After Thanksgiving, my husband, Gordon, mysteriously mentioned he had a surprise for me. However, on my first day back at work after the holiday, both my parents were laid off, and my position as the marketing director was demoted to deputy director. Gordon and I had co-founded this company, and my parents, with their thirty years of industry experience, had left well-paying jobs to help us with their expertise. Last year, our company's revenue soared, surpassing a hundred million dollars. I couldn't understand why Gordon would make such decisions.

When I confronted him, he brushed off my concerns, saying, “Kate, your parents were just run-of-the-mill technicians asking for sky-high salaries. Isn’t it sensible to let them go?” He added, “And you, the company gave you funds to hire a top spokesperson, and you couldn’t pull it off. What a waste! I think it’s time for Nala to step in as marketing director.” Everyone knew Nala Burns was his dream girl, like someone straight out of a romantic movie. My heart felt ice-cold; we had a fierce argument right there.

Gordon shouted, “Kate, you’re so petty. Leave me, and let’s see which company would dare hire you.” But he seemed to forget that I am a marketing whiz with extensive top-tier resources and connections.

After our heated confrontation, I went straight to my parents’ house. As I opened the door with tears streaming down my face, their expressions changed instantly. My mother, Jolene, held my hand anxiously, her voice trembling, “Katie, what’s wrong? What happened? Tell me.” Seeing their greying hair and worried eyes felt like needles piercing my heart. They were nearing retirement and had offers to be guest lecturers at universities. But they had given up everything to work with us at a struggling start-up. They were over fifty, working late nights under intense pressure, yet their son-in-law laid them off, claiming they weren’t worth their salary, although they used to earn six figures annually.

And I, their only daughter, couldn’t even seek justice after they were unfairly dismissed. My mom cautiously spoke, “Katie, don’t be hard on Gordon. We’re getting older, and it’s time for us to step aside.” Dad sighed heavily, looking both helpless and resigned, “Katie, your mom and I have talked about it, and we think it’s time to retire. All we want is for you and Gordon to be happy together.”

Tears flowed even more as I realized it wasn’t retirement; it was an outright dismissal, with no retirement benefits. I knew my parents were yielding because of me, knowing how much I loved Gordon. Years ago, I stayed back just to be with him, forfeiting the chance to study abroad, hoping he would eventually notice me. After marriage, I entrusted everything to him. When we started the company, I didn’t even ask for any shares.

Mom hugged me tightly, “Katie, go back and have a good talk with Gordon. We just want you to be happy.” After their gentle persuasion, I left their house. I even bought Gordon’s favorite spiced honey cake, planning to have a heartfelt conversation with him. All the way home, I kept reminding myself that no marriage is without its difficulties. Maybe I was rash today and didn’t respect Gordon; his anger was understandable.

Returning home, I tread lightly, carrying the cake with the intention of making amends first. But as I stepped inside, I was in for a shock. Clothes were strewn across the living room floor; a vivid red lace bra and a man's suit intertwined like a flag signaling betrayal. Through the partially open bedroom door, I saw Nala’s hand wandering over Gordon’s bare chest.

With tear-reddened eyes, Nala taunted, “Gordon, what if Kate suddenly comes back to catch us? That would be thrilling.” Gordon, sweaty, grabbed her hand with a sneering grin, “Are you scared? Didn’t you always want to try it in our marital home? Even if Kate walks in, so what?”

Watching them defile our marriage bed made me feel sick to my core. With feigned shyness, Nala pushed Gordon playfully, “Aren’t you afraid Kate will divorce you?” Gordon laughed dismissively, “Kate? She’s nothing without me, like a dog that can't leave its master. She wouldn’t dare leave because she’s nothing without me.”

As he grew annoyed with Nala’s distraction, he slapped her on the backside, “Focus up; we finally got Kate out. Let’s make the most of it!” That’s when the cake slipped from my grasp, shattering on the ground like my heart. I clenched my lips tightly, nails digging into my palms to suppress any sound.

Gordon, after all I’ve given, after loving you all these years, how could you be so cruel? Plotting just to have an affair with Nala in our bed. My whole body shook from the betrayal, but my mind told me I couldn’t let this slide. Trembling, I pulled out my phone to record the sordid scene unfolding inside.

Gordon, you betrayed me first, so don’t blame me for not being kind.

I spent the night unable to sleep, forcing myself to watch that unbearable video on my phone over and over. Each viewing felt like a sledgehammer to my heart, leaving me breathless from the pain.

The next morning, I dragged myself to the office, my eyes as swollen as walnuts. The moment Kenzo from HR saw me, he angrily called out, "Kate, why aren't your parents picking up their phones? The engraving machine is completely down, and they need to come back immediately!"

I kept my expression calm, replying with a nonchalant air, "Oh, I booked them on a tour. They're probably on the plane right now."

Kenzo's eyes widened, glaring at me with frustration. He shouted, "Kate, how could you be so irresponsible? There are only a few people in Atlanta who can fix that machine! They need to be on standby—how could you let them go on vacation? Get them back, now."

I looked at this petty fool in front of me, feeling both amused and annoyed. He was a distant relative of Nala, who had joined the company last month along with him. As soon as he arrived, he ousted the team lead I had promoted and constantly targeted me.

With a cold laugh, I retorted, "Didn't HR just lay them off yesterday? The reason being, lack of capability. Have you forgotten already?"

Kenzo turned bright red with anger, glaring daggers at me. Just then, a sharp voice cut in, "Kate, aren't you being a little childish? Don't you know how much the company stands to lose if the engraving machine is down? Maybe your parents sabotaged it before leaving just to make us call them back."

I turned to see Nala clinging to Gordon as they walked in. Her smug appearance made my teeth grind with hate. I immediately recognized the latest extravagant necklace around her neck, worth a fortune. So, a million-dollar necklace can be bought on a whim, yet my parents' contributions aren't valued as much.

Nala noticed my gaze on her necklace, her eyes turning both provocative and triumphant. She even thrust her neck forward to make it more visible. Gordon quickly stepped in front of her, fearing I might swipe at her face.

After all, I’d done that before.

"Kate, when your parents land, have them come back immediately. I'm letting them return to work, but their salary will be halved. Plus, the downtime costs will be deducted from their pay," Gordon ordered, as if I would unquestionably comply.

I couldn't believe my ears, astonished by Gordon's brazen attitude. "Gordon, you really have no shame. Let me tell you, my parents are not coming back!"

Surprise flickered across Gordon's face before morphing into anger. "Kate, don’t test my patience. You know it's limited. If you annoy me, you won't last here," he threatened, his eyes filled with malice.

Nala half-heartedly attempted to mediate, but every word highlighted my supposed wrongdoings.

I smirked, utterly unconcerned. "Oh? Well then, according to employment law, I'm entitled to severance—twice my monthly pay plus an additional month's salary."

Since I'd decided to leave, I was determined to secure the best possible deal for myself.

Gordon's eyes went wide with shock. "Kate, do you know what you're saying? Are you really willing to leave the company?"

Before I could respond, Kenzo jumped in eagerly, "What severance? You're lucky if we don't ask you for compensation! Your best option is to resign voluntarily, or forget about a clean employment record."

I stopped paying attention to them. Kenzo was merely a team lead, and his opinions didn’t matter regarding my resignation.

In the afternoon, I received a call from my parents, urgency and guilt evident in their voices.

“Kate, we’ve got our return tickets sorted, but it’s going to be a few hours before we can catch the plane. Only your mom and I can fix that machine. We didn’t plan this well, but don’t worry, we’ll make it up to Gordon. This isn’t your fault.”

Hearing this, tears welled up in my eyes, and guilt overwhelmed me.

“Dad, Mom, I’m sorry. It’s my fault for not being able to protect you, for making you go through this.”

At some point, the people I loved most had become so cautious because of me. I had sent them on a vacation, hoping they could escape the chaos and truly relax. I had hidden Gordon’s infidelity from them, just wishing their lives could be a little less troublesome.

I decided it was time to stop hiding the truth. I told them everything openly and firmly informed them of my decision to divorce Gordon. After a lengthy conversation, I finally convinced them not to return.

As soon as I hung up the phone, the office door slammed open. Gordon burst in, yanking me up from my chair without a word, and said, “Come with me, quickly. Allan Jones’ investment has hit a serious snag.”

I mustered all my strength to pull away from his grasp, glaring at him with disdain. “Gordon, what do you think you’re doing? What does this have to do with me?”

Only then did Gordon realize his outburst and quickly replaced it with a fake smile.

“Kate, you and Allan go way back. Now that there’s a problem, you have a responsibility to sort it out.”

I scoffed, fully aware that this so-called problem was just his plan to hand Allan's resources over to Nala. Now that it backfired, he wanted me to clean up the mess.

“I’m not going. It’s got nothing to do with me.”

As soon as I finished speaking, he slapped me hard across the face.

Gordon’s eyes were bloodshot. “Kate Wallace, don’t you dare play hard to get with me! Do you still think I’m the same pushover who needed your family’s investments? Why can’t you refuse me now? To me, your family is nothing but a bunch of ants, and I can squash them with a flick of my finger!”

I stumbled to my feet, ignoring the blood trickling from my lip. I lashed out at him, clawing at his face, my anger fueling me.

“Freeloader? Gordon, look at yourself! If I hadn't been foolish enough to fall for you, you’d still be in some rundown bar, selling smiles for drinks!”

The office was a wreck, desks and chairs knocked over as we grappled. Despite his strength, my rage fueled me, and my nails left bloody streaks across his face.

Our colleagues rushed in, taking considerable effort to pull us apart.

At some point, Nala appeared at the door. Seeing Gordon’s condition, she turned pale and hurried over to support him.