Ch. He Laughed While I Was Hit 42 He Laughed While I Was Hit 42

Chapter 42 

I set up the new R&D center next to Maria’s lab. 

I didn’t name it after myself. 

I called it the Rhodes Research Center. 

+19 Bonus 

On the day of the unveiling, Maria brought my mother’s old lab 

coat. 

It had been washed until it was spotless. 

An old fountain pen was still clipped to the chest pocket. 

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“She left it at my place the day she retired,” Maria said. 

“I could never bring myself to throw it away.” 

I took it from her. 

The coat was light. 

& 

But holding it felt like holding a piece of my mother. 

+19 Bonus 

Mr. Costello and the company staff stood behind me. 

Marco wasn’t there. 

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Neither was Francesca. 

The photographer said, “Ms. Rhodes, over here, please.” 

I stood beside the sign. 

Behind me was the bright, modern lab. 

+19 Bonus 

Inside a glass display cabinet sat copies of the technical files for 

all four formulas. 

The originals were still in the safe in my mother’s apartment. 

The patents were still in my name. 

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And the unilateral termination clause was still in every license 

agreement. 

It wasn’t suspicion. 

It was a door I left open for myself. 

The moment someone stopped respecting me, I would be able to 

walk away. 

After the photos were taken, I went back to the apartment. 

The closet in the second bedroom was still in its place. 

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I pushed it aside and opened the safe. 

The manila envelope, the USB drive, my mother’s documents— everything was still there. 

I played the recording one last time. 

“*Astrid, don’t cry.*” 

“*Go do what you have to do.* 

When her voice stopped, the room was very quiet. 

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I placed one of the company’s new products inside the safe. 

On the back of the box, the line for patent holder read: 

*Astrid Rhodes*. 

“Mom.” 

“This time, it’s really done.” 

I closed the safe. 

And pushed the closet back into place. 

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Sunlight streamed through the window, falling at my feet. 

Just like that day. 

But I was no longer the woman standing behind a locked door with five slap marks on her face. 

I had my own patents, my own company, and my own name. 

And I had the right, at any time, to say no and walk away. 

My phone rang. 

It was Maria, telling me to come back and look at the test results 

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for the second new formula. 

I picked up my coat and locked the door behind me. 

Downstairs, the wind was strong. 

I walked straight into it. 

+19 Bonus 

This time, where I was going and how I got there were up to me. 

From now on, they always would be. 

B 

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