hope, had flickered and died. In its place were only the cold ashes of what might have been.

As much as it pained him, Daegan knew that he had to let this go. He couldn’t spend his days chasing after a woman who didn’t trust him, who couldn’t be honest with him. But how could he? His jacket still smelled like her. Hell, his whole office did. She had come into his life and filled every available space.

He thought of the way her eyes sparkled when she teased him at work, the warmth of her touch when she placed a hand on his arm. Those moments had felt so effortless, so right. But now, they felt hollow.

With a heavy sigh, Daegan made his decision, though every part of him resisted it. He would step back—not because he wanted to, but because he needed to. For her. For himself. Maybe she needed space. If that was what it took to prove he cared, then he would give it to her, even if it tore him apart. If she wanted to talk, he would be there to listen. But he wouldn’t keep grasping for something she wasn’t ready to give.

Yet as he stared down at his phone one last time, hoping for a response that never came, a part of him couldn’t help but wonder if this was truly the end. If stepping back now meant losing her forever. And that thought—more than anything else—was what terrified him most.

15

As the firstlight of Monday morning crept over the horizon, Kinsley pushed the big ‘For Sale’ sign deeper into the ground. But the lawn had grown dense under her care, and it refused to budge. It was as if the property was mirroring her own heart—unyielding, reluctant.

“Go on, let him take it,” she grumbled as her fingers lingered on the edges of the sign, the anger in her voice cutting through the quiet. She wanted Daegan to see the house empty, to feel the void she’d left behind and understand the depth of the damage he had inflicted. He could have it all—every painful memory, every shattered dream. She refused to cling to a place that now only served as a reminder of his betrayal. She should see the house as so much more—yet it now felt tainted.

Kinsley was done. Her heart was too bruised and battered to endure any more. There was nothing left for her in this town, no reason to stay and watch the ghosts of her past dance mockingly through the halls of the home she once cherished. Guilt gnawed at her insides, threatening to consume her whole, but she steeled herself against its onslaught. “Sorry, Granny,” she whispered toward the house. She felt like she was leaving a beloved petat a shelter, walking away from someone’s sick bed when they needed her most. It wasn’t just Granny, it was her family—her entire heritage.

The chipped mauve paint, the worn door handle, the old tower, the bay window where her grandmother used to read—every inch held a memory. But they had all turned on her the moment she trusted the wrong person. It was an echo of what it once had been. Kinsley wasn’t strong enough anymore to be what it needed. She had called off the renovations, seeing her hopes and dreams disappear before her very eyes.

---