I looked up at him.

It was still the same familiar face—but it felt like I was staring at a stranger.

Dirty tricks.

So that’s how he saw me now.

Four years of dating, three years of marriage and still I couldn’t compete with a secretary he’d only known for two years.

The seven-year itch… maybe it really was inevitable.

For a moment, I actually felt like laughing. But my abdomen—still sore from the surgery—twisted in pain, waves of it brought on by the emotional strain.

Maybe my face had gone too pale, because Daniel suddenly softened his voice. His eyes dropped to my stomach.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said. “Since you’re tired, you don’t have to prepare the medicinal soup. You’re pregnant now, so you should be resting more. I only asked Elena to assist you because I didn’t want you overworking yourself.”

He straightened up slightly and added, “I know today is your birthday, so I got you a gift.”

He pushed a gift box toward me. I opened it, my face blank.

It was empty.

His expression stiffened. For a split second, he looked helpless, like he’d just remembered something.

“You know Elena’s family isn’t well off. She didn’t want to be embarrassed at the banquet, so I lent her the necklace. I’ll have her return it tomorrow.”

He waved it off with a shrug.

“It’s just a small thing. Don’t be so petty.”

His words stabbed into me like needles—each one sharper than the last.

It hurt, yes.

But more than that, it woke me up.

I didn’t even look at the box again. Instead, I pushed the divorce agreement across the table toward him.

“Daniel, let’s get a divorce. I’ve already signed the papers. I’m not asking for a single penny.”

“Not just one Product Manager—go ahead, give the whole company to Elena if you want. I won’t say a word.”

Daniel froze.

Then, as if struggling to suppress his rising frustration, he took a deep breath and tried a gentler tone.

“If you don’t want that necklace, I’ll buy you another one. What do you want? Jewelry? A car? A house?”

He stepped forward and grabbed my wrist tightly, his voice laced with warning.

“Kayla, I’m exhausted. I don’t have the energy to keep guessing what kind of games you’re playing. Don’t push me.”

There was no warmth in his eyes now.

Only cold calculation—like he was negotiating with a client, not speaking to his wife.

But I remembered, years ago, when he had nothing—just a young man in a rented apartment, clinging to me like I was his only hope, swearing he’d give me a better life.

I took a deep breath and swallowed the bitterness.

“Why do you think everything can be solved with money?”

“Daniel, I never asked you for anything. It’s you who never respected my hard work. You didn’t respect my feelings. You didn’t respect my love.”

“So let’s divorce.”

His face hardened, his voice dipping into a low growl.

“You’re serious? Just because I helped her avoid drinking tonight?”

“Is it necessary to make such a big deal?”

“At the banquet, you walked out halfway through—I didn’t say a word. I got drunk and Elena brought me home. You’ve been picking fights ever since. What more do you want from me?”

He looked at my stomach again, then exhaled, annoyed.

“I get that you’re sensitive because of the pregnancy. Haven’t I been taking good care of you? Can’t you try to understand me for once? I’m working hard so you can have a better life.”

Even now, he didn’t understand.

He never understood.

I turned away and calmly pulled my wrist out of his grip.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve already had an abortion.”

“I can live just fine on my own.”

“You what?” His face flushed with rage. He grabbed my chin roughly, forcing me to look at him.

“Have you forgotten how cruel the real world is just because you’ve been living too comfortably? Kayla, what can you even do without me?”

After a few tense seconds, he let go of my chin and gave a final warning, his voice low and ice-cold.

“You’re not eighteen anymore. Stop being so childish. If you ever try to use the baby to threaten me again, I won’t hold back.”

He stormed off, stepping onto the balcony as his phone rang.

The man who’d just threatened me with such cruelty now spoke in a soft, coaxing voice on the call—comforting the woman on the other end, telling her not to worry.

I touched my chin. It was still red from where he’d gripped it.

I felt nothing now—no sadness, no fury. Just… numb.

All this over a drink with his secretary?

On the surface, it seemed like a ridiculous reason to divorce.

But I knew the truth better than anyone.

He treated that girl like a fragile treasure, shielding her with everything he had.

Even the staff joked that Mr. Murphy had finally found true love.

What a joke.

Because once upon a time, when I was eighteen—I was his true love, too.

A few years ago, Atherton City wasn’t like it is now.

Back then, the world felt chaotic. People spent recklessly and the streets buzzed with unrest.

To pay for school, I worked part-time at a restaurant after class.

One evening, a group of customers blocked my path. Their eyes leered at me as they spoke in their slang I couldn’t understand. One of them reached out and touched me.

I tried to dodge them, but they jostled me anyway. The beer I was carrying spilled, splashing across the floor—and soaking my chest.

My uniform clung to my skin, wet and transparent. The entire room seemed to turn and stare.

I went pale. Embarrassed, I hunched forward, covering myself and bowing repeatedly in apology.

But no one moved. No one spoke. To them, I was just a waitress and this was just a spectacle.

I didn’t remember how many times I said sorry, but the harassment didn’t stop. One of the men stared straight at me with that same disgusting look and muttered something obscene.

He said I wasn’t selling beer—I was selling my body.

That was when Daniel appeared.

Without hesitation, he stepped in front of me, shielding me behind him as he barked out furious curses at the men.

They argued. Then the shouting turned to shoving.

Tables overturned. Plates shattered on the floor.

A beer bottle crashed against Daniel’s head, but he didn’t even flinch. He wiped the blood away, then hurried to pay for the damage.

I dragged him to the nearest pharmacy, my hands trembling, my eyes burning with tears.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “I’ll pay you back.”

“There’s no need,” he said simply. “I just couldn’t stand watching them bully someone.”

Noticing I was on the verge of tears, he smirked and teased, “I saved your life. Shouldn’t you repay me with your body?”

I froze, stunned.

He burst out laughing, then stood up and waved casually as he left.

“Relax, I’m just kidding. But try not to look so pathetic next time we meet.”

And just like that, something stirred in me.

Later, I found out we were actually classmates.

He rarely came to class—busy with his startup—but I had seen him on campus a few times. I wanted to talk to him, but he was always surrounded by other students and I was too shy to approach.

It was Daniel who made the first move.

He started coming to the restaurant where I worked, worried that those men might try to retaliate.

That one encounter brought us closer.

We started dating in our sophomore year.

At eighteen, Daniel once spent the whole night knocking on flower shop doors. He laid a sea of roses beneath my tiny rental apartment and stood there until morning—just to confess his feelings.

When I opened the door, he shoved the flowers into my arms, flashing that boyish grin.

“If other girls get this kind of thing, then you should too,” he said, handing me all his savings without hesitation.

“Kayla, be with me and I’ll protect you. If one day you regret choosing me, just say the word—and I’ll let you go.”

“But that day will never come.”

“I won’t let you regret this, Kayla. Trust me.”

And I did trust him.

So when his business hit rough patches later on, I didn’t hesitate to quit my job and help him full-time.

He was always good to me.

He never let me drink, not even one glass—even when he was drunk himself, he’d still stand in front of me to shield me.

I thought it would always be like that.

But I forgot—people change.

As time went on, he became obsessed with the company.

The man who once fought for me now sent me out to close deals and entertain clients on my own, like it was nothing.

Daniel finished his call on the balcony and walked past me without so much as a glance.

Of course. After seven years, even an object can grow dull—let alone a person.

I swallowed the wave of memories crashing through me, felt the ache bloom in my chest and picked up my phone.

I dialed the number I knew by heart.

“Is your previous offer still open?” I asked quietly.

“I’m willing to join your company.”

“But there’s one condition—I want real power.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the line before a voice finally spoke, asking a question that had nothing to do with the conversation.

“Did he hurt you?”

Tears streamed silently down my cheeks, but I kept my voice steady, unwilling to show any weakness.

“Stop beating around the bush,” I said coldly. “Just tell me—are you willing to take me in, even if it means going against Daniel?”

A quiet chuckle came through, the voice calm and composed.

“Why wouldn’t I be? Kayla, go ahead. Do what you have to do.”

“Alright,” I replied. “I’ll submit my resignation tomorrow. Let’s meet this afternoon.”

The next morning, I arrived at the company and immediately began drafting my resignation letter. Once it was done, I handed over all ongoing projects to my most trusted assistant.

She stared at me, clearly confused, before speaking in disbelief. “Ms. Moore, are you really resigning?”

Some colleagues overheard and instinctively glanced in our direction. Those I didn’t get along with didn’t bother to hide their glee.

“Well, some people finally realized they’re not as valuable as they thought. Resigning in disgrace, huh?” one said with a smug smile.

“Exactly. Everyone knows Kayla Moore got here by clinging to Mr. Murphy’s leg,” another chimed in. “Probably slept with him to get the job. Now that he’s done with her, he’s kicking her to the curb.”

“That’s right. Unlike Secretary Brooks—she’s always by Mr. Murphy’s side. Everyone can see they’re in love. Who would care about some used-up fling?”

“She’s been here five years and all she ever did was steal credit for others’ work. She’s not even half as capable as a fresh grad. Honestly, she should be ashamed.”

Yes, I had switched companies for Daniel.

But my position at my previous firm had been no lower than this one.

I thought five years of hard work would be enough to prove myself.

I thought they'd see my real ability.

But it turned out, to them, I was nothing more than a connection.

I had chosen to keep our marriage a secret because Daniel said it would interfere with work.

Now that I was being slandered, he hadn’t even once considered making the truth public.

Even when I worked side by side with him on a major project, people thought I was just trying to take credit—when that proposal had been written by me, word for word, after countless sleepless nights.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and ignored the snide comments. Instead, I calmly turned to my assistant and carefully walked her through the next steps.

“Yes, I’m resigning,” I said. “Even though the product has already launched, the follow-up data and user feedback still matter. You’ve worked with me for years—I trust you to handle it.”

Her eyes reddened as she nodded. Then, suddenly remembering something, she frowned.

“But, last night Mr. Murphy announced in the company group chat that all project responsibilities were being transferred to Secretary Brooks. I don’t have the authority anymore.”

I froze.

Elena?

She had been in the company for less than two years. I’d been mentoring her all along—I knew what she could and couldn’t do. There was no way she could lead a project on her own, let alone manage a team.

I thought Daniel, even if he doted on her, would at least draw the line when it came to work.

Clearly, I was wrong.

No wonder my assistant had shown up this morning looking like she’d been crying.

She was supposed to inherit the project. And now she’d been pushed aside, too.

I reached out and took her hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring this up with Mr. Murphy. You worked hard on this project—it belongs to you as much as anyone.”

After calming her down, I took my resignation letter and the signed divorce papers straight to the president’s office.

“Daniel,” I said as I walked in, “Elena isn’t capable of handling projects. You know that better than anyone. You shouldn’t have taken this away from my assistant.”

Elena stood beside him, pouring coffee. At the sound of my voice, her eyes instantly filled with tears. She turned to Daniel with a pitiful look.

“Mr. Murphy, did Ms. Moore misunderstand me? I didn’t mean to take anything...”

“I’m here to talk business, not play games,” I cut in, voice sharp. “Elena, if you had any sense, you wouldn’t have stood in my way.”

She noticed the resignation letter in my hand and lowered her gaze, biting back her tears. Then she reached out and gently tugged Daniel’s sleeve.

“Mr. Murphy, please don’t fight with Ms. Moore because of me… I can apologize.”

“It’s fine. You can leave,” Daniel said softly, coaxing her like a child.

After she walked out, he turned to me with an unreadable expression, then sneered.

“Kayla, sometimes knowing how to network is a skill, too.”

“This is my company. I can put anyone I want in charge of a project.”