Thea Gonzales and Xavier Ford had been together for seven years.

During their toughest times, when they couldn't afford proper meals, they subsisted on bread rolls for two months. There was even a period when they couldn't pay rent and spent nights at the train station. Yet, those were the years when they were most in love.

Later, as Xavier’s startup took off, people around him began to flatter him, and he started to change. During company meetings, whenever Thea disagreed with him, even if she was right, he took it as a personal attack. It seemed that because she had seen him at his lowest, he felt she was trying to undermine him, dismissing everything she said as if she looked down on him. Gradually, a rift grew between them.

The breaking point came one night when Xavier returned home drunk from a business dinner. He clumsily tore off Thea's vintage nightgown and kissed her forcefully. It had been a long time since they had been intimate. His sudden passion overwhelmed her, and she softened in his arms. But just as they were reaching the height of intimacy, Xavier held her tightly and, in a moment of thoughtlessness, whispered, "Addilyn..."

Thea's blood froze, and she felt as though her heart had been struck with a heavy blow. Xavier's ardor vanished. He rolled away and sat on the edge of the bed, his back to her. The room was dark, enveloped in stifling silence.

Staring at the black ceiling, Thea silently cried.

After what felt like an eternity, Xavier extinguished his cigarette, broke the silence, and said, "Let's get a divorce, Thea."

"I'm tired of the little things, like your hair all over the bed. And your perfume, it's always the same. Aren't you tired of it? It's getting to me."

He laid it all bare: "Being with you feels too familiar. But she’s different. She makes me feel alive and excited."

"I can't keep compromising like this anymore. Name your terms for the divorce. I’ll do my best to fulfill them, just let us be."

Xavier moved out that very night.

Thea had yelled, pleaded, and fought. But none of it mattered. His decision to abandon her and their daughter was final.

The only consideration he had left was sparing their daughter, Celine, from the harsh truth. They agreed to tell her that her father was working away for a while. Yet, less than six months after the divorce, little Celine persistently clung to Thea, asking for her dad and insisting he come home.

That evening, Celine once again seized the opportunity when Thea wasn't paying attention and secretly grabbed her phone, making a video call to Xavier.

When the call connected, she enthusiastically shouted, "Daddy!"

But it was Addilyn who answered.

Addilyn warmly greeted Celine through the screen, "Hey there, Celine."

Celine's expression turned serious as she asked, "Who are you? Why do you have my dad's phone?"

With a cheerful grin, Addilyn replied, "I'm your dad's..."

"Celine!" Thea suddenly interrupted, cutting Addilyn off mid-sentence. She swiftly took the phone from her daughter's grasp, ending the call abruptly. Startled, Celine began to cry.

Feeling both guilty and heartbroken, Thea knelt down to hug her daughter. "I'm sorry, sweetie. It was Mommy's fault for scaring you. I'm really sorry."

Celine cried throughout the evening, eventually falling asleep in Thea's arms, clutching her shirt tightly as if afraid Thea might leave her.

Watching her daughter's innocent face, Thea felt too distressed to sleep.

When she finally checked her phone, she saw Addilyn's latest update on Instagram:

"Happy one-year anniversary, Mr. Ford! Thanks for your love and companionship. I'm so happy and looking forward to our family of three. Love you~"

Thea tapped on the photo that accompanied the post.

In the picture, Xavier held Addilyn's hand. On her ring finger was a massive diamond ring.

Thea remembered when she and Xavier had shared those blissfully happy moments.

When their business secured its first major deal, Xavier had taken her to a jewelry store, insisting on buying her a large diamond ring.

Thinking about their budget, Thea had settled for a modest ring with a small diamond.

That day, they walked out of the department store, hand in hand, with Thea lifting her ring-clad hand towards the rising sun, watching it sparkle through the gaps between her fingers.

Even though it was only a small diamond, it still glittered in the sunlight.

Xavier had held both her hands tightly and promised, "Thea, I'll give you a good life. You'll never regret choosing me."

But Xavier, you've broken your promise.

The next day, whispers filled the office about the size of the diamond on Addilyn Freeman's finger. Everywhere Thea Gonzales went, she felt the weight of curious stares following her.

Her close friend, Paislee Larson, pulled her into the break room, fuming, "Addilyn's got some nerve, doesn't she? You should've made sure Xavier Ford walked away with nothing, and taken over the company!"

Thea calmly brewed herself a cup of espresso and replied, "Xavier's no fool. He gave me the house, the car, the savings, and our daughter, Celine. That means he wanted to keep the company. How else would he support Addilyn?"

"But, Thea, you know what people are saying behind your back, right? They say you’re lingering around, refusing to be tossed aside, just to win him back."

Through the break room’s glass wall, Thea glanced at the office area. Those who'd been watching quickly pretended to be engrossed in their work.

"They're not entirely wrong," she thought aloud. "I’m not ready to just walk away."

"Why should I be the one who stood by Xavier through thick and thin, only for Addilyn to swoop in and reap the rewards? Why does her child get a father while my daughter ends up in a single-parent household?"

"But I don’t want that good-for-nothing man," Thea continued, her voice steady. "What I want is his company, the very thing he prides himself on."

For that, she was willing to do whatever it took.