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.

“What did you just say?”

“All products go through strict inspections before launch. How could there be a problem at such a critical time? Where’s the PR department? Why are we only finding out after consumers have gathered outside the building to protest?”

“You’re all useless! I don’t pay you to sit around doing nothing. Fix this immediately!”

The assistant flinched, breaking into a cold sweat.

“Mr. Murphy, it’s not that we’re unwilling to fix it. But now the product design plans have leaked online and public opinion is spiraling out of control. We suspect there’s a mole inside the company. You need to come back and take charge immediately.”

The product had only just launched. If a scandal broke out now, all their efforts from the past five years would go to waste.

Daniel’s temple veins bulged as he fought to contain his fury.

“It’ll take me at least thirty minutes to get back. Have Kayla hold a press conference to clarify the situation. She led this project—she can handle it.”

“What?” The assistant hesitated, then asked cautiously, “But Manager Moore resigned this morning. She’s no longer with the company. Didn’t you approve it?”

It was like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over him. Daniel froze.

“What did you say? She really left?”

I had been by his side since the company was founded. Every time there was a crisis, I was the first to step up and handle it, never letting him worry—even when he was away on business.

Now, he was consumed with both rage that I had dared to walk away and a sudden, sharp panic.

I had always prioritized the company. At such a crucial point in the product launch, he never expected I would leave so decisively.

“Yes,” the assistant continued. “Right after you left with Secretary Brooks, Manager Moore submitted her resignation letter and walked out. When she left—”

Daniel’s heart skipped a beat. His voice snapped with urgency.

“What else? Speak!”

“Colleagues said Manager Moore was crying when she left. And no one knows why she left her wedding ring on her desk...”