When a realization hit him, Christian’s eyes became shifty.

The maid immediately took the plate of shellfish away for disposal.

However, Tabitha raised her arm to stop her.

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s not waste food. Just pack it up for freezing.”

Tabitha turned to Christian. “You can take the shellfish to the office tomorrow. I’m sure someone there is bound to appreciate it.”

Caught between a rock and a hard place, the maid looked to Christian for a decision.

With his heart sinking, Christian grabbed Tabitha’s hand and asked, “What’s wrong, Tabitha? I thought you couldn’t stand the sight of shellfish.”

“You’re right, so it’s a treat for your staff since everybody has been working overtime lately. It would be a shame to waste such a luxury.”

Tabitha’s airtight logic eased Christian’s nerves.

“You’re so thoughtful. Wrap the food up.”

“Of course, Mr. Loader.”

To think Christian could put on an act so flawlessly.

Tabitha quietly watched as Christian packed the food and added a sticky note that read, “From my dear wife, Tabitha.”

Well, Tabitha hoped Christian could keep up with the facade when he was to receive her gift.

…

Tossing and turning into the night, Tabitha couldn’t shake the gloom that kept sleep at bay.

Her phone on the nightstand lit up.

Tabitha unlocked her phone, only to find a notification from a familiar number.

The text message contained several screenshots of chats with the profile pictures removed, the words dripping with flirtation as always.

Without a doubt, Kelsey had sent her private conversations with Christian just to rub her smugness in Tabitha’s face.

The harassment had been ongoing for two months.

Tabitha tapped on Kelsey’s profile to browse through her social feed.

Her most recent update was from two hours ago. “Adopted this adorable little thing with my love today.”

Attached was a picture of a cat.

Christian had always been a cat person, and his avatar proved his love for the furry animal.

Alas, due to Tabitha’s serious allergies, they couldn’t keep a cat.

To Tabitha’s surprise, Christian went ahead and adopted one together with Kelsey anyway.

Kelsey’s post on social media was basically hinting that only she could provide Christian with his idea of a picture-perfect family, which included a cat.

Tabitha scrolled through Kelsey’s feed until the screen light burned her eyes. Eventually, she put her phone down.

Though Christian slept right next to her, the emotional distance between them was an infinite void.

Tabitha was jolted awake by a sharp pain in the dead of the night.

Between her pre-existing gastric issues and the day’s emotional rollercoaster, her stomach was now cramping with intensity.

She reached out to switch on the lamp, only to knock over her glass of water on the nightstand.

The noise startled Christian awake, and he found Tabitha curled up into a ball of agony.

He fumbled for the lights, and the sight of Tabitha in cold sweat threw him into a panic.

“What’s the matter, Tabitha? Is your stomach acting up again?”

“My pills… They are in the drawer.”

At the sound of Tabitha’s fragile voice, Christian bolted to his feet and rummaged through the drawer.

A ringtone cut through the air.

While Christian searched for the pills in desperation, the phone kept ringing.

In the end, Christian snatched the phone and answered the call in frustration.

“Who is it? What do you want? I don’t care what it is, but now isn’t the right time. Do you hear me?”

Seconds before Christian would terminate the call, the sound of sobbing from the other end of the line stunned him.

Through the silence of the night, Tabitha could make out the faint voice of a woman on the other end.

“Mittens is gone, Christian! I’ve looked everywhere, but I can’t find it. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off it.

“It’s just a tiny baby. If anything happens to it, I don’t want to live anymore…”

“Don’t! Don’t go there. Nothing will happen to it.”

Panic clouded Christian’s face.

He took a glance at Tabitha before walking out while covering his phone, his voice trailing off.

“It’s late. It’s not safe for you to venture out alone to find Mittens. I’ll be there in five…”

Moments later, Christian scrambled back to the room, threw on a jacket, and made up a lie about a work emergency before heading out without so much as a glance at Tabitha.

Doubling over in pain, Tabitha could only watch as Christian faded into the background.

The emotional betrayal hurt far more than the physical illness.

Left without a choice, Tabitha had to drag herself across the room to find her medication.

Slipping on her foot, Tabitha tumbled out of bed and passed out on the floor.

Tabitha woke up in a hospital ward.

The nurse was prepping her up for IV therapy when Tabitha opened her eyes. The nurse perked up with excitement and relief.

“You’re awake at last. Mr. Loader spared no expense to get you treatment. He was very upset while you were out.”

The nurse sounded rather envious.

However, Tabitha simply let out a wry smile.

The irony wasn’t lost on her. Alcohol had been essential to closing business deals while she fought to save Christian’s dying business, and it had taken a permanent toll on her health.

Yet now, she wasn’t even worth more than a pet cat belonging to his ex.

Unable to stand the smell of disinfectants in the ward, Tabitha propped herself up and stepped out.

She barely took a few steps out the door when she spotted a familiar figure passing by.

As her heart skipped a beat, Tabitha quietly kept up.

Tabitha caught sight of Christian hiding in the corridor, whispering into his phone.

Christian chuckled, his voice full of resignation and affection.

“No, I can’t leave right now. She’s still out cold.

“Hang in there. I’ll definitely make time to see you. It won’t be long now.”

Kelsey must have said something because Christian flashed those cute dimples and responded dotingly, “Got it. I miss you too.

“Alright. See you soon.”

After hanging up, Christian furrowed his brows.

He couldn’t shake the feeling of a pair of eyes on him.

Despite turning around and checking several times, Christian didn’t see anyone else in the corridor.

Upon learning that Tabitha was awake, Christian dropped his hostile act and became civil with the medical staff.

He logged the doctor’s orders into his phone and demanded repeated assurances from the medical staff that Tabitha was fine before agreeing to her hospital discharge.

Behind the wheel, Christian seemed to be in a good mood.

“Tabitha, my assistant mentioned that your wedding dress is ready. Shall we schedule a fitting?”

Tabitha’s face wasn’t giving anything away. She looked up indifferently and paused for a lifetime before murmuring, “Sure.”

With her approval, Christian’s grin widened, and he stepped on the gas pedal.

“I have been dying to see you in a wedding dress. Today is the designer’s last day in the city. At least you can voice your opinion if anything needs alteration.

“I can’t believe that you’ll be my wife in less than a month. We’re finally getting our happy ending,” Christian rambled on, lost in his emotions.

Tabitha looked out the car window in silence, not even bothering to put on a fake smile.

She wondered if Christian was truly happy and whether she or Kelsey was his happily-ever-after.

The sharp shrill of a ringtone broke Tabitha free from her thoughts.

Christian put the call on loudspeaker without a care. “What is it?”

His secretary sounded anxious. “You need to get to the office right now, Mr. Loader. Miss Cook is facing some serious issues.”

As his face grimaced, Christian swerved the car to another lane and slammed on the gas to get to the office.

Thrown by the force of the turn, Tabitha lunged forward until the seatbelt whipped her back against the seat with a thud.

She had barely gotten better, and the jerk left her head spinning.

Christian managed to cut the thirty-minute drive short by two-thirds.

He killed the ignition, jumped out of the car, and bolted into the office building.

While they got on the elevator, Christian finally took notice of Tabitha behind him, and she didn’t look quite right.

“Tabitha, um… I need to tend to some urgent business. Why don’t you wait for me in my office?”

Pale in the face, Tabitha shook her head. The elevator doors opened before she had a chance to get a word out.

Not sparing even a second for Tabitha, Christian was out of the elevator and took strides to the conference room.

He burst through the door and witnessed Kelsey standing alone against the senior executives, her fists clenched.

One senior member threw Kelsey’s business proposal onto the desk brutally.

“Oh, give me a break. Don’t talk to me about your academic achievements overseas. You haven’t proven yourself over the years. You’re just Mr. Loader’s side piece. You have no right to put us on this project.”

The others let out a snicker.

“That’s enough.” An angry growl interrupted their laughter.

Christian’s presence pushed Kelsey to tears.

Fuming with rage, Christian pulled Kelsey behind him and narrowed his eyes dangerously at the senior executives.

“Kelsey is here on my authority. You can take up any issues with me. Don’t take your anger out on a new hire.

“Besides, Kelsey has already produced results. She’s behind the new patent we’re filing for.” Christian switched up the tone.

A wave of shock swept through the room.

The executives exchanged whispers, clearly taken aback by Kelsey’s achievement.

Kelsey was baffled as well. She looked into Christian’s eyes, her eyes welling up.

“Christian…”

He gave her a look of assurance. “Relax. No one gets to look down on you on my watch.”

Standing at the door, Tabitha gripped the doorframe to stop herself from falling.

It never occurred to her that the secret development project she had been working tirelessly on would be handed on a silver platter to Kelsey by Christian himself.

Tabitha dropped her jaw to say something, only for Christian to pull her out in no time.

“I’m sorry, Tabitha, but you saw what was happening in there. I had to do that to give her standing in the company.

Tabitha’s voice was raspy. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“It’s just for now. I’ll make it up to you later.”

Fighting back the agony, Tabitha smiled and uttered callously, “Don’t bother.”

Christian didn’t have to go through the trouble because there was no future for them down the line.