The transfer was approved three days later.

I had four days to hand over my work, pack my apartment, and disappear from the city where I had spent two years chasing a man who wished I would stop appearing at his door.

I didn’t tell Alejandro.

There was no reason to.

On Monday, another administrator took the reconciliation documents upstairs.

Ten minutes later, my internal phone rang.

Alejandro’s assistant sounded uncomfortable.

—Miss Su, Director Shen says there are several problems with the report.

—Please send the comments by email.

Silence.

Then I heard Alejandro’s thoughts again.

“She isn’t coming?”

“He always came personally before.”

A few seconds later:

“Why am I thinking about this?”

I smiled bitterly.

—Anything else?

—No.

I hung up.

On Tuesday, Lucia appeared at my desk.

—You’re really leaving?

—Yes.

—Because of work?

—Because I want something different.

She narrowed her eyes.

—Did my cousin do something?

My fingers stopped over the keyboard.

For a terrifying second, I wondered whether I could hear her thoughts too.

Nothing came.

Apparently, whatever strange ability had appeared belonged only to Alejandro’s mind.

—No.

I wasn’t lying.

Alejandro hadn’t promised me anything.

He hadn’t betrayed me.

He simply didn’t love me.

That night, Lucia dragged me to dinner anyway.

When I arrived, Alejandro was already there.

He looked up.

His expression remained indifferent.

But his thoughts struck me instantly.

“She actually came.”

Then:

“Why does she look different?”

I sat beside Lucia, as far from him as possible.

For two hours, I didn’t speak to Alejandro unless necessary.

I didn’t refill his tea.

Didn’t ask whether the food was too spicy.

Didn’t remember that he disliked cilantro.

I simply ate.

Halfway through dinner, a young architect named Daniel Zhou sat beside me.

He had recently returned from Chengdu and would be working at the same branch I was transferring to.

—So we’ll be colleagues next week?

I smiled.

—Looks like it.

—Good. At least I’ll know one person.

Across the table, chopsticks stopped against porcelain.

Alejandro’s thoughts came sharply.

“Next week?”

“She’s leaving that soon?”

Lucia suddenly said:

—Dulce is transferring on Friday.

Alejandro looked directly at me.

—Friday?

—Yes.

His voice was calm.

—You never mentioned it.

I almost laughed.

—Director Shen, it isn’t related to our project.

His expression hardened slightly.

Inside his head:

“Director Shen?”

“She never calls me that outside work.”

Then:

“Why didn’t Lucia tell me earlier?”

Lucia blinked.

—I sent you six messages.

Alejandro picked up his phone.

Apparently, he hadn’t opened them.

Dinner ended at nine.

Daniel offered to drive me home.

Before I could answer, Alejandro spoke.

—I’ll take her.

I looked at him.

—No need.

His brows drew together.

“I’ve driven her home before.”

“Why is she refusing now?”

I smiled at Daniel.

—Thank you.

For the first time, Alejandro’s thoughts became chaotic.

“She’d rather leave with him?”

“Since when are they close?”

Then came something that almost made me laugh.

“Is she doing this deliberately?”

Even now, he thought everything I did revolved around him.

I stood.

—Good night.

Alejandro followed me outside.

—Dulce.

I stopped.

—Yes?

—Why are you transferring?

—Personal development.

—That’s the official reason.

—It’s also the real one.

His eyes searched my face.

—Did someone upset you?

The irony was almost unbearable.

—No.

He stepped closer.

—Then why so suddenly?

I heard his next thought before he spoke.

“Ask her if it’s because of me.”

But he didn’t.

Pride stopped him.

So I decided to free us both.

—I realized I was wasting too much time on things that would never belong to me.

His face changed.

He understood.

And then I heard it.

“So she really liked me.”

A pause.

“I knew that.”

Then another thought came, much quieter.

“Then why does hearing her give up feel like this?”

I turned away.

—Goodbye, Alejandro.

Friday arrived.

I cleared my desk before lunch.

My coworkers gave me flowers.

Manager Wang handed over my documents.

At four thirty, I returned my access card.

At five, I boarded the train.

Lucia called three times.

I sent her a message promising to contact her after settling in.

Alejandro didn’t call.

I told myself I was relieved.

The train began moving.

Buildings slid backward beyond the window.

Then my strange ability activated again.

His voice appeared in my head.

But this time, the thought was so intense that I almost dropped my phone.

“She’s gone.”

Another followed.

“I didn’t even say goodbye.”

I closed my eyes.

It didn’t matter.

Thirty minutes later, the city disappeared behind me.

And suddenly, for the first time since that afternoon outside his office, there was silence.

I couldn’t hear Alejandro anymore.

Six months passed.

My new life was nothing like the old one.

The branch manager discovered I had spent years handling responsibilities far beyond my title.

Within three months, I was promoted.

The company also paid for me to complete a professional qualification program.

Daniel became a good friend.

I stopped checking Alejandro’s social media.

Stopped asking Lucia about him.

Eventually, entire weeks passed without his name entering my mind.

Then headquarters announced a major restructuring.

Our branch had won a new infrastructure contract.

At the celebration dinner, the regional president raised his glass.

—The person responsible for coordinating this project will also enter our management development program.

He smiled at me.

—Congratulations, Dulce.

Everyone applauded.

I was still stunned when someone entered the banquet hall.

Dark coat.

Straight shoulders.

Familiar face.

Alejandro.

My heart didn’t race.

That surprised me more than seeing him.

Our eyes met.

And instantly, after six months of silence, his thoughts flooded into my head.

“There she is.”

Then:

“She really changed.”

And finally:

“I found her.”

I stiffened.

Found me?

Alejandro walked toward our table.

The regional president greeted him warmly.

—Director Shen, perfect timing.

I stared at them.

Alejandro had no business being here.

Or so I thought.

The president smiled.

—Everyone, headquarters has appointed Director Shen to supervise our joint project for the next twelve months.

My fingers tightened around my glass.

Alejandro sat directly opposite me.

—Miss Su.

—Director Shen.

His expression remained perfectly controlled.

His mind wasn’t.

“She won’t even smile at me.”

“She used to smile the moment she saw me.”

Then came the thought that made my stomach turn.

“I thought six months would be enough to forget her.”

A pause.

“I was wrong.”

I looked away.

Too late.

After dinner, I returned to the office to collect my laptop.

The lights were mostly off.

When the elevator opened, Alejandro stepped out.

Alone.

—Dulce.

—If this concerns the project, send me an email.

I walked past him.

He didn’t stop me.

But his thoughts followed.

“Don’t scare her away again.”

I froze.

Again?

I slowly turned.

Alejandro was staring at me strangely.

Then he asked:

—Why did you leave without saying goodbye?

—Would it have mattered?

His answer came inside my head before his lips moved.

“Yes.”

But aloud, he said nothing.

I smiled sadly.

—Exactly.

I entered the elevator.

Just before the doors closed, one final thought reached me.

Clearer than all the others.

“I need to tell her the truth.”

My hand stopped over the button.

Then came the thought that changed everything.

“She still doesn’t know I requested her transfer be rejected six months ago.”

The doors closed.

I stared at my reflection.

Because my transfer hadn’t merely been approved.

It had been approved after someone at headquarters overruled an objection.

And suddenly I wanted to know why the man who had once thought I was annoying…

had secretly tried to stop me from leaving.