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.”

His desk still had the name tag Elena had left behind. Just seeing it stung my eyes.

He knew me too well—knew exactly where to strike to hurt the most.

Because I couldn’t let go of the project, I had compromised again and again over the past two years.

Maybe that’s how love between a husband and wife slowly withers—through quiet, endless concessions.

But not this time. This time, I wouldn’t bow my head.

“Daniel,” I called his name one last time, then placed the resignation letter and divorce agreement on his desk.

“I don’t want to fight with you anymore. You’re right—this is your company. You can protect Elena however you like… as long as you divorce me.”

His patience had clearly worn thin. His voice, though restrained, carried a rising fury.

“Divorce, divorce—how many times are you going to throw that word around as leverage? I told you, there’s nothing going on between me and Elena! She’s just a young girl people like to pick on, so I protected her a bit. Why is that so hard to understand?”

“You want to divorce?” He sneered. “Fine. I’ll give it to you. Let’s see how long you last in the business without the title Mrs. Murphy. Don’t come crawling back to me later—I won’t be so generous next time!”

He scribbled his name angrily, then slammed the divorce agreement into my chest.

The sudden force sent a jolt of pain through my stomach.

My face paled, but I instinctively stepped back, avoiding his next motion. I picked up the divorce agreement, clutching it tightly as a strange sense of relief washed over me.

“You once told me that if I regretted it, you’d let me go,” I said with a small, tired smile. “At least this time, you didn’t lie.”

Without glancing at his face, I turned and walked out the office door—only to run straight into Elena, standing just outside. Several employees were watching.

I shot her a cold glance. “You can relax now. I have nothing to do with him anymore.”

Elena froze and tears spilled from her wide, helpless eyes.

“Ms. Moore, what are you saying? I came to apologize,” she said softly. “If you’re upset because Mr. Murphy helped me block alcohol last night, then please—scold me. Yell at me however you want. But don’t resign just because of me…”

My stomach throbbed painfully. I didn’t have the energy to deal with her.

But then she added, in a tearful whisper, “I’m sorry… I didn’t know Mr. Murphy would suddenly assign me the project. He never told me anything last night…”

Those fake, misleading words made me roll my eyes. The surrounding employees had definitely heard. Some had already begun whispering among themselves.

“Do whatever you want,” I said coldly. “I’m not involved with him anymore.”

I turned to leave—but at that exact moment, Elena stumbled backward and slammed into the table behind her, knocking over a cup of hot coffee that spilled all over her.

The office door burst open.

Daniel rushed in. Seeing the scene, his face twisted with rage.

Without even pausing, he slapped me—hard—across the face.

“Kayla! I told you I had nothing going on with her—why are you so vicious?!”

“You know what it’s like to be bullied! I thought you’d understand… Clearly, I was wrong!”

Then, without sparing me another glance, he scooped Elena up into his arms and left, ignoring the stunned looks from everyone around.

I stood there, holding my cheek, the sting spreading across my skin.

I laughed.

And as I laughed… tears began to fall.

I packed up my personal belongings and hailed a taxi to the City Hall, the signed divorce agreement in hand.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Daniel sat beside Elena as she underwent an examination.

Through her clothes, there were no burns. Not even a red mark.

As he stared at the results, a flicker of guilt crossed his mind.

After all… I was still pregnant. He didn’t even know if I’d been hurt when he’d shoved the papers at me.

Up until then, he had thought I was just throwing a tantrum.

In his mind, we already had a child—so how could I possibly really divorce him?

But even with that flicker of doubt, he still couldn’t bring himself to apologize.

Just then, his assistant called. He let out a long breath, thinking it was about me.

“Go ask Kayla if she’s injured. Have her come to the hospital for a—”

The assistant cut him off, her voice low and urgent.

“Mr. Murphy, we have a serious situation. There’s a problem with the new product we just launched. Customers are already gathering outside the company building. The media’s here too. You need to get back immediately!”

Daniel’s breath caught in his throat.

And in that moment, everything fell apart.