I don't beg for love.

I walked to the door—then stopped.

Behind me, Jonathan's mocking voice cut through the air. "Mr. Gilbert, did you remember where to put the ashtray?"

I shot him a cold glance. That smug look on his face, a petty man reveling in his victory. I burned it into my memory.

"Is there anything else?" Zoe frowned, impatient.

"Let's get a divorce."

The words landed like a grenade.

Zoe froze. Stared at me blankly, shock written across her face. "You… what did you just say?"

"Divorce. I'll bring the papers to the office tomorrow for you to sign."

I turned and walked out of the home that had once given me warmth.

That night, my buddy heard the news and immediately dragged me out for a foot massage. In his words, he'd never thought highly of Zoe from the start. The cheating and betrayal? Only a matter of time.

After blowing off steam, I met with a lawyer the next day, then headed to Whitney Corp.

When I saw Zoe again, her complexion looked rosier than usual. And on her neck—a hickey, barely hidden under powder.

What those two did last night was obvious enough.

I just didn't know how long she'd been putting this "green hat" on me.

Without a word, I placed the divorce agreement on her desk.

Zoe picked it up, scanned through it, then looked at me with surprise. "We're getting divorced and you… don't want anything?"

She'd braced herself for outrageous demands if I initiated divorce.

But the agreement was clear: I'd leave with nothing.

That threw her off.

Right then, Jonathan burst in without knocking. He glanced at me, then at the papers in Zoe's hand.

In one swift motion, he snatched the agreement and ripped it apart. "Boss, you absolutely cannot agree to any of his shameless demands. He cheated during the marriage—he has no right to divorce compensation!"

Zoe, who'd been about to scold Jonathan for barging in, turned her glare on me instead.

She shot to her feet. "Derek Gilbert, I was wondering why you'd give up everything so easily. So you betrayed our marriage a long time ago." Her voice dripped with disgust. "You're revolting."

Facing her accusation, I didn't flinch.

Instead, I sneered at Jonathan. "Which eye of yours saw me cheating?"

"Hmph. I knew you'd deny it." He smirked. "Good thing I planned ahead. This time, the evidence is airtight. Don't even think about weaseling out."

He tossed several photos onto the desk.

Zoe and my coworkers crowded around to look. One photo clearly showed me entering a hotel with a woman. I was even carrying her bag.

"Oh, wow." Zoe picked up the photo, lips curling. "You've been hiding this well, Derek Gilbert. I pour everything into this company while you—with your fancy 'supervisor' title—do nothing all day. A lazy, useless man living off me. And you dared to fool around behind my back?"

"And also—"

"Is something wrong with your eyes?"

"You can actually stomach that kind of woman?"

"What about me, Zoe Whitney, isn't good enough?"

Facing Zoe's rapid-fire questions, I opened my mouth to explain.

Jonathan suddenly slapped me across the face without warning.

Smack!

The sound echoed through the office. For a second, I was too stunned to react. But he took my silence as guilt.

"Boss, he was the one at fault first." Jonathan stepped closer to Zoe. "Even if you two get divorced, he doesn't deserve a single dollar of your money."

Zoe nodded. "You handled this well. Otherwise I might've actually thought I was in the wrong."

She turned to me, her gaze ice-cold. "Derek, you're fired. Effective immediately. Legal will draft the divorce papers. You'll leave with nothing." She paused. "Remember—you wronged me. Not the other way around."

I pressed my hand to my stinging cheek, eyes locked on Jonathan's smug face.

"What are you looking at?" He sneered. "Not convinced? Go ahead—hit me, idio—"

Bang!

My fist connected with his jaw before he could finish.

"Ah!"

The scream brought employees rushing to the office doorway, craning their necks to watch.

Jonathan clutched his mouth, blood seeping through his fingers. "Call the cops! Derek's trying to kill me! Someone call the cops!"

The onlookers stood frozen. Zoe recovered first.

"Security!" she screamed.

Guards burst through within seconds.

"Throw him out!" She jabbed a finger at me, voice raw.

"I'll leave on my own."

I turned and walked out before anyone could touch me.

"You bastard—don't you dare leave!" Jonathan shrieked behind me. "I'm having you arrested!"

Zoe grabbed his arm. She didn't want this blowing up—bad for her image, worse for the company.

Every employee I passed shot me looks. Some curious. Most gleeful.

After all, I was "Mr. Gilbert"—the kept man. I showed up late, left early, never contributed anything useful to my department. Behind my back, they called me the "king of freeloaders." A useless deadweight leeching off his wife.

Now they were watching me get thrown out, and not a single one felt sorry for me. No—this was satisfying for them.

When a wall starts to fall, everyone rushes to push it.

Before, Zoe's protection kept them quiet. Everyone knew she was my wife, so no matter how much they resented me, they kept it to themselves. But now the whispers came freely. Some of the insults were vicious.

I pretended not to hear.

Under their stares, I walked toward the exit.

I'd just reached the entrance when I nearly collided with Miles Hansen—head of Hansen Group, here to sign a contract in person. He was Whitney Corp's biggest client, and the real power behind that project Jonathan had been crowing about last night.

The moment he saw me, his stern expression vanished. A warm smile spread across his face as he extended his hand.

"Mr. Gilbert. It's been too long."

I shook it, then gave a helpless laugh. "Not my best day."

"Oh?" His brow furrowed. "Run into some trouble?"

Mr. Hansen asked, clearly confused.

I was just about to answer when Zoe hurried over.

"Mr. Hansen, I'm so sorry. Something came up, and I didn't have time to come down to greet you. Please forgive me."

The moment she saw Whitney Corp's biggest backer, her cool, detached expression melted into a smile—eager, almost ingratiating.

They had just finished shaking hands when Zoe frowned at the security guards. "Why are you still standing there? Get him out."

The guards didn't hesitate. They grabbed me and started dragging me toward the exit.

Mr. Hansen stepped forward and stopped them.

"Mr. Gilbert, what's going on here?"

"I got fired."

Mr. Hansen's expression shifted to shock. He turned to Zoe. "Ms. Whitney, is this true?"

"Yes, Mr. Hansen. It's an internal matter. Sorry you had to see this." She waved dismissively. "Don't worry, I'll have it handled shortly."

She motioned for the guards to continue.

Mr. Hansen's face hardened. "Ms. Whitney, if you fire Mr. Gilbert, all cooperation between Hansen Group and Whitney Corp ends immediately."

"What?"

It wasn't just Zoe who froze.