In the fifth year of my secret marriage to Eli Palmer, he handed the crucial project I'd been dedicating myself to for six months over to a new intern.

I burst into his office, simmering with frustration, demanding an explanation. Eli lazily tossed a prestigious university diploma across the desk.

"Valerie's a star graduate, naturally gifted, and just needed a chance. How could you possibly match that?"

I might have believed him if I hadn't noticed the lipstick stain on his collar.

When Valerie Riley breezed through the door, the tension between Eli and me was almost tangible. We were one second away from a full-blown argument. I snapped without thinking, "Don't you knock?"

Valerie's face turned pale, her voice faltering as she stuttered, "Isabelle, I’m sorry, I didn't know you were in here."

"I tried to refuse the project several times with Mr. Palmer, but he..." she whimpered, feigning innocence with wide, doe eyes.

"Enough!" Eli cut in, his voice tight with irritation as he turned to me. "Isabelle Palmer, this was my call. Don’t blame Valerie."

"I really don’t want the project," Valerie said with false sincerity, but her eyes flashed triumph.

Their synchronized routine of playing good cop, bad cop made me seem unreasonable.

Eli watched me with a smug look as if to say I was out of my depth. "Isabelle, I’ve made my decision. No tantrum will change that."

"I’ll make it up to you later. For now, leave us, I have matters to discuss with Valerie."

I looked at them calmly, choosing silence. Valerie’s lipstick hue today was vibrant, a perfect match to the mark on Eli's collar.

Seeing Eli’s impatience, I suddenly felt weary. Let him give the project away if he wants.

I replied with detachment, "No need for compensation. You’re the boss, you make the decisions. I’m leaving."

Eli showed a moment of surprise, quickly replaced by satisfaction.

As I closed the door, I glimpsed Valerie perched on Eli’s lap, giggling.

Back at my desk, I received a message from Valerie:

“Isabelle, Mr. Palmer wants to thank you for your dedication over the past six months. Thanks for handing over the project!”

The project she referred to was one I'd meticulously overseen since the beginning of the year.

Earlier, Noa, my assistant, informed me that Valerie Riley was now leading the London project.

The London project was something I had nearly worked myself to the bone for, battling through sleepless nights and stress. For the past several months, I’d been refining proposals and monitoring progress around the clock. Now, as it finally neared completion, someone else was at the helm.

Anger brewed inside me, making me want to confront Eli for an explanation. Instead, I faced his cold, taunting words.

"Valerie is a gem. I’m simply thinking about the company’s future."

"And besides, the company thriving benefits you too, doesn’t it?"

Tears welled up as I looked at Eli, who showed not a glimmer of guilt or empathy.

"This was a project I practically poured my heart and soul into."

Eli frowned, "We’re husband and wife; it’s all in the family. Does it really matter who leads the project?"

I insisted, "It matters."

"Isabelle Palmer, I run this company. Everything you have is thanks to me. Could you stop being so unreasonable?"

Eli’s face darkened as he saw my resolve.

Thinking of this, a sense of profound disillusionment settled within me. This company was built with my support, only to receive such dismissive words in return.

I reached out to a lawyer I knew, asking for help drafting a divorce agreement.

Eli came home late in the evening, carrying a small gift bag from a high-end brand. He tossed it casually in front of me, saying, "I picked up something for you."

The bracelet was just a promotional item, included with the limited edition ring he'd bought. I'd seen that exact ring on Valerie Riley's Instagram earlier today. The ring for the girlfriend, the extra for the wife.

I let out a bitter laugh, covered the bracelet back up, and set it aside, quietly thanking him.

Eli seemed taken aback by my reaction. In the past, whenever he gave me gifts, I'd be thrilled, hugging him tightly and snapping pictures from every angle to share online. Puzzled, he asked, "What's wrong? Don't you like the bracelet?"

Staring at the divorce papers on my phone, I replied without looking up, "I like it."

With that, I turned off my phone, said I was going to bed, and headed to the bedroom without seeing the unreadable expression on Eli's face.

After showering, he came into the room and wrapped his arms around me, kissing my neck. "Honey, about the project…"

I gently pushed him away, "Don't worry about it. Let's just sleep."

Eli was visibly annoyed by my indifference. "Isabelle, what's with the attitude? Who's the sour face for?"

I looked at him, confused. Was he upset because I wasn't throwing a fit like I usually did? Anytime Valerie was involved, I'd lose it, shouting and arguing with him. It was always a no-win situation, hurting both myself and the relationship.

Eli used to say, "Isabelle, your jealousy scares me."

Now that I wasn’t reacting, he seemed displeased. Seeing I had nothing more to say, Eli muttered a frustrated "You're no fun" before heading to the guest room.

That night, unlike many before, I slept deeply. So deeply that it was only after the third alarm that I finally woke up.

After getting ready, I found Eli already waiting in the living room. We used to leave the house together, and he'd discreetly drop me off near his office. He never wanted anyone to know about our marriage; I'd been his hidden wife for five years. But not long after Valerie joined the company, he started picking her up every morning, and they’d arrive at the office together.

I once asked him if he wasn't worried about what people might say about them. Eli looked at me with disdain and said, "Valerie and I have a normal boss-subordinate relationship. There's nothing to gossip about. You, on the other hand, have a suspicious mind."

His response left me speechless. He was concerned about rumors regarding us, his legitimate wife, yet indifferent when it came to Valerie.

Eli snapped me out of my thoughts, "Why are you just standing there? Valerie's been waiting a while."

Not wanting to take the subway since it was that time of the month, I didn't argue.

When we reached his car, I instinctively reached for the passenger door, only to hear Eli say, "Valerie gets carsick; you should sit in the back. Let's avoid any unnecessary trouble."

I hesitated for a moment before settling into the back seat.

Eli drove effortlessly to Valerie's apartment complex.

"Good morning, Eli! I made two..." Valerie chirped as she climbed into the car, displaying a lunchbox of ravioli she'd prepared.

She trailed off mid-sentence, noticing me in the back seat. "Oh, Isabelle, you're here too. I only made two portions, though..."

Valerie cast a helpless glance at Eli.

Without missing a beat, Eli said, "She's already eaten."

Valerie smiled and started eating her breakfast.

Once, I was booted from the car for trying to sip a coffee. Eli insisted he despised the smell and mess of food in his car. Since then, I never ate in his car again.

Watching Valerie feed Eli with practiced ease, I couldn't suppress a small laugh.

Eli, suddenly remembering I was there, looked momentarily flustered and stammered, "I needed my hands free to drive. Valerie was just helping out; don't overthink it."

I simply replied with a quiet "Hmm."

As we neared the office, I asked Eli to drop me off early so I could grab some breakfast. But Valerie chimed in, "Oh, it's so hot out today. You’ll be all sweaty by the time you get there. Eli, let's just drop Isabelle off at the office."

And so, I ended up being dropped off at work, under the watchful eyes of curious colleagues, feeling like a sideshow as I stepped out of the car.

As I returned to the office for breakfast, Eli pushed the door open. Seeing me eat, he seemed anxious, as he recalled I hadn’t had breakfast earlier.

“Valerie only had two breakfasts this morning, so…”

I wasn’t interested in discussing trivialities and interrupted him, “What do you need?”

Eli was startled by my abruptness. In the past, his visits would brighten my day. I’d always find a reason to keep him around a while longer.

Eli frowned slightly. “What’s up with you?”

I answered, puzzled, “What do you mean?”

He looked at me for a moment. “Never mind.”

“So, what brings you here?”

Eli said, “For the upcoming presentation, you don’t need to attend. Let Valerie handle it.”

Even though I expected this, it still made my heart heavy. I nodded smoothly and casually mentioned, “I was planning to step out for a bit anyway.”

Eli asked offhandedly why.

I raised my eyebrows with a grin. “Personal business.”

With a dismissive noise, he left.

Before the presentation began, I called a cab to head to the law firm. It was an ideal time to discuss dividing assets with the lawyer.

Two hours later, as I left the law office and pulled out my phone to hail a ride, I noticed 99+ missed calls and unread messages. I frowned, and before I could open them, the phone rang again. It was Eli.

“Isabelle, where have you been? You’re not answering your phone!”

Confused by his irate tone, I asked what happened.

Eli paused briefly, trying to rein in his temper, and said, “Get back to the office now!”

When I finally arrived, Eli was in my office, visibly upset. Before I could ask, he lashed out:

“Did you not prepare PowerPoint slides for your presentation? Were you trying to sabotage Valerie? Knowing she took over last minute, I think you did it on purpose. Acting like you’re not upset doesn’t fool anyone.”

Listening to his baseless accusations, I grasped the situation. I replied, grinning coldly, “Eli, you handed my project to someone else and now expect me to do the slides. Isn’t that asking a lot?”

Eli’s eyes showed a flicker of guilt, but he quickly insisted I prepare a presentation for Valerie, including a script, or I shouldn’t come to work tomorrow.

My movements paused as I packed my belongings, and I softly agreed, “Okay.”

My quiet acceptance made Eli glance at me twice. But only twice, as he hurried off to comfort Valerie.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a notification—“New email in your inbox.”