3.

The next morning, I came into the office.

I'd barely reached the break room when Caleb walked over, all smiles.

"Joseph, things got a little heated yesterday. Let me pour you a cup of tea instead of a drink, as a peace offering."

"After all, from here on out we'll both be working hard for Polly's company."

Smiling, he lifted the cup toward me.

Just then someone passed by.

"Caleb knows his manners. Fresh at the company and already toasting his boss first."

"Joseph, one of your people is honoring you. It'd be rude not to drink."

I frowned and reached to take it.

But before my hand touched the cup, Caleb let go.

Scalding tea poured down the front of my shirt.

The burn spread across my skin.

I looked at Caleb, cold.

"You did that on purpose?"

Right then, Polly walked over.

Caleb put on a wounded face.

"Joseph, if you've got a problem with me, just tell me and I'll fix it."

"But you shouldn't go hurting yourself just to make trouble for me."

"I know you don't want me getting close to Polly. Fine, from now on I'll stay far away from her."

Hearing that, Polly flew into a rage.

"Joseph Dickerson, isn't giving me that face at home enough for you?!"

"You come to the office and start harassing Caleb too. Do you even want this job anymore?!"

I looked at her.

"He let go on purpose. He burned me."

But she wasn't hearing any of it.

"Quit playing the victim. Caleb would never do something like that!"

"Get back to your desk. If I catch you going after him again, don't blame me for not being nice about it!"

I had just turned away when I heard Caleb speak again, this time in French.

"Polly, Joseph really seems to have it out for me. Maybe I should just go back to France?"

At that, Polly answered him in French.

"Fine. If you don't want to stay here, I'll go back with you. I'll buy tomorrow's tickets in a bit."

"But what about Joseph? You two are married, after all…"

"I stopped loving him a long time ago. If it weren't for his language skills, I'd have divorced him ages ago."

The disappointment went all the way through me.

In that moment, the last shred of feeling I had for Polly was gone too.

I sent Cole a message.

"Tell Polly there's a shareholders' meeting tomorrow."

"Have legal prepare the evidence and bring it in tomorrow. I want her to see exactly how foolish she's been."

4.

If I was going to lay it all on the table, then the assets Polly and I shared had to be split clean too.

That afternoon I walked straight out of the office and went home to pack.

The wedding photos on the wall came down too, straight into the trash.

She came back at the end of the day, Caleb in tow.

The moment she saw the suitcase I'd packed and the bare wall, her brows drew together.

She snapped at me while I was cooking.

"Joseph, what the hell is this?"

I turned around and said it calmly.

"Polly, starting tomorrow, there's nothing between us anymore."

"You can be with him."

"But the price of it, you might not be able to pay."

Polly let out a short, scornful laugh.

"So this whole show was just to say those two lines?"

"Who do you think you are, the head of Huasheng?"

"Don't think I can't see it. You're doing all this to spite Caleb, because you don't want him living here."

"But relax. You won't be seeing him much longer anyway."

"Our biggest shareholder, Huasheng, just handed down a new assignment. I have to go to France on business for a year. I already bought the tickets for tomorrow afternoon. Caleb's French is good, so he's going with me."

"You love being jealous, don't you? Now you'll have plenty of time to stew in it."

"Hurry up and finish cooking. We're hungry."

With that, she sauntered back to the couch and started up her flirty French chatter with Caleb again.

I'd just carried the food out when I heard Caleb say,

"Polly, once our baby's born, are you going to have one for Joseph too?"

"If you do, won't our kid have to share your love with somebody else?"

"He won't get bullied, will he?"

Polly gave a cold snort.

"Him?"

"I'll never have a child with him."

"When I get back from France this time, I'm telling him we're staying child-free."

"These last couple of days have been hard on you. Tonight I'll make it up to you."

"Polly, you're so good to me."

"But, I hear you can't do that when you're pregnant..."

"It's fine. We'll go gently."

Just then Polly saw me come out, her eyes fixing on the food in my hands.

"Joseph, I told you I don't like roast chicken. Are you deaf?"

She glanced at the empty cutting board in the kitchen and the range hood already switched off.

"Why'd you only make one dish today? What are Caleb and I supposed to eat?"

I said flatly, "I already told you last time. I'm not cooking for you anymore."

"If you two want to eat, figure it out yourselves."

At that, Polly shot to her feet.

"Joseph, what exactly are you trying to do?"

I ignored her and went on eating.

She started toward me to curse me out, but Caleb held her back, soothing her in French.

"Polly, don't be angry. Think of our baby."

Polly forced her temper down, then rounded on me again.

"Joseph, why did you leave the office this afternoon without permission?"

"You broke company rules. Your bonus for this month is docked."

"And the company's foreign trade documents — go translate the foreign-language sections now. I need them tomorrow."

"Consider it making up for the hours you skipped this afternoon."

Once, Polly had told me I could come and go from the company as I pleased.

Now she was using it against me.

There was no way to finish translating those documents in one night. She was deliberately getting me out of the way.

But I couldn't be bothered to argue.

After all, tomorrow it would all be over.

"Fine."

I rose slowly, took my suitcase, and left the house.

Caleb's worry drifted after me.

"Polly, Joseph isn't going to run away from home, is he?"

Her mockery followed close behind.

"He's just putting on a show. Don't worry, he'll have the translated documents to me first thing tomorrow morning, right on time."

"Not that I have any use for them."

Then she switched to French of her own accord.

"All right, he's gone. Let me order takeout, and then I'll make it up to you."

My steps paused, and I left with cold eyes.

That night, I didn't go back.

Early the next morning, I appeared in the conference room where the shareholders' meeting was held.

Cole stood behind me with the legal team.

Just then, Polly called.

"Joseph, where are you? Where are the documents I told you to translate?"

I didn't pick up.

When she called again, I blocked her outright.

Then a message came through.

"Joseph, you dare not answer my calls? The second this meeting's over, you're fired!"

Not long after, the conference room door opened.

Polly nodded and smiled at the room, until she saw me sitting at the head of the table, and her fury boiled up at once.

"Joseph, no wonder I couldn't find you. So you ran off here!"

"And why are you here? Is this any place for you?"

I looked at her and spoke in French.

"To hear it for myself, of course. What assignment did Huasheng arrange for you?"

"To go over there and have Caleb's baby?"