"His resignation was rejected. He's fired, and his year-end bonus is revoked—transfer it to Gerald."

My eyes widened in disbelief. Anger coiled through me like a web, tightening around my heart.

"Lindsey! This is mine! How can you do this?"

According to company rules, bonuses were determined by the projects each employee handled. Every negotiation, every draft, and every client discussion was all my work. I had even stayed up until dawn chasing a single extra point.

This bonus wasn't just money. It was the payoff I had been counting on to clear my mortgage.

When I was a child, my parents divorced, and no one wanted me. I was tossed around like a ball. I ended up at my uncle, Raymond Stark's house. My aunt, Isabella Sterling, hated me and often threatened to throw me out if I didn't behave. That fear of having nowhere to go stayed with me as I grew up.

After being with Lindsey, I clung to her desperately, terrified she might kick me out. I needed to know her every move. Even the strongest love could fade, so I placed my hopes in money and started saving to buy my own home. If Lindsey ever left, at least I would have a place to go.

I threw myself into work like a madman and finally managed to scrape together the down payment. Over the years, I had pinched every bit I could, paying off the mortgage under enormous pressure.

I worked around the clock, and my hair began to fall out and turn gray far too early.

Lindsey had seen everything I had gone through. She knew how much this bonus meant to me, and yet, she mocked me, saying, "This company is mine, and since you bullied Gerald, you owe him compensation."

Every word I wanted to say got stuck in my throat. My stomach churned violently, and a wave of nausea burned up my esophagus.

My year-end bonus, worth over 300 thousand dollars, was casually handed to an intern who had done nothing.

I gritted my teeth and fought the dizziness as the security guards Lindsey had summoned dragged me out of the building.

As soon as I stepped outside, Lindsey sent a message.

"Today's mess is entirely your fault."

Since I didn't reply, she fired off another.

"Alright, maybe I went too far, but only because you showed Gerald no mercy. He's my junior, and I couldn't just stand by while you treated him like that. I'm leaving for a business trip to Francia tomorrow. That new product you wanted is launching there, so I'll get it for you as a way to make up for it."

What Lindsey didn't realize was that Gerald had just posted about it on social media.

He wrote, "I wanted to see the Seylle Tower, and someone made a business trip the perfect excuse to bring me along. It's wonderful being treated like a treasure!"

I instantly blacklisted both of them.

…

A week later, Lindsey returned from her trip, clutching the new cufflinks and feeling uneasy. She had only planned to be away for three days, but Gerald had dragged her from one store and landmark to another, and she had completely forgotten to send me a message.

Today, she had come back hoping to surprise me.

The thought of me waiting at home made her heart lift, and she hurried inside.

She called my name twice as she stepped through the door, but there was no answer.

The suitcases I had packed were gone. Everything that had belonged to me in the house had vanished without a trace.

Lindsey's breath caught, and her face turned pale.

An impossible thought crept into her mind, and panic surged through her like a tidal wave.

"No, this can't be…"

She knew how deeply I cared for her. Over the years, I had proposed marriage more than once, and she had believed that such a promise was a lifelong commitment.

Lindsey had always taken me for granted and never once feared I would leave.

As soon as she said the word "marriage", I would drop everything without hesitation and head straight to the city hall.

Where else could I possibly turn, if not to her?

I had long since cut ties with my parents. Only Uncle Raymond reached out occasionally, but I knew Aunt Isabella would never be happy to see me, so there was no way I would go there.

Would I be at the little apartment I had finally managed to put a down payment on?

Lindsey's eyes brightened for a moment. She grabbed the cufflinks and drove to Westville.

When she reached Westville, she came to a stop. She didn't know where my apartment was.

A flicker of frustration crossed her eyes. She had never imagined I would actually move into that little apartment, so she had never paid attention to its location. When I asked for her opinion while buying it, she just glanced at it and shrugged. Now, she had no way of finding out where it was.

As she drove, Lindsey suddenly realized that I had blocked her on WhatsApp.

She did not know when it had happened, and she had not contacted me all week. Had I done it out of jealousy?

There was no way to tell.

She pulled out her phone and dialed my number. The automated female voice on the other end left her completely stunned.

She hadn't imagined I would go so far as to block all her contacts.

Lindsey's mind flashed back to that day in the office, when I had calmly proposed breaking up. That calm, measured expression made her realize I was serious this time.

A tightening, suffocating rope seemed to wrap around her chest. She sank to the ground, clutching her chest, gasping for air.

"Julian…"

Just as she was about to ask someone to track down the location of my apartment, her phone rang.

Jessie's triumphant voice came through, "Lindsey, I'm getting engaged. My fiancé just said yes. There's an engagement party tonight. You have to come."

A sharp pain throbbed behind Lindsey's eyes. She could hear the gloating in Jessie's tone, but she had no mood for a party.

"I have something to do. I can't—"

Apparently, Jessie had guessed something and cut her off, "You have to be there. Aren't you looking for someone? I will help you."

Lindsey pushed aside the uneasy feeling in her gut and agreed to Jessie's invitation.

She wasn't particularly close to Jessie—they were just college classmates. She didn't understand why Jessie was so insistent about her attendance, but she knew Jessie was the youngest daughter of the Hartwell family. With her connections, it would be simple for her to track someone down.

…

Lindsey had planned to go alone that evening, but Gerald somehow found out and insisted on tagging along. After considering it for a moment, she agreed.

I watched with amusement as Jessie strutted about like a peacock, trying on five different dresses before my eyes.

"Which one looks best?" she asked.

I thought for a moment. "They all look good. Why are you so insistent on Lindsey coming?"

Jessie panicked slightly and hurried over to grab my hand.

"You heard everything? Are you upset? I'm just too happy…"

I shook my head and smiled, wrapping my arm around her as we stepped outside.

As soon as we stepped outside, a gaze locked on me.

Following it, I saw Lindsey trembling in place. Her face was drained of color, and under the glow of the light, she looked completely lifeless.