You Were Better When I Was Gone Chapter 11
Three days after Sophie went back, I received an email from the HR department of my former company in China.
Subject: “Regarding the non-disclosure agreement signed by Ms. Sarah upon resignation.”
The content was lengthy, essentially accusing me of taking confidential company data when I left, violating my NDA.
The reporting party wasn’t named, but the email included one detail:
“Internal review shows the relevant files were last accessed using Ms. Sarah’s Employee ID on the afternoon of her resignation.”
I read it twice. I wasn’t even at the company that afternoon.
I was crying in my car, then went home and started packing.
I called the colleague who’d left me the Post-it note.
She answered in a hushed voice. “Sarah, I was going to reach out to you. The rumor’s spreading, people are saying you stole client data and ran.”
“Who started it?”
“Who else? Sophie. She said she’s the closest person to you that you told her before you left that you’d copied the files ‘just in case.'”
My grip tightened on the phone. “I never”
“I know it’s not you,” she cut in. “But HR’s already launched an investigation.”
“Were you really not in the office that afternoon?”
“No. My access logs prove it.”
“Then gather your evidence fast. Sophie’s been really convincing with the boss.”
I hung up and sat at my desk, taking several deep breaths. Sophie, she’d said “just you wait.” So this was it.
I opened my laptop and dug out everything from that day.
Slack location logs showed I was three kilometers from the office in an underground parking lot. Ride-hailing records. Bank transactions. Building access logs, all pointing to the same conclusion: I never returned to the office.
So how was my Employee ID used to log in?
It took me three seconds. My desk password, Sophie knew it.
One time she said her laptop was broken and asked to borrow mine. I typed it in front of her.
She’d laughed and said, “Your password is so basic. Dummy is such a Dummy.”
I compiled all the screenshots and sent them to HR at my old company, copying my London Director and the legal team. It was past 2 a.m. by the time I finished.
Emma got up to use the bathroom and saw my light still on. “What now?”
I told her. She looked grim. “That’s a setup.”
“Yeah.”
“Is your friend mentally ill?”
“Maybe she always was.” I smiled bitterly. “I used to think it was just a cold. Now I realize it’s cancer.”
Emma poured me a glass of water. “If you need help, ask. Don’t handle this alone.”
“I know.”
The next day, I updated my London Director. He only said, “As long as your evidence is solid, let legal handle it.”
Then he patted my shoulder. “Stay focused. Don’t let this affect your work.”
That afternoon, I got a message from Luke, from a new number, since I’d deleted his.
“Sarah, I heard about Sophie reporting you.”
I stared at it for a long time. Replied with one word: “Yeah.”
“You weren’t at the office that afternoon, right?”
“No.”
“Your access records?”
“Already sent to legal.”
“Good.”
A pause. Then another message: “I’ll make Sophie retract the report.”
I stared at the screen. Make her retract?
“Luke, this is already in legal’s hands. It’s not hers to retract anymore.”
Another long silence. Then: “Sarah, she was wrong. But you don’t have to”
“Don’t have to what?”
“Don’t have to blow this up. She just”
“Just what? Just falsely accused me of stealing company data? Just tried to sabotage my professional reputation?”
I waited five minutes. Then deleted that number too.
When Emma came home, she found me staring at the wall. “Legal get back to you?”
“They said the evidence is strong. They’ve already verified with HR, the accusation didn’t hold. And if I want to press charges, I can.”
Emma sat beside me. “Are you going to?”
I thought about it. “Not for now.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to spend any more energy on her.”
Emma studied me. “Sarah, you look a hundred times better than when I first met you.”
I smiled. “In what way?”
“In your heart.”