Who Says You've Been Dumped?

Rosalyn refused. "You should get a doctor instead, Mr. Grant."

The crease on Carl's brow deepened—it was the first time she had ever said no to him!

Without another word, he grabbed her by her wrist and dragged her into his villa, slamming the door loudly shut.

"Don't think I can't see that you're upset," he growled with an icy glare.

So he was aware.

And yet, he'd still let her suffer.

The bitterness in Rosalyn's chest swelled so much that her nose turned runny. "You had every part of me for seven years, but you dumped me in a flash, and now, you're telling me I'm not supposed to feel upset?"

There wasn't so much as a warning when he left her for Zoe. Even if he only considered her a tool and wanted to marry another woman, he could at least have the courtesy to say so.

But Carl never did, as he was immediately and publicly dating Zoe in a flash, and right before Rosalyn's eyes.

As if she really was just an ordinary assistant to him.

"Who says you've been dumped?" Carl snapped.

Still irritated by his allergies, he pulled at his collar buttons forcefully, with each snapping audibly as they fell off, baring his chest and revealing more rashes.

Rosalyn had been there when he suffered episodes in the years before and knew how much pain he was in.

Although her inner voice told her to walk away—that whatever happened to him was none of her business—she couldn't help getting the allergy ointment, since she couldn't bear to see him suffer.

As she applied the ointment, Carl grasped her hand as he said, "Rosalyn, I never said I'm leaving you, and you said you'll never leave me. That's a promise neither of us must forget."

So he remembered that—and here she thought he had forgotten.

She had quickly been taken by his good looks after she took him home, and they spent much of the following days eating, sleeping, and having sex in her rented apartment.

That was until one day, neither of them could afford anything.

After that, Carl worked as a mascot, wearing a giant fluffy costume to sell snacks to children on the streets, using what money he had to buy her food.

That was until he collapsed from heatstroke one day.

When Rosalyn asked him why he had gone that far, his exact words were, "I can't let my woman suffer with me."

That one line claimed her heart, and she stayed with him for the next seven years, dedicating her heart and soul to him. Even she couldn't deny that he had also rewarded her with everything good that he could give.

There were times when her other friends were skeptical about Carl's affection, and she would confidently tell them that Carl would never marry anyone else other than her.

As it turned out, reality always had a painful way to expose itself to those who were in denial.

In the end, Carl was marrying another woman.

Under the dim lights, Rosalyn's eyes glimmered as she asked, "Don't you see the irony in saying such things when you're marrying someone else?"

"You're the one I want to marry," Carl told her, caressing her cheek with his other hand. "You'll understand what the deal is with Zoe during the wedding.

"You were there for me throughout the darkest moments of my life. No one could ever replace you."

Taking her hand and kissing it, he leveled his dark, inscrutable eyes at hers as he continued, "Just remember—whatever you think I have with Zoe is no more than an act. You have to believe that I will always love you… Can't you believe me?"

No, she refused to believe him.

If he had actually wanted to marry her, then he just had to marry her after all the successes he had achieved in the past seven years.

"Carl…"

However, Carl's phone rang before she could finish, and she saw that it was the nursing home calling.

No! She must have left her phone in the car!

And if the call was from the nursing home, it must mean something had happened to her grandmother.

Quickly picking up the phone, she answered, "Hello? Yes, it's me… Okay, I'll be right there..."

She turned to Carl as she hung up.

Her grandmother had nagged her about wanting to see Carl, but she really wasn't sure about bringing him along.

Why Make Promises You Can't Keep?

Julia, Rosalyn's grandmother, took her hand and put it on Carl's palm.

Then, she tried to shove a card between their hands as she said, "This is the wedding fund I've saved up for you. Now that you're finally marrying Carl, you can use it for whatever you need!"

Rosalyn's tears were raining, and she was afraid to look Julia in the eyes.

News of Carl's wedding must have spread everywhere, and even Julia would have seen it, but she simply presumed that Rosalyn was going to be the bride.

Turning to Carl, she squeezed his hand as she pleaded, "Please promise me you'll be good to Rosie, Carl."

"Don't worry—I'll be good to her as long as I live," he replied. "We've vowed to always stay together, in this lifetime and the next."

Four years ago, on a business trip, Carl took her up Mount Eternity where they prayed and vowed.

It was then that Carl promised he would stay with her—not just in this life, but also the next.

But that promise was already broken in this life.

As it turned out, nothing was set in stone, and promises were made to be broken.

"Please bring me to the wedding hall on the day of," Julia said.

"We definitely will," Carl smiled. "We need to pay our respects to our elders."

For once, he wasn't a haughty CEO, but just Rosalyn's boyfriend.

Nevertheless, Rosalyn felt like she had something stuck down her windpipe as she left the nursing home.

Fighting back tears, she demanded, "Why would you make promises you can't keep?"

There was no way he was bringing Julia to his wedding, so why would he tell her otherwise?

However, Carl was staring at his phone, answering Zoe's text as he answered, "No harm in keeping the old girl cheerful—she'll forget about it soon anyway."

So everything he had told Julia was nothing more than lies—whether it was loving her and being good to her, or never leaving her.

That was when he held out his phone to Rosalyn so that she could see the screen. "Zoe made supper and sent it over to my place. I'll head over—you can take a cab home."

He was perfectly calm, but he seemed to have forgotten that she was his.

She loved him, only for him to show her that being affectionate with another woman was nothing less than hurtful.

"Yeah," she replied with just one word, as she was afraid she might start crying if she said another.

Love could stop, but the pain would still be there, tearing one part from the inside.

And over the last three months, Rosalyn had suffered the worst of that pain.

As such, she wondered if Carl would hurt too, when he learned that she was marrying someone else.

Soon, Carl and his car disappeared into the endless darkness of the night.

He said he loved her, but here she was, left alone in the desolate night…

She wasn't that lovesick—she understood that Carl's love for her had faded when Zoe returned to the country.

Even though he was willing to sweet-talk her, it was probably because she was still useful to him.

Just last week, she overheard him telling a friend, "If Zoe didn't want her to organize the wedding, I would've told her to leave."

So he kept her around because it pleased his fiancee.

Rosalyn's palm hurt from clenching, and she turned to look at her grandmother's room.

The light was still on, and she could vaguely see Julia's hunched figure.

Rosalyn was an orphan—her mother had died soon after giving birth to her.

It was Julia who had taken her in and raised her—she was Rosalyn's only family.

The fact that Julia was still alive after being diagnosed with stage four cancer two years ago was nothing short of a miracle.

All Julia wanted was to see Rosalyn marry and be happy.

And Rosalyn didn't want to disappoint her.

Taking out her phone, Rosalyn texted the contact she had set as a favorite: [Would you care to marry me?]

How Could He Humiliate Her Like This?

Rosalyn was taking a break in the pantry when she overheard several colleagues gossiping excitedly.

"Did you hear?! Eric Hammond, Cromwell's most eligible bachelor, is getting married!"

"Yeah! I mean, I was shocked when the announcement came at midnight, and I couldn't sleep after that. It really begs the question… who's the lucky gal?"

She knew Eric, having met him a few times, and on each occasion, he had helped her.

The first time was when Rosalyn's car had a flat tire, and he just happened to pass by and helped her change to a spare.

The other occasion was when she was having dinner with a client—the man got a little drunk and was about to get handsy with her, but Eric took her away, protecting both her dignity and the contract.

There were actually more instances, but her memory of those was fuzzy.

Either way, that meant she owed the man quite a few favors.

She ought to send a congratulatory present for his wedding, even if he might not remember her.

"When is he getting hitched?" Rosalyn asked as she made herself a cup of coffee.

"Just next week—the same day Mr. Grant's getting married!"

Rosalyn's hand twitched, splashing the coffee and scalding her own hand.

Still, she quickly recovered and told her colleagues, "Take your time."

As she left, she could still hear them talking behind her.

"Why would you mention Mr. Grant's wedding? You know Ms. Jones is hurting."

"Poor Ms. Jones, staying with Mr. Grant for so many years, and everything she's helped him achieve is now going to some other woman."

"Urgh, men are just the worst. But Mr. Hammond's different—he's so loyal, sticking with the one he's had a secret crush on for ten years…"

-

In the afternoon, Rosalyn got a call from Carl. "You're coming with me later."

"Yes, Mr. Grant."

Rosalyn didn't bother to ask where they were going, because she would have to go either way.

It was just pointless to ask, and at this point, she would rather not talk to him if she could help it.

She closed the checklist of tasks to be handed over, cleaned her desk, and soon joined Carl.

His car stopped outside Quayle Mansion once more, and Zoe was skipping happily toward Carl before throwing herself into his arms, giving him a large smooch on the cheek.

Carl remained composed throughout, even smiling as he took her hand. "Get in."

As Zoe did, she looked at Rosalyn and said, "We're going to the wedding boutique to try out dresses, Ms. Jones. You should pick a bridesmaid dress while we do."

So she just wanted Rosalyn to witness their happiness ahead of the wedding.

As Carl and Zoe got into the backseat, Zoe leaned completely on Carl like she had not a single bone in her body, purring, "Did you see the news, Carl? Eric Hammond is getting married, and on the same day as us! Don't you think he's doing it on purpose, to steal our thunder?"

Eric and Carl were both giants in the city of Cromwell, but Eric had both power and money, while Carl only had money.

Still, Carl softly assured Zoe, "Don't worry about it. Everyone will be watching you when that day comes."

Rosalyn glanced at him in the rearview mirror, not quite remembering when he had ever been this protective of her feelings.

"Oh, you're the best, Carl! I really regret that we had to miss the past seven years."

Zoe pursed her lips, as if saddened, but soon beamed as brightly as the sun. "But I'm lucky that you were loving me throughout all those years! Thank you, Carl!"

As she leaned toward Carl to kiss him, Rosalyn turned away.

Even if she had completely stopped loving Carl and had given up on him, the lingering pain still hurt.

That was when Zoe suddenly asked, "By the way, you've been with other women during that time, right?"

Rosalyn's heart skipped a beat at the sensitive question, her fingers shuddering as she held her phone.

She looked up at the rearview mirror again, and their eyes met, as if he noticed her looking.

But even as he looked into her eyes, he was assuring the other woman beside him, "No, don't listen to hearsay."

However, Zoe smiled. "I mean, it's fine even if it's true—all men have needs, right?"

Her magnanimity really broke Rosalyn's perception of people, though she could also tell that Zoe was just humiliating her on purpose.

After all, Zoe's eyes were glued to Rosalyn.

"Let's stop talking about that," Carl said evasively just then.

"Why not? Did you fall in love?" Zoe asked stubbornly.

"No," Carl replied. "Sex and love are separate for men."

That left Rosalyn's heart clenching—he had just admitted that she was a tool he used to satiate his libido.

He had cause not to love her and not to marry her, but how could he humiliate her like this?