At the press conference, David Blackwell, my husband, was about to announce his love for someone else when Ella Carter, the new assistant, suddenly stepped onto the stage holding a little girl. “Sweetie, Daddy’s calling you up here!” she said. The crowd instantly erupted in excitement, bombarding David with questions about his new romance. David didn’t deny it. Instead, he affectionately pulled the little girl into his arms and even put on the company’s newest, multi-million-dollar jewelry collection for her. “Yes, we have a child,” he confirmed. Seeing me, Victoria Hayes, standing frozen, the reporters were only too eager to stir the pot. “Ms. Hayes, you’ve been with Mr. Blackwell for so long. On such an important day, shouldn’t you say something?” I smiled faintly, then tossed the jewelry design I’d worked a year on to the new assistant. “Good things come in pairs,” I said. “Consider this the gift for your daughter.” When I gave the designs to Ella Carter, everyone paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Only Ms. Hayes could be so generous with something so valuable. These designs were your entire year’s work!” “Ms. Hayes, you spoil Mr. Blackwell’s daughter so much. Why not just be her godmother?” Ella, hearing this, tilted her chin up and shot me a smug look. David, on the other hand, clenched his jaw, his deep, cold eyes fixed on me. Seeing him so uncomfortable only amused me. We’d been married for ten years. Yet, he’d always avoided officially announcing our marriage, using the company’s interests as an excuse. He never drove me to or from work, leaving me to take the bus every day. At the office, he kept a strict line between us, refusing to let me call him honey. I was only allowed to address him as Mr. Blackwell. I never complained, quietly staying in this hidden marriage for a decade, supporting him as we built the company from the ground up. It wasn’t until yesterday, when I won the design competition with my new jewelry line worth millions, bringing in numerous partnerships for the company, that he finally agreed to officially announce me as his wife at today’s press conference. I couldn’t believe it. After all these years, he was finally going to recognize me publicly. I’d stayed up all night out of excitement. The next day, I woke up early to get ready. I even spent half a year’s salary on a new dress, hoping to look perfect beside David. But in the end, the woman standing next to him wasn’t me. I was the punchline of the joke. If this had happened before, I would’ve been furious, screaming at him. But now, I just stood there, calmly watching the family of three on stage. “Wishing you all a lifetime of happiness,” I said, my voice steady. David’s eyes turned icy. He opened his mouth and was about to say something when he was interrupted by the little girl’s crying. Ella tugged at David’s sleeve. “David, I think Hannah’s scared and crying…” At her words, David shot me a cold glance and spat, “Look at what you’ve done.” He waved his hand dismissively, shoving me aside as he scooped up Hannah and took Ella’s hand, leaving the stage without looking back. The push threw me off balance. My high heels twisted, and I fell hard, my head hitting the champagne tower. The glasses shattered on me, the cold champagne soaking my dress, and a sharp pain ran through my back. Yet David didn’t even glance back. Watching his indifferent back, I couldn’t help but feel a bitter sense of irony. He was kinder to a stranger than to his wife and daughter. Hannah Carter was only crying from being startled, and David was clearly rattled. But when our own daughter had a high fever, delirious and on the brink of death, he did nothing. Once upon a time, David and I had a five-year-old daughter. That year, while I was away on business, I asked David to take care of her since she had a high fever. He promised he would. But instead of staying with her, he went out for business meetings, leaving our daughter alone at home, burning with fever for hours. By the time I rushed back, it was too late. She had passed away. We fought terribly that day. Later, he knelt in front of me, crying and apologizing. I softened because of our shared history, and I forgave him. I was foolish back then, but not anymore. I turned around and left the venue, not like before when I stayed behind to let David clean up the mess. After leaving the venue, I took a taxi home, planning to disinfect and bandage my wounds with iodine and gauze. As soon as I walked in, I saw Ella and Hannah sitting on the couch, laughing. Hannah was holding my daughter’s favorite teddy bear. When Ella saw me, she smiled. “Victoria, you’re back! Hannah said she wanted to come see your place, so David brought us here. He even told us to treat it like our own home!” She then pulled out a set of design blueprints and started playing with them in front of me, clearly showing off. “I heard these are your precious blueprints, and the necklace Hannah’s wearing is the one you designed for your daughter, right? “I only brought it up, and David just handed everything over to us. “Victoria, if you know what’s good for you, just leave already! Don’t wait until you get dumped and end up embarrassed!” Before, I would have been furious at her provocation. But now, I just gave her a cold glance and turned to head upstairs. I was in a hurry to clean my wound and had no time for her petty games. But Ella blocked my path. The next moment, she ripped the necklace off Hannah’s neck and slapped her across the face. Hannah’s face turned red, and she burst into tears as she was scared out of her mind. Ella held Hannah in her arms and deliberately shouted. “Victoria, I know you’re angry with me because of the press conference. If you have a problem, come at me! But Hannah’s just a child!” I almost wanted to laugh. This was one of her usual tricks. Before I could react, David rushed over. His face darkened when he saw Hannah’s swollen face, and he slapped me across the cheek. “Victoria, you’ve gone too far! How could you hurt an innocent child? “Hannah is Ella’s niece! They were just joking around earlier, trying to lighten the mood. Why do you have to make such a big deal out of it?” Pathetic acting, but David bought it. If this had happened before, I would have been furious and jealous of how biased he was toward Ella. But now, I felt nothing, just calm and not a trace of sadness. I picked up the necklace from the floor, handed it back to Ella, and smiled faintly. “You were just trying to lighten the mood, and I should be grateful, not angry. How could I possibly hold it against you? “To show my appreciation, I even booked a five-star restaurant for us.” I pulled out my phone and showed them the reservation. This was the restaurant I had originally booked to celebrate after announcing things with David, but now there was no need. Seeing that I wasn’t lying, David went silent for a moment, then awkwardly said, “I’ll transfer you the money for the meal.” I waved my hand, refusing his offer. David’s tone softened a bit. “Victoria, you’ve really changed. Don’t worry. I’ll make it up to you after we announce everything.” But he didn’t realize that when a woman suddenly became more understanding, it was not because she was weaker. It was because she no longer loved him. This time, I was determined to be the one who walked away first.
After that, David took Ella and Hannah to the restaurant. I went upstairs to treat my wounds. When I took off my high heels, my ankles were swollen and red. My heels were covered in blisters, some of which had burst and were oozing blood. When the iodine touched the wounds, I couldn’t help but suck in a breath. It really hurt. I never liked high heels, but David did, especially watching me wear them. Over the years, I forced myself to wear them just to please him. Even though my feet were constantly bleeding, I endured it willingly. Looking back now, I realize how foolish I was. After treating my wounds, I slipped on some comfortable slippers and threw the high heels into the trash. Compared to the painful high heels, I much preferred the comfort of slippers. This time, I wasn’t going to cater to anyone. I wanted to live for myself. With that thought in mind, I quickly took out my phone and sent a message to a major company that had been showing interest in me. I wrote: [I’ve agreed to the collaboration.] The reply came instantly: [Victoria, you’ve finally made up your mind. Set the reporting date. We’ll be ready whenever you are.] This big company was the leading enterprise in Larkhaven, and their CEO had always been impressed by my business skills and design ability. He often extended offers to me, and their salary and benefits were very attractive. But I turned them all down. It was because David needed me. Most of the company’s operations depended on me, and all their new products relied on my design blueprints. I gave up my future, willingly staying by David’s side, working like a dog for him. But once the company grew stronger, he kicked me to the curb without a second thought. It was then that I realized that true feelings didn’t always get reciprocated. When it came to the matter with my daughter, I forgave him because of what he had once done for me. But this time, I didn’t owe him anything. We were completely done. Thinking of this, I replied to the company: [I’ll report tomorrow.] With that, I bought the earliest flight for tomorrow and began packing my bags. As I was packing, I realized I couldn’t even fill a suitcase with my things. The closet was full of David’s suits and ties, while my clothes consisted of a few faded and worn-out skirts. The only thing of value was the gold bracelet he had given me. Although it was an old style from more than a decade ago, I treasured it. It was a gift from David, bought with his first earnings. Back then, in his twenties, he smiled brightly as he put the bracelet on me, promising he would love me forever and saying that one day, when he had money, he would buy me a whole collection of jewelry. But once he did have money, he never bought me anything nice again. On our seventh anniversary, I couldn’t help but ask him for a set of jewelry. He got angry, scolding me for being wasteful and not understanding how hard he worked to make money. After that, to correct my spending habits, he set a strict budget for me. Any expense over two hundred dollars had to be approved by the finance department. The man I once loved suddenly became a stranger. When did everything change? Maybe it was when Ella appeared. Once Ella showed up, David’s heart quietly drifted away. He restricted every penny I spent down to the cent. But when it came to Ella, he was generous. When Ella said, “I want this,” he didn’t hesitate to buy her a diamond necklace worth millions. He was always very clear about the boundaries between us, never allowing me to interact with him too much at the office. But with Ella, he let her casually call him David. Not only that, he even took Ella out to eat and watch movies during work hours… As I was thinking, the bracelet slipped from my hand and fell to the floor. I picked it up and saw that the surface was scratched, revealing black marks inside. The bracelet was fake. I couldn’t help but laugh. This relationship was a mistake from the start, yet I foolishly held on for all these years! At least now, it wasn’t too late to wake up. I threw the bracelet into the trash and cut up all the photos I had with David. Just then, my phone rang. It was an Instagram update from Ella. In the photo, David was holding Hannah, allowing her oil-covered hands to rub all over his expensive suit while looking at her with doting eyes. Ella was leaning against him, smiling as she fed him a steak covered in her saliva, and he ate it without a hint of disgust. It was so ironic. He had always been a clean freak. Once, when our daughter had made him coffee and accidentally spilled it on his leather shoes, he yelled at her for an hour and locked her in the basement all day, not letting her eat or drink anything. That was when her health started to decline, making her weak and prone to illness. And when I once mistakenly drank from his cup, he smashed it in front of me, glaring at me with disgust. “How disgusting!” But he only had a problem with our hygiene. He found both my daughter and me disgusting. I let out a cold laugh and gave a like. That only made my resolve to leave stronger, so I quickened my pace. Once I finished, I went to bed and went to sleep. I hadn’t been asleep long when I was woken up by a knock on the door. I didn’t even have to guess. It was David. David hated the trouble of entering the passcode, so he had gotten into the habit of asking me to open the door for him. Before, he never even needed to knock. All he had to do was shout, and I would run to open the door for him. But now, I just turned over and continued sleeping. I was just about to drift into sleep when, the next second, David angrily kicked the door open, flipped the light on with a loud snap, and shouted, “Victoria, are you deaf? You’re clearly awake, why didn’t you get up to open the door for me!”
The sudden burst of light snapped me awake. I had been sleeping so deeply that I hadn’t heard the knock at all. Seeing David’s dark expression, I was a little surprised. Did he actually come back this time? Every time he went on a date with Ella, he would always make up an excuse to stay at her place. Either he’d say Ella was scared of thunder and couldn’t sleep alone or that she was just a young girl who needed him to look after her for safety. But once, when our five-year-old daughter said she was scared of the dark and wanted David to come back to keep her company, he’d said she was being melodramatic. He claimed it was good for her to face her fears and, when I wasn’t paying attention, locked her in a small, dark room, giving her a fear of enclosed spaces. Back then, I used to feel so upset about David’s bias and double standards, and I would get into huge arguments with him. But now, no matter what he did, I didn’t care anymore. I gave a faint “Hmm,” pulled the blanket over my head, and went back to sleep. David froze for a moment, then furrowed his brows in displeasure. “Don’t play around. I’m really tired. Get up and run a bath for me. And wash my clothes too.” He tossed his jacket at me. The collar was covered with lipstick stains and smelled strongly of Ella’s perfume. It was disgusting. If this had been before, I wouldn’t have needed him to say anything. I would’ve eagerly gotten up to serve him. But now, he just seemed like a nuisance. I tossed the jacket back at him. “You’re not disabled, you can wash it yourself.” David was stunned for a second, then pulled a gift box out of his pocket and threw it at me. “I know you’re upset about what happened today, so here, this is for you.” Inside was a pair of silver earrings. But he forgot that I was allergic to silver, and I didn’t even have ear piercings. What was even more ridiculous was that these earrings were things Ella had discarded. I had seen them on her Instagram before. I let out a cold laugh and tossed the earrings in the trash. “If someone else doesn’t want it, I don’t either.” David’s patience finally ran out, and his face darkened even more. “Victoria, have I spoiled you too much?” The drowsiness hit me hard, and I yawned. “I’m tired, nothing else. I’m going back to sleep.” Seeing my indifferent attitude, David gritted his teeth and said, “Fine! You’re pushing me away, don’t regret it!” David turned to leave, but I called out to him. “Wait.” He smiled, thinking I was just playing hard to get. The next moment, I took out a pen and paper from the drawer and handed them to him. “Sign this.” David’s eyes immediately turned cold. “You stopped me just to have me sign some meaningless contract?” I smirked. “Maybe you should read it properly before speaking?” After looking at the document, David froze for a moment, then snapped the pen in his hand.
“Divorce Agreement? You want a divorce from me?” David narrowed his eyes and looked at me coldly. “Victoria, there’s a limit to how jealous you can be.” I responded indifferently, “I’m serious.” David’s face darkened as he slammed the divorce papers onto the table. “I won’t sign.” I spoke calmly, “If you don’t sign, I can still leave. It’s just a matter of time.” Unable to argue with me, David gritted his teeth in frustration. He snorted and stormed off, deliberately stomping his feet as he left. I knew what he was trying to do. He wanted me to chase after him. In the past, whenever he got angry, I would rush to apologize. But now? Who cared about him? I had more important things to do, like sleeping. The sound of footsteps outside gradually faded, and I quickly drifted into a deep sleep. The next morning, I woke up naturally. As expected, David hadn’t come home the night before. He must have been really upset yesterday. After breakfast, I took a taxi to the office and submitted my resignation letter to HR. Once that was done, I took out my phone and sent a message to our business partner. When we signed the deal, their only request was for me to be the point of contact. Now that I was leaving, I needed to inform them. After taking care of that, I turned to leave. Just as I stepped outside, I ran into David and Ella. So, he really did go to Ella last night. They were standing close to each other, chatting and laughing. “David, I’m really sorry about Hannah yesterday. She’s always been a handful, and with her parents both gone, I only asked you to act as her father to make her happy. Victoria wouldn’t mind, would she?” David scoffed. “What’s there for her to mind? She’s a mother herself now. She should learn to be more understanding.” I found it amusing. He wanted me to be understanding? Then why didn’t he apply the same to our own daughter when he cared about other people’s kids? When they saw me, both Ella and David fell silent. The air between us froze instantly. Soon, some colleagues broke the awkwardness with teasing. They crowded around me, complimenting Ella and David. “Wow, Ella, you and Mr. Blackwell kept it a secret so well, you even have a daughter now!” “So when are you two having a second child? You’d make a perfect pair of a son and a daughter!” Ella chuckled softly, casting a shy glance at David. David didn’t object, letting them tease without saying a word. But when my daughter and I came to the company to find him before, and she called him “Daddy,” he angrily slapped her ten times and told her to avoid causing trouble. Later, rumors spread about me and David, and he even fired the gossiping employees on the spot. Yet now, with everyone teasing him, he didn’t say a word, showing no care for appearances. What a hypocrite! As I thought about this, Ella had already swayed her hips over to me. “Victoria, why are you only just getting to the office now? It’s already eleven. You’ve been with the company so long, you should set an example.” David immediately grew cold. “Victoria, what’s with your attitude? “If you don’t want to work, just give your position to Ella. In terms of ability, she’s far above you.” I almost laughed out loud. David knew full well that the company depended on me for everything. Ella couldn’t even print a document, yet he said she was more capable than me. I knew exactly what he was trying to do, humiliate me and pressure me into giving in. But I was in a rush to catch a flight and didn’t have time for their workplace games. “It’s not that complicated. I’ve already resigned, and I can give up the position right now.” Ella pretended to try to convince me to stay. “Victoria, this isn’t the time to act on impulse. Your age is showing. After you quit, where are you going to find such a good job? You might even struggle to get a job as a janitor. “Besides, the company’s new product is about to launch. Leaving now would be such a loss.” Her words only made David angrier. He snapped coldly, “Ella, don’t try to convince her! Let her go. The company will be fine without her! “Just one thing, Victoria. Once the new product launches, the company is going to soar. Don’t come crying to me when you regret this.” It was hard to say who would end up regretting it. They had no idea that I was the only one in the company who held the core technology. Without me, they couldn’t even get the samples ready. If he wanted to list it, maybe in his next life. I sneered. “You probably won’t even make it that far.” David furrowed his brows in confusion. “What do you mean?” At that moment, his phone rang. It was a call from our partner. David immediately smiled, his eyes full of smugness. “The partner must be calling to discuss the new product launch. Now, you’ll regret it, but it’s too late.” To provoke me, he even put the call on speaker. But in the next second, the partner’s words burst his bubble. “Why haven’t the latest samples been delivered yet? If you don’t send them over today, your company will be facing a three-hundred-million-dollar penalty for breach of contract!”
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