On the eve of the annual company party, my husband Lucas said he had a surprise for me, a top-tier lawyer. However, the next day, he publicly increased the marketing manager’s bonus fivefold. For me, he only said, “Keep up the good work next year.” When I questioned this, Lucas brushed it off carelessly: “Your courtroom performance is indeed impressive, but without Bella’s promotion, you wouldn’t have become a star lawyer.” “Besides, we’re married. What’s mine is yours. Why fuss over a little bonus?” Everyone was waiting for a show, but I didn’t make a scene. Instead, I remained silent until the end of the party. The next day, I personally placed my resignation letter on Lucas’s desk. “You might as well add my salary to Bella’s. Consider it a wedding gift for you two.” Lucas cursed me for being petty, swearing I’d end up begging on the streets without him. But he forgot that as an experienced top-tier lawyer like me, prestigious law firms would be lining up to hire me! “I don’t want to talk to you anymore!” Lucas loosened his tie and tossed his jacket onto the sofa, his face cold and refusing to communicate. I rubbed my temples, feeling utterly exhausted. Since we got off work, Lucas and I had been arguing about today’s law firm annual party. I couldn’t understand why he downplayed my achievements, nor why he excessively praised Bella, a newcomer who had just joined the firm. Lucas, however, thought I was being petty, fighting with Bella over such small favors. As we argued, neither of us was willing to back down, and the atmosphere grew tense. Just then, Lucas’s phone buzzed with a message. He pulled it out, looked at it, and his face twisted with annoyance. “There’s an urgent matter at the firm that needs my attention. Sarah, I don’t want to argue with you about this. Take care of yourself, and don’t forget to prepare and send me the case analysis for tomorrow’s work.” “If you continue being so petty, I can’t help you. We’ve been married for five years, and you’re hung up on this small amount of money. I’m so disappointed in you.” “I’m being petty?” I felt helpless. Lucas always changed the subject during arguments, never directly addressing an issue. Whenever Bella was mentioned, he always had a bunch of excuses about being busy. Most often, he would use the fact that we were married to tell me not to be so calculative. For the next half hour, I was speechless. Lucas, complaining about working all day, specifically took a shower before returning to the bedroom to change clothes. During this time, we didn’t speak, falling into a cold war. But life can’t go on like this. Someone has to make the first move. “Honey…” After pondering for a moment, I was about to take the initiative to make peace when I inadvertently noticed something strange. Lucas was secretly stuffing something into his suit pants. As I got closer, I was shocked to see it was a pair of black stockings! And I didn’t own that type… The words I was about to say got stuck in my throat. I couldn’t speak them, nor could I swallow them back. My heart sank. I couldn’t help but think about how Lucas had changed towards me over the past six months. He always had work to discuss, was always on business trips, became increasingly impatient with me, and we hadn’t even been intimate for a long time. At this moment, I finally realized he was having an affair. After a moment’s hesitation, I instinctively wanted to stop him, but then I paused. I suppressed the anger in my heart, thinking I might as well use this incident to divorce him directly. After all, my marriage to Lucas had long been a facade. Thinking this, I quietly left the bedroom and sat on the sofa, waiting. Lucas came out not long after, looking slightly nervous. “Sarah, did you call me just now?” Hearing this, I looked up, perfectly feigning a confused expression. “No.” Seeing no unusual reaction from me, Lucas visibly relaxed, his face turning cold again. “I need to go back to the firm now. We’ll talk about the year-end bonus when I get back. I might not be able to come home tonight.” Then, without waiting for my response, he hurriedly left. A few minutes later, estimating the time it would take him to drive out of the neighborhood, I got dressed, went downstairs, and took a taxi to follow him. From the moment Lucas left home, he wasn’t heading in the direction of the law firm!
In the taxi, I let out a cold laugh as I saw his car finally stop in front of a hotel. Although I couldn’t go up to the hotel, I could get into his car. I unlocked the car, played back the driving recorder, and heard Lucas calling a woman just after he got in the car, addressing her as “baby” right off the bat. “Hello? Bella? Are you there yet? I’m almost there… It’s just that Sarah again. I don’t know what’s wrong with her these past few months, always looking for reasons to argue.” I frowned, but Lucas’s next words were even more hurtful. “She should think about who got her where she is today. Now she dares to argue with me over the year-end bonus. She’s really gone too far. It’s making me so angry. I need your kiss, baby…” My blood boiled as I realized the person on the other end of the line was Bella. No wonder her contributions were the greatest this year and her bonus was doubled. It turns out she had been doing “overtime” after work. Lucas, how could you do this to me? Six months ago, when Bella joined the firm, it was strange enough that she was promoted to team leader with just a few years of experience after graduation. Despite her mediocre abilities, Lucas always assigned her the best resources, causing quite a stir among other colleagues. Later, Bella leveraged these resources to become the marketing manager in just six months. That’s when I started to become suspicious. On the other hand, Lucas’s care for her in daily life was meticulous. At most dinners and social events, I often couldn’t sit next to Lucas, but Bella was always by his side. I had voiced my objections before, but Lucas always said she was his junior from college, and it was only right to look after her. For the past six months, every time Lucas didn’t let me accompany him to a social event or business trip, he was probably fooling around with Bella. Finally, I returned home in a daze. Sitting on the sofa, I rubbed my face. Suspecting and actually discovering are two different feelings. At least I had truly loved Lucas. Now, seeing and hearing it with my own eyes and ears, I still felt heartbroken. The TV at home was broadcasting local news about someone killing for revenge for their mother. I had no interest in watching and tossed and turned half the night before finally falling asleep on the sofa. The entire dream was filled with memories of Lucas and me. We met in the workplace after graduation. I was immediately drawn to Lucas’s efficient and decisive work style. I actively pursued him, and after we got together, Lucas directly opened a law firm for me. I was very grateful for his recognition and worked tirelessly for the firm. This went on for six years. Later, Lucas proposed to me, and both sets of parents were very pleased. But I never imagined that now, as the firm has grown bigger and stronger, he would already be cheating before we even reached the seven-year itch. A night of chaotic dreams led to me being late for work the next day. For this, Lucas mercilessly scolded me in front of all the senior staff during the morning meeting. “Sarah! What’s wrong with you? We had a few words yesterday, and now you dare to be late? Let me tell you, you’ve lost your perfect attendance bonus for this month! Reflect on yourself!” Faced with the sympathetic or indifferent gazes of everyone, I just nodded, not saying much. This reaction made Lucas think I had a bad attitude. After everyone else left, he sat down in the boss’s chair, folded his arms, and spoke to me coldly. “Sarah, let me tell you, don’t use your home attitude at the company! Do you think you can give me attitude in front of everyone just because you’re my wife?! I’ve always kept personal and professional lives separate!” Keeping personal and professional lives separate… I mulled over these words, finding them laughable. He keeps personal and professional lives separate with me, but last night in the car, he was all sweet talk with Bella, saying all sorts of nice things. My indifference made Lucas feel disrespected. He became furious, stood up, and slammed the table. “Sarah! What are you trying to do? Have you gone mad?!” I ignored his roar, turned around, and left the office. I went straight downstairs to HR and submitted my resignation.
“Ms. Johnson… are you sure you want to resign?” “Yes, I’m sure.” The HR staff was very surprised and repeatedly asked me. Although I had never made my relationship with Lucas public, over the years, my colleagues had all guessed it. The HR staff clearly didn’t want to get involved in our “domestic affairs” and immediately showed a troubled expression, trying to deflect. “This… this is such a big decision, I can’t make it on my own. Why don’t you go talk to Mr. Wilson about it? Ask for his opinion first.” My position was considered a pillar of the company, and logically, it indeed needed Lucas’s signature. “No need to ask. Just handle it as a regular procedure,” I said softly but firmly, not sounding like an impulsive decision made in anger. The HR staff looked at me for a while and could only agree with a bitter smile, telling me to come back in the afternoon to pick up the report. Just as I left HR, I was called to Lucas’s office again. When I went in, I saw Bella was also there. Seeing me come in, she smiled insincerely and said, “Sister Sarah is here.” “Good timing. Did you see the news yesterday about the person who killed for revenge for their mother? The case has now fallen to our firm. Bella fought for it for you. Sarah, if you handle this well, you could make a big name for yourself.” Lucas called me in, reluctantly showing some goodwill, then arrogantly “entrusted me with an important task” – to defend the killer from last night’s news. I had looked at that case this morning. As things stand, online public opinion has already pushed this case to a critical point. Lucas wasn’t wrong; if handled well, it could indeed make me famous. But I only felt that Bella had ulterior motives. This kind of case is a hot potato. No matter how you defend it, you’ll end up being criticized in the end. The law is unfeeling, but morality is emotional. The outcome of this incident, good or bad, would affect one’s career. It’s like inviting trouble for no reason. Thinking of this, I refused on the spot. “I still have several ongoing cases that aren’t finished yet. Adding a new one would be too much. I can’t take it. Please assign someone else.” “Sarah, Ms. Big Shot Lawyer, what’s wrong? You’ve had some success these past few years and now you’re looking down on this kind of case? You don’t even seize opportunities when they’re right in front of you. What are you thinking?” Lucas’s face showed mockery, his words extremely unpleasant. Bella, seeing this, also pretended to persuade me: “Sister Sarah, if this case is handled well, it will only benefit our firm. You should think twice about it, for Mr. Wilson’s sake and the firm’s long-term development.” “Since this case has come to us, and I’ve worked hard to secure it, it’s only right that someone from the company should take it on. As things stand, you’re the most suitable person for this kind of case, Sister Sarah.” I frowned, ignoring her moral coercion. Just as I was about to speak, Lucas’s phone rang. “Hello? Little Li? What’s the matter? Huh? Who? Who wants to resign?!” Lucas was stunned for a few seconds, his expression becoming extremely unpleasant in the course of a few sentences. He hung up the phone and looked at me in disbelief. “Sarah, you want to resign?! Just because I scolded you a bit this morning?!” He stood up and raged at me, his whole body fuming. I remained outwardly calm, leaning on the desk and slowly moving closer, pulling at the corners of my mouth as I spoke calmly. “Lucas, not only am I resigning, but I also want a divorce.”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295670”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply