“President Blackwood, this... doesn’t look like a rumor.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

The assistant pulled out her phone, opened Instagram, and handed me the photo. Right there on the screen, a photo of Maisie and Luca, fingers laced, walking hand in hand.

The caption read, [With you two in my life, I need nothing more.]

I knew exactly who the “you two” were: Luca and the child in her womb.

What I didn’t expect was that, after just one night back in the country, she had already made it public, ruthlessly casting me, her rightful husband, into the shadows.

Because of that post, I became the laughingstock of the entire company.

My assistant hesitated before asking cautiously, “President Blackwood, do you still want us to investigate?”

“There’s no need. Get back to work,” I said, my voice low and cold.

The image from that post flashed through my mind again. I had never felt torment so sharp, so humiliating.

That afternoon, there was a mandatory meeting for all department heads.

Not long after I took my seat, Maisie walked in.

Every pair of eyes shifted toward me, quietly waiting, eager to read, even a flicker of reaction on my face.

After sharing that post with the whole world, Maisie could still walk up to me like nothing had happened.

She smiled sweetly and asked, “Honey, did you sleep well last night?”

I sneered inwardly, tempted to say, “Not really.”

But this was a public setting. Airing dirty laundry wasn’t my style.

So I replied with calm indifference, “Not too bad.”

Maisie caught the coolness in my tone and frowned slightly, but she didn’t push further.

Instead, she leaned in gently and said, “Focus on the meeting. I’ve prepared a surprise for you afterward.”

A surprise or a blow?

I studied her quietly. She was stunning, sensual confidence carved into every inch of her.

Just standing there, she effortlessly stole the attention of every man in the room.

I used to wonder how I ever won her heart. Now, the answer was painfully obvious: in her eyes, I had always been the fool.

Eight years of lies, and I had still given her every ounce of devotion.

Throughout the meeting, the whispers never stopped, soft laughter and hushed gossip circling like flies.

Then, near the end, Maisie stepped forward with a graceful calm and took the podium.

She smiled and said, “I have an announcement to make about me and Weston.”

She stood beside me, gently took my hand, and smiled.

Then, with practiced grace, she lifted the microphone and announced to the entire room, “I’m pregnant. Very soon, Weston Blackwood will become a father.”

The room fell into a stunned silence. You could’ve heard a pin drop.

Eyes darted from one face to another, some wide with surprise, others gleaming with speculation.

That social media post had come directly from her. No one could deny it.

And now, here she was, making it public.

To outsiders, it looked like I was being joyfully swept into fatherhood.

But I remained still.

Her smile faltered slightly, clearly annoyed by my indifference.

“Weston, this is our child. Shouldn’t you at least look happy?”

Expressionless, I met her gaze and replied, “Hmm. Congratulations.”

“What kind of attitude is that? I know how much you’ve wanted a child for years! That’s why I kept it a secret, so I could surprise you!”

“A surprise? You sure it wasn’t just to make me sick?”

First, the post. Then, the public announcement. And now this.

Honestly, I no longer understood what Maisie was trying to do.

She suddenly exploded.

“Weston, do you have any idea how disappointed I am in you? These ten years with you. They’ve been the biggest mistake of my life!”

“Oh, right. Being with Luca would’ve been the perfect choice. I was just the fool who ruined your happiness.”

“You. What are you even talking about?”

Maisie’s gaze faltered, and her voice carried a guilt she could no longer hide.

I pulled out my phone, opened her Instagram feed, and showed it to her.

“Did you really think I’d never check your Instagram?”

She had mistaken her main account for her burner, meant to post the sweet, intimate nonsense with Luca on one and the child announcement with me on the other.

But now that I’d seen it, she didn’t bother pretending anymore.

“Yes, fine. I did get involved with Luca. But do you really think I did it for myself? I did it for the company, for our future!”

I nodded, lips curling into a cold smile.

“How noble. All for the future, right?”

“Are you going to tell me next the child is mine? That you’ll even give him my last name?”

“Why not? Since you can’t have children, he can call you Dad.”

I laughed, stunned by the sheer absurdity.

She, who came from wealth with an elite education, had said something so twisted, so shameless.

It was so outrageous that I couldn’t even find the words to respond.

Maisie pressed on, trying to soften me, “Weston, stop being so stubborn. We still have a long future ahead.”

“Do you even remember why I said I didn’t want children?”

“Because you can’t have any. That’s why the child in my belly will care for you when you’re old.”

She ended it there as if that sealed the deal. For ten years, she claimed she was obsessed with cleanliness, and I respected that boundary, never touching her.

She said she didn’t want kids, and I immediately agreed.

But what I thought was a reluctant compromise to her meant I was infertile.

Love really did blind people.

But the one she loved now wasn’t me.

Or maybe, never had been.

I turned to leave the meeting room, but she suddenly grabbed my arm and asked, “Weston, what’s wrong with you today? Why are you acting so cold?”

“What do you expect? That I’d welcome another man’s child with open arms?”

“I already said he’ll call you Dad someday.”

“No thanks.”

I pulled away and headed for the door without a backward glance.

Just then, Luca walked in and crashed into my shoulder hard enough to stagger me.

I nearly lost my balance from the sudden hit.

He gave a sheepish grin. “Sorry, didn’t mean to.”

He reached out his hand, but I ignored it.

As I was about to leave, Maisie hurried over, concern flashing in her eyes.

“Luca, are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

“Maisie, I’m not that fragile.”

“But you just got out of the hospital…”

Maisie glared at me sharply.

“There’s a whole person standing right at the door, and you didn’t even see him?!”

I froze. Wait, I was the one who got bumped.

He clearly did it on purpose, yet now I was the one being blamed?

Luca quickly tried to calm things down.

“Maisie, don’t be mad. It was my fault, nothing to do with Weston.”

“Why are you defending him? I’m not blind. I saw everything clearly.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s my fault, alright?”

At that moment, I truly saw how irrational Maisie had become.

The man in front of me, her affair partner, was being openly defended in the meeting room.

And I, the legal husband, was being pushed into the fire.

What was left to hold on to in this so-called love?

“Oh, so I’ve been too nice to you, huh? Just a few words, and now you’re upset?”

“You make money from the Renner family, and now you dare throw a tantrum at me?”

“You think I’ve been living off their money? Then what about everything I’ve done for the Renner family?”

All those years, I had worked tirelessly at Renner Corporation, never once daring to slack off.

Beyond just hard work, I had poured in my best, securing countless major deals and bringing in substantial revenue.

Yet, in her eyes, none of it mattered. It was worthless, a mere joke.

Maisie scoffed coldly, “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even qualify to join Renner Corporation.”

I had always believed that, among everyone in the company, she at least saw me differently.

No matter what others said, I never took it to heart. Never did I imagine it was all just a cruel delusion.

Looking into Maisie’s cold, unfamiliar gaze, for the first time, she felt like a stranger.

“So now that it’s all out in the open, you can’t even be bothered to pretend anymore?”

I just wanted to know if she was still the Maisie I once knew.

Even when I had sensed her contempt before, she would at least put on an act in front of others.

Now, she didn’t even bother. She humiliated me in public, openly, mercilessly.

“Have you finished throwing your tantrum?”

Maisie seemed to realize the scene was getting out of hand, and her tone softened a little.

I let out a deep sigh.

“How about this? We sit down and talk tonight. Just the two of us. Alright?”

“Where?”

“At home. Let’s lay everything on the table.”

That was the only thing I wanted now.

Not because of love.

But because I couldn’t let go.

Ten years of my life, a gamble I placed with everything I had, and in the end, I was the one left shattered.

The more I thought about it, the more pathetic it all felt.

Maisie’s brows drew together slightly. “Alright. I’ll go home after work.”

The farce finally ended.

The department heads of Renner Corporation scattered like waves receding from the shore.

From that moment on, I became nothing more than a running joke.

But honestly, I no longer cared.

The first thing I did after walking out of that building was call my buddy and ask him to dig into Luca’s past overseas.

And while he was at it, I told him to orchestrate a little “accident.”

I wanted to end things with Maisie once and for all.

He didn’t offer much sympathy.

Just said one line, “There’ll be better days ahead.”

Then, without another word, he got straight to work.

His name was Jett Ellison, CEO of Nova Group’s U.S. division.

Supplier to half the major companies in the country, Renner Corporation included.

And the most important thing was that he was the heir to Nova Group.

Most days, he spent his time drinking, partying, and chasing fun.

In my eyes, he was nothing more than a pampered beast living in indulgence.

After getting home, I quietly began packing.

I left behind everything tied to our memories, only taking my clothes and the documents that truly mattered.

Once everything was ready, I sat down and waited in silence.

While waiting, countless thoughts crossed my mind: what we might say, what we might fight about, how it might end in shouting, slamming doors, and maybe even something worse.

But I waited all night.

Maisie never came.

I tried calling her a few times, but each one declined.

As ridiculous as it sounded, a part of me even worried. Had something happened to her?

Maybe she was in an accident.

Just as I was about to call around and ask our mutual contacts, my phone rang.

It was 3 a.m. Maisie finally called.

Her voice was light, casual, without a trace of guilt.

“I’m not coming home tonight. Don’t wait for me.”

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, she hung up.

Staring at the dark screen, I let out a bitter laugh.

From 3 p.m. to 3 a.m., I spent 12 hours waiting, and this was all I got.

I stood frozen for two seconds before dialing again.

After several more rejections, she finally answered.

“Are you done yet?! I already said I’m not coming back!”

And then, through the speaker, I heard another voice, Luca’s voice, clear as day. “Maisie, hand me my underwear.”