The day we went to the County Clerk’s Office to get our marriage license, my boyfriend Jason walked out on me. All because his intern secretary Alice had her thesis defense that day, and she’d apparently be too nervous without him there. “Wendy, we’ll come back tomorrow. Today’s defense determines Alice’s entire future.” He said it like it was nothing, already turning to leave. Ever since Alice joined the company, Jason had abandoned me for her time and time again. And now, even our marriage application had to be postponed for that girl. My nails dug deep into my palms as I called after him. “Jason, if you walk out that door today, we’re done.” His face twisted with irritation. “Wendy, how old are you? Stop throwing tantrums like a child.” “We can apply for a marriage license any day. But if I don’t show up today, Alice’s future is ruined.” “Have you forgotten how hard it was for you when nobody had your back? I’m doing this for the version of you she reminds me of!” “Can you please stop being so petty with a young girl?” I watched his figure disappear through the glass doors. Then I pulled out my phone and dialed my father. “Dad, I’ll marry Leon.” … Less than half an hour later, Leon’s black Lincoln pulled up outside. He was the only son of my father’s business partner—the match our families had chosen for an arranged marriage. We resubmitted the application and held a brief, solemn ceremony of vows. Before we exchanged our declarations, Leon opened a red velvet box and held it out to me. The Graff ring was breathtaking—dozens of smaller diamonds clustered around a brilliant yellow center stone that caught the light like captured fire. I instinctively gripped the fabric of my dress. Leon’s deep, resonant voice reached my ear. “I imagine you probably didn’t have time to prepare. But marriage deserves at least some ceremony. I picked this up on the way over—if you don’t care for the style, we can fly to Paris in a few days and have one custom-made.” I shook my head, my eyes stinging. “No, it’s perfect. Thank you. I love it.” I slipped the cheap silver ring I’d worn for eight years off my finger and dropped it into the trash. Then I picked up the simple platinum band resting beside that lavish diamond, and slowly slid it onto Leon’s ring finger. Twenty minutes later, I was legally Leon’s wife. Stepping outside, the sunlight was almost blinding. The sycamores rustled in the breeze, their leaves whispering. Leon turned to look at me. “I’ve already had my butler transfer the nearest villa into your name. The gate code is today’s date. You can move in whenever you’d like.” I nodded. “I only took a half day off. I’ll go back to the apartment tonight to pack, then move over.” Leon smiled and accepted my arrangement without argument. He drove me to the Westbrook Group headquarters. After the car came to a stop, he reached into the back seat and handed me an elegantly wrapped pastry box. “The housekeeper made Opéra cake. Share it with your colleagues.” I stared at the box, momentarily dazed. In eight years with Jason, we’d kept our relationship a secret. When the company was just starting out, he said he couldn’t guarantee me a future yet—we’d go public once things stabilized. During the expansion phase, he said it was the critical sprint to IPO—he’d marry me after the listing. After the company successfully went public, he pulled rank as CEO, citing the company’s policy against office romances—he had to lead by example, and we’d announce things after the wedding. Until today, everyone in the company only knew I had a boyfriend. Not a single person knew that my boyfriend was the CEO himself. But in that moment, I finally understood: some things were never mine to begin with. “If it’s inconvenient for you…” The second before Leon could pull the pastry box back, I caught the edge of the ribbon and looked up with a small smile. “It’s not inconvenient at all. I love it.” “Good. I’ll pick you up after work tonight.” “Okay.” I watched his car merge into the bustling flow of New York traffic, then turned and walked into the office tower. A Microsoft Teams notification popped up immediately—a message tagging me, from Jason. @Wendy: *Wendy, bring the complete assessment report for the wetland park project to my office in five minutes.* The wetland park project had only been presented to the board yesterday. The next scheduled review wasn’t for another two weeks. Several subordinates from different departments messaged me privately, asking if there was some major crisis with the project. After reassuring them, I gathered the files and headed straight for the top floor. “Jason, here are the documents for the wetland park project. Which section needs your review?” Jason pressed his fingers against his temples. “Are you still throwing a fit about this morning?” “Jason, if this is about work, please give me your instructions. If it’s personal, I have a full plate to get back to.” I turned to leave, but Jason stepped forward and blocked my path. “What happened this morning was my fault. As soon as I’m back from this business trip, we’ll get married. You can start planning our wedding in the meantime.” This morning it was *wait until tomorrow.* Now it was *wait until after his trip.* For Jason, everything on his to-do list that involved me could be indefinitely postponed. And all I ever got in return was one delay after another. “Jason, do you honestly believe I’ll just stand in place forever, waiting for you?” Jason’s brow furrowed, his expression dripping with impatience. “Wendy, I’ve already conceded and agreed to marry you. Don’t push it!” “Push it? Fine—then let me push it one last time. I’ve already gotten mar—” A knock at the door cut me off. Alice walked in wearing a Chanel dress, files in her arms. “Jason, here’s the cross-border contract that needs your urgent signature.” The instant Jason looked at her, the coldness in his eyes melted away, replaced by a rare softness. “Perfect timing—Wendy’s here too. You two can do the handoff for the wetland park project right now.” My head snapped up. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “What did you just say? Handoff?”
“Alice transfers to the business division tomorrow. She needs results to establish credibility. The wetland park proposal is already mature—let her cut her teeth on it.” I gripped the folder in my hands so hard my knuckles went white, rage surging straight to my brain. “I spent six months leading a team to land that project, and you’re handing it to her to *cut her teeth on*?” “This is a strategic company decision.” Jason’s voice didn’t waver. I let out a cold laugh. “Is this the board’s strategic decision, or your personal decision to prop her up?” “Wendy, everyone was new to the workforce once. Don’t be so selfish. Get it ready—one week for the handoff.” “And if I refuse?” “Either hand over the project or leave the company. Your choice.” Looking at that cold, merciless face, a scene from years ago flashed through my mind. Back when an executive at a partner firm made a mistake, they’d called me to shift the blame—screaming at me over the phone for more than an hour. When Jason found out, he was so furious he wanted to rip up the contract and confront them. I was the one who stopped him. I’d cried and told him: if we terminate now, then that hour of humiliation I endured would have been for nothing. Jason had grabbed my hand and run with me to the nearest church, where he promised before God that he would never let me suffer again. Now every ounce of suffering in my life came directly from him. Alice timidly reached out and tugged at Jason’s sleeve, her expression innocent and wide-eyed. “Jason, if Wendy doesn’t want to, just forget it… Don’t fight because of me…” Jason’s voice turned gentle. “When I make a promise, I keep it.” I’d originally planned to stay until the project was fully delivered before resigning. Clearly, there was no point in waiting. I swallowed the nausea rising in my chest. “My resignation letter will go straight to your inbox. But until my last day, I’m not handing over anything to her. After I’m gone, the project is no longer my concern. Do whatever you want with it.” With that, I shouldered past him and walked out of the office. I downloaded the resignation form, filled it out, and sent it to the CEO’s email. Half an hour later, Alice appeared at my desk holding an approved termination slip. “Wendy, here’s your termination form—Jason already signed it. Could you please transfer the wetland park project’s underlying data to me?” I pushed the hard drive and stack of printed materials I’d already organized across the desk. “It’s all here.” Alice smiled as she gathered the core files into her arms, eyes glittering with triumph. “Oh, Wendy, I’m about to fly to Switzerland with Jason on his private jet for a business trip, so I won’t bother you any longer. Thanks for the project.” Shortly after she left, a text from Jason popped up. *While I’m away on this trip, book the hotel for the wedding. When I get back from Switzerland, I’ll officially announce our relationship at the celebration dinner.* Even now, he was absolutely certain I wouldn’t leave. Convinced that no matter how much he trampled my dignity, I’d keep orbiting him like a loyal dog. But he was wrong. I didn’t bother replying. I blocked his number and started packing my things. That evening, Leon drove me to the apartment building. After confirming multiple times that I didn’t need help, he drove away. The apartment sat in the most prime location in Manhattan. Jason had bought it after his first big payday as an entrepreneur. As a gesture of his love, the deed was in my name alone. Memories flooded in like a tide as I packed. The kitchen dishes—we’d picked them out together, jostling through a crowded flea market. The oil painting in the living room—a master’s original he’d bid on during a business trip to Tokyo, just because I’d once mentioned in passing that I liked it. Those clay figurines on the TV stand—we’d spent an entire afternoon at a pottery studio making them for our anniversary. I threw them all in the trash. Every last ounce of love I’d ever felt for Jason, discarded along with them. Two days. That was how long it took to completely empty the apartment. Jason’s belongings filled two oversized storage bins. I scheduled a DPD same-day delivery, with the shipping address set to his office. When it was done, I sat on the living room sofa. Outside the window, the lake shimmered in the fading light. Inside, the only traces left were the faint impressions on the carpet where furniture used to stand. A shame. But not worth mourning. I scrolled through my phone contacts and called the city’s largest real estate agency. I listed the apartment for sale.
The location was so prime that the agent called back almost immediately—a buyer was ready to purchase. On the way to sign the agreement, my phone rang. An unmarked number. I answered. “Wendy! Blocking all my contacts is one thing, but packing up every single one of my personal belongings and shipping them to my office! What the hell are you trying to do?!” “All I did was give the project to Alice! Is that really worth losing your mind over?!” “Does bullying a new hire make you feel superior? Does it make you feel important?!” “If you can’t even show that much generosity, I think we need to seriously reconsider this marriage!” First he’d used breakups to threaten me. Now he was using marriage as leverage. He was simply used to my compliance—certain that I’d never marry anyone but him. My voice was ice. “I’ve officially resigned. Who you give that project to is none of my business.” “And as for marriage—you don’t need to reconsider. It’s off the table.” Jason’s voice turned sharp. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Before I could respond, a saccharine female voice drifted through from his end: “I forgot to grab a towel… Could you maybe… bring one in for me?” Then came the grating screech of a chair scraping against the floor. “Something just came up on my end. We’ll talk about the marriage when I’m back in the country—” I hung up before he could finish, blocked the number, and dropped the phone in my lap. It buzzed a moment later. A text from Leon. *What time will you be done? I made dinner. I’ll be waiting for you at home.* The word *home* dispelled the chill in my chest instantly. After replying to Leon, the taxi pulled to a smooth stop at its destination. The buyer was decisive. After thoroughly reviewing the property title, he signed the purchase agreement on the spot and wired the full amount. “Ms. Wendy, pleasure doing business. I’ll see you at the title office tomorrow.” “See you tomorrow.” Leon’s steak was perfectly seared—tender, paired with rum sauce, rich and savory. I set down my knife and absent-mindedly tapped into my former company’s group chat on my phone. My offboarding paperwork was still being finalized, so I hadn’t been removed yet. An employee on annual leave had been vacationing in the Alps. While staying at a luxury hotel at the base of the mountains, she’d bumped into Jason and Alice. She’d snapped a photo of the two of them together and accidentally posted it to the main work group. Though she deleted it within seconds, the image had already been screenshotted and saved by countless employees. In the photo, Alice wore a striking red puffer jacket, beaming against the snowy mountain backdrop. Jason stood a few steps behind her in a tailored overcoat, his gaze fixed on the young woman—tender, devoted, as if she were his entire world. The last time he’d looked at me that way was years ago. Jason quickly posted a clarification in the group: *The photo is misleading due to the angle. After this business trip wrapped up, I took a subordinate along to unwind as a team-building gesture. Please don’t spread malicious rumors—it could seriously damage a new employee’s professional reputation.* I found it deeply ironic. Years ago, when a colleague spotted me getting into his car late at night, rumors spread through the company that I’d slept my way to Business Director. He wouldn’t offer a single word in my defense. But for Alice, he rushed to explain, terrified she might suffer even the slightest grievance. I closed the app without expression and accepted the glass of warm milk Leon handed me before bed. — At that moment, in the luxury hotel suite in Switzerland. Jason stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring at his phone with furrowed brows. In the past, the moment Wendy saw a photo like this, she would have called him in a frenzy, demanding answers. Had she not seen it? Or… had she truly stopped caring? The thought, combined with Wendy’s uncharacteristic coldness these past few days, sent a sharp stab through his chest. But he quickly talked himself down. Impossible. Wendy had loved him for eight years. Loved him more than her own life. She was just putting on a cold front, waiting for him to come groveling. … The next morning, Leon drove me to the title office. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come in with you?” He undid his seatbelt and turned to me, his voice gentle. I smiled. “It’s just signing a few documents. I can handle it. Go on to your meeting.” “All right. Call me if you need anything.” I stepped out, watched Leon’s car disappear into traffic, then turned and walked toward the lobby.
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