I spent three years in jail for my wife Amanda, but when I got out, all I received was a one-dollar opening gift. Just as I thought there had been a mistake, I noticed that my male colleague Derek’s envelope also contained only a single dollar bill. I set aside my concerns and enthusiastically accompanied Amanda through the opening ceremony. However, that evening, I came across Derek’s Instagram post. He had shared a photo of a check: “Congratulations on the grand opening, Boss Amanda! The boss is so generous, giving a million-dollar opening gift!” The comments section was filled with envy, congratulating him on his “success” with the “boss.” Not only did Amanda fail to explain, but she also rushed to distance herself from me: “You just got out of jail, it’s not appropriate to go public. Let’s keep our marriage a secret for now. Just call me boss in front of others.” Then, she went and liked Derek’s Instagram post. I wiped away a tear and dialed her arch-rival’s number. “I’ll work for you from now on.”
“You were willing to spend three years in jail for Amanda’s business, why are you suddenly wanting to work for me?” Olivia asked, puzzled. “I remember she promised to give you the department manager position when you got out. Are you sure you don’t want it?” I fidgeted with the one-dollar bill, letting out a bitter laugh. “No, I don’t want it anymore.” Just as I said this, Amanda suddenly appeared in front of me, asking suspiciously: “What don’t you want anymore?” I ended the call discreetly and told her the truth: “The department manager position.” Hearing this, a glimmer of relief flashed across the woman’s complex expression. “Good. I was planning to give it to Derek anyway. You can start as a clerk for now.” Hearing these words, I couldn’t help but frown. Back then, I endured three years behind bars for Amanda’s company. She had promised me repeatedly that when I got out, the position would be mine and mine alone. Who would have thought that in the end, I’d become nothing more than a lowly office worker? At this moment, Amanda was breaking the promise she made three years ago with her own words. But I couldn’t see a hint of guilt in her eyes. My eyes burned, and an unstoppable pain flooded my heart. Seeing that I remained silent, Amanda took out an agreement from her briefcase and tossed it onto the coffee table. She said nonchalantly, “This is a secret marriage agreement, consider it for the sake of the company.” The words “Secret Marriage Agreement” stung my eyes painfully. Three years ago, the day before I went to jail, Amanda and I had gotten our marriage certificate. The only belief that supported me through those years was the thought of a happy married life after my release. But now, I had become someone she was ashamed to acknowledge. She even wanted me to disappear without a trace. I laughed bitterly to myself, picked up the pen without a second thought. Amanda suddenly turned her head, frowning as she saw my hand about to sign. The man who once couldn’t wait to announce this marriage to the world was now so decisive? She instinctively held my wrist, her words puzzling: “You’re not even going to think about it?” I didn’t even look up, signing immediately. Having gotten the secret marriage agreement as she wished, she fell into an inexplicable silence. After a while, she cleared her throat, her voice turning gentle: “Jack, don’t worry. Once the company stabilizes, I’ll definitely make it up to you properly.” I responded with a noncommittal “mm,” just as the company group chat on SnapChat buzzed. Derek had become the company’s first department manager, and all employees were offering their congratulations. “You’ve been by Amanda’s side these three years, we’ve all seen it. This position is well-deserved!” “I think Derek is the department manager today, tomorrow he’ll probably be the boss’s husband, right? We better start sucking up to you now.” Following this, Derek sent a laughing emoji, implicitly accepting everything. “I still think Jack is the lucky one though, spent three years in jail and still got a clerk job at the company, the boss must really value him!” Clearly knowing the truth, he was obviously mocking me. I reluctantly looked away from the screen, but inadvertently saw Amanda staring at her phone. The smile on her lips was a tenderness I had never seen before. It made me wonder. Was her secret marriage to me really for the company, or was it for Derek?
To fulfill the secret marriage contract, Amanda moved from the master bedroom to the guest room. Besides that, she also made it clear: I wasn’t allowed to ride in the same car with her. I wasn’t allowed to talk to her at the company, only allowed to call her boss. And, her relationship with Derek was just an act, I wasn’t allowed to make a big deal out of it. After explaining all this, Amanda disappeared for three days. It wasn’t until I called in sick with a fever that she bothered to call me: “You’ve only been working for a few days and you’re already taking time off, aren’t you being a bit dramatic?” “You’ll have to go to the hospital by yourself, I’m still on a business trip, I can’t take you.” An expected result. I mumbled an “mm” in my feverish state. But just as I finished speaking, a familiar male voice came through the phone: “Amanda, come help me with my tie!” Although Amanda quickly hung up, I still heard her hurried footsteps rushing over. Looking at Derek’s Instagram again, he had already changed his profile picture. It matched Amanda’s profile picture as a couple. I remember when we were dating, I always pestered her to change to matching profile pictures. But she always had countless reasons to refuse me: It’s troublesome, childish, tasteless… For some reason, she started frantically sending me messages and calling me. I only replied once: “It’s my rest time now, please understand, boss.” After finishing my IV drip, I returned to the company. My colleagues were as cold to me as ever, piling work on my desk. In their minds, I was probably just a lucky ex-con taken in by the boss. I should naturally take on more work. I adjusted my mood and packed all the couple items from the storage cabinet into a black garbage bag. If I had known they would never see the light of day, I wouldn’t have worked so hard to bring them into the company. I was about to go throw them away when Amanda came back unexpectedly. Before I could react, she angrily dragged me all the way to the stairwell. Seeing the garbage bag in my hand, her face darkened: “You have time to clean up garbage but no time to return calls?” The strong scent of men’s cologne on her made me take a step back involuntarily as I replied calmly: “I did reply to your message.” Hearing this, Amanda seemed to be set on fire, questioning me: “Why did you call me ‘boss’ in the text?” What’s the difference between texting and real life? It was what she had instructed me to do, so why was she upset when I did it? Seeing that I had no intention of explaining, she let out a cold laugh: “You know I don’t like petty men, you’d better not turn into someone I hate.” Saying this, she snatched the bag from my hand and threw it forcefully onto the ground. Amidst the loud crash echoing through the stairwell, she strode away. Looking at the shattered photos and couple mugs, my heart trembled. It was as if our years of feelings would also end up in pieces. I cleaned up the broken pieces and called a lawyer to draft a divorce agreement. After getting the document, I printed a copy in the copy room. Just as I had mentally prepared myself and was about to knock on the door, Amanda opened it first. Meeting her icy gaze, I calmly handed over the document: “Sign it when you have time.” But Amanda didn’t even look at it, flipping directly to the last page and signing. Then she handed it back casually, instructing: “Come out with me for a business dinner later, be smart about it, remember to block the drinks for me.” I was puzzled, Amanda’s alcohol tolerance was unusually good, why did she need me to block drinks? Before I could ask, Derek popped out from behind her, looking smug: “The boss is so considerate! She even remembers that I have a cold and can’t drink!”
Derek sat down casually next to Amanda, his arm directly around her shoulders. Seeing me, he frowned and complained: “The boss is just making a fuss, it’s only a cold, not letting me drink or go to work. If I hadn’t begged her, she wouldn’t even let me come to this business dinner.” Hearing him say this, Amanda fondly tapped his nose. “I don’t care what you say, don’t complain about taking medicine later.” The two people before me were clearly a couple in love. Her gentleness and care were also unfamiliar to me. I held the divorce agreement in my hand, feeling strangely relieved. Arriving at the restaurant, Amanda exchanged pleasantries with the business partners for a while. Then she stepped back and began introducing everyone. “This is Derek, our company’s department manager.” When introducing me, the business partner’s boss frowned slightly. “I remember clearly, this gentleman went to jail for owing money. Boss Amanda, you really value loyalty.” Amanda tensed up, glanced at me, then laughed along and tacitly agreed. During the project discussion, Amanda and Derek’s seats were right next to each other. She kept giving me eye signals, telling me to actively block drinks for Derek. During the meal, someone noticed their intimate gestures and couldn’t help but tease: “Boss Amanda and Mr. Derek look so well-matched. I wonder if Boss Amanda is married?” As soon as the words fell, Amanda looked at me, a flash of hesitation in her eyes. The next second, we almost said in unison: “No.” Even though we gave the same answer, she suddenly turned her head, looking at me in shock. It wasn’t until the business partners went to the restroom that she sent me a message: “It’s all just an act, don’t take it to heart.” Amanda said it was acting, but I was telling the truth. After all, she had already signed the divorce agreement. I glanced at the message and flipped my phone face down. Seeing this, Amanda sitting across from me was about to get up and come over, but I turned and went to the restroom. Coming out of the stall, I ran into Derek. He stood with his arms crossed, clearly in the posture of a victor. “Jack, you’re really pathetic as a man. Being despised by your wife like this, if it were me, I definitely wouldn’t have the face to show up in public.” I washed my hands, indifferently saying: “That’s none of Mr. Derek’s concern.” Drying my hands, I prepared to leave. But Derek flashed in front of me, blocking my way, looking me up and down. “How come the boss’s husband is still wearing rags?” “Oh, I forgot, Amanda probably took all the money to buy luxury custom-made clothes for me, sorry about that.” The expensive brands he wore seemed to constantly remind me of the difference between one dollar and a million dollars. In an instant, the bitterness suppressed in my heart exploded, and I fled in a panic. Returning to the private room, I picked up my things, ready to leave. Amanda hurriedly came forward to stop me, her tone gentle: “Don’t leave yet, I’ll take you home later.” I was about to refuse when Derek suddenly rushed in, looking panicked. Instantly attracting everyone’s attention. Amanda immediately let go of me and ran over to ask what had happened. Derek was frantically rummaging through his bag and all his pockets. Then he cried out in alarm: “My custom watch is missing!”
As soon as he said this, everyone in the room started looking for Derek’s watch. While searching, he kept muttering: “This was a birthday gift from Boss Amanda, worth over three million dollars. I really don’t want to lose it!” Although I didn’t know what kind of trick he was playing, I just wanted to leave immediately. But just as I reached the door, Derek stopped me. “Jack, let me check your bag, otherwise you won’t be able to clear your name either.” I knew very well whether I had stolen his watch or not. “I’m tired, Mr. Derek can look for it himself.” Seeing that I insisted on leaving, Derek actually grabbed my bag directly. In the struggle, the contents of my bag spilled all over the floor. And among the scattered items, there was indeed a watch. I looked at the watch in shock, then met Derek’s challenging gaze. “Why are you framing me?” Turning around, I found that everyone behind me was looking at me with contempt. Especially Amanda, who frowned, her eyes full of disgust for me. I instinctively tried to explain to her: “I didn’t take this!” But my explanation seemed so weak in the face of the glaring “evidence”. Then, Derek picked up the watch and started complaining pitifully: “This watch means a lot to me, how could Jack steal it?” “I originally thought Jack had reformed in prison, I didn’t expect he would still resort to anything for money. I won’t dare to work with you in the future…” Derek’s few words made everyone’s faces turn ugly. The business partner’s boss was the first to break the deadlock, saying sternly: “Boss Amanda, let’s forget about this cooperation!” With these words, he left the room angrily with his people. I wanted to chase after them to explain, but I received a solid slap from Amanda. Meeting my incredulous gaze, there was no regret in her eyes. “I didn’t expect you to be the kind of person who sees money and loses all reason!” “I brought you out, not for you to steal things!” Amanda’s words completely convicted me. Didn’t she know what kind of person I was? Had she also forgotten why I went to jail? Looking at the anger in her eyes, I knew she wouldn’t believe me. I could only laugh bitterly and hand her my phone. “Then call the police.” She looked down at the phone, then frowned at me, still not moving. The long eye contact seemed to make me see clearly the woman in front of me. After a while, Amanda snorted coldly, “Unreasonable!” The woman turned around, helped Derek put on the watch, and softly coaxed him to leave. In the room, only I was left, along with the mess on the floor. I picked up my scattered belongings and headed to the airport without hesitation. In the late-night waiting hall. I was about to draft a resignation letter when I received Amanda’s dismissal notice in advance. Her words were filled with anger: “Don’t come to the company anymore, stay at home and reflect on yourself!” Seeing her ridiculous request, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Without thinking, I took a photo of the signed divorce agreement and sent it to her. Along with the text: “Amanda, I wish you and Derek a hundred years of happiness and grow old together!” “But the premise is that you get a divorce certificate with me, otherwise I’ll report you for bigamy.” After sending this message, Amanda started calling frantically like her life depended on it. ———-This is the cutoff point———-
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