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...”

Daniel went rigid, unable to process what he had just heard.

That wedding ring was the first thing he had bought with his own hard-earned money.

The diamond wasn’t large, but it carried deep meaning—it was engraved with our names and the date we started dating.

Even after he made his fortune and suggested upgrading to a new set, I had refused to take it off.

“Now I’m just staying at the company. What does that even mean?”

“Am I serious? Do I really want to divorce her?”

His anxiety intensified. Without thinking, Daniel reached for his car keys to go find me, but was stopped by Elena’s hand.

She had clearly overheard the conversation. Her eyes were filled with tears, her face flushed with guilt.

“Mr. Murphy, this is all my fault. If you hadn’t taken the blame for me last night, Ms. Moore wouldn’t have stormed off in anger and quit the project.”

“She can hit me or scold me if she wants. I won’t complain. But she shouldn’t have argued with you over something so trivial and put the company at risk.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll go apologize to her right away. She’s the one who knows the project best. If she’s willing to come back, we can contain this.”

Daniel took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

Elena was right. The company came first. Personal matters would have to wait.

“She won’t come back. You’re fine now, so let’s just go back to the company.”

Elena nodded quickly. Once they were back in the car, she glanced at him, her voice laced with concern.

“Mr. Murphy, product design plans are supposed to be confidential. Only the person in charge would have access. If they’re online now, could it be that Ms. Moore…”

Daniel looked at her with a cold, unreadable expression. His eyes held a trace of icy suspicion.

“Are you implying that Kayla leaked it?”

Elena flinched under his gaze, then quickly lowered her head, speaking in a soft, plaintive voice.

“I don’t want to suspect Ms. Moore, but she’s the one who’s been most involved in the project and knows the company’s products better than anyone else.”

“Mr. Murphy, could there be a misunderstanding? The company belongs to you, yes, but it also belongs to Ms. Moore. How could she possibly do something like this? Is it because you had me replace her and gave me shares? Maybe that made Ms. Moore angry?”

As she spoke, she reached for the car door, her expression full of regret and distress.

“Let me out. I’ll go explain everything to Ms. Moore right away. If she’s willing to step in, I’m even willing to resign. I can’t let you down after everything you’ve done for me.”

Her words seemed to defend me, but in reality, they firmly branded me as the traitor.

If this had happened in the past, Daniel might have softened, might have tried to comfort her.

But now, with the company teetering on the edge of collapse, all he felt was a growing impatience with such petty manipulation.

We had been together for seven years, from dating to marriage. He knew my character better than anyone. He knew I would never resort to such despicable tactics.

At the company garage, he pulled the car into a stop and immediately issued orders to the assistant waiting nearby.

“I’ll deal with the media. Secretary Brooks is injured—take her upstairs to rest. Do not let her come down without my permission.”

Elena’s face turned pale. Tears of grievance welled in her eyes.

“Mr. Murphy, are you suspecting me?”

Daniel looked at her for a long time without speaking, his expression unreadable.

“I don’t want to doubt you, Elena. Don’t give me a reason to.”

With that, he clenched his fists and stepped into the elevator, missing the fleeting flicker of cruelty that flashed through Elena’s eyes.

She was confident—after all, the person she had planted had already infiltrated the media team.

How could she possibly let such a golden opportunity slipped through her fingers, now that I had voluntarily stepped aside?

I had been such a fool. Instead of staying on as Mrs. Murphy, I had chosen to resign and leave. No wonder she seized this moment to rise in power.

With that thought, Elena let out a soft sigh and the sting of being doubted by Daniel faded slightly.

Outside, the media had been waiting for a long time. As soon as Daniel stepped out, they swarmed toward him, microphones in hand.

“Mr. Murphy, is it true that your company’s latest product has serious issues, as reported online?”

“How do you respond to claims that a consumer was injured in an explosion caused by your product? Does this suggest a safety defect?”

“Do you think this is a case of malicious competition, or did your company cut corners on safety to push the product to market?”

In their frenzy to get the latest scoop, the reporters pressed close, a few microphones even bumping against his face.

Daniel had not faced this kind of public pressure in a long time. He answered with a grim expression.

“All of our products go through rigorous testing and are fully certified before they reach the market. We can confirm there are no quality issues or safety hazards. The results of our internal investigation will be released soon on the company’s official website. We urge consumers to stay calm and wait for the facts.”

“Are you suggesting someone deliberately framed your company?”

“Mr. Murphy, reports indicate that your design plans have been leaked online. Could there be a case of industrial espionage within your company?”

Among the voices, the reporters planted by Elena began steering the narrative toward me.

“It’s said that this project was led by your ex-manager, Kayla Moore, who resigned earlier today. Was that an attempt to avoid responsibility?”

“Some employees claim that you and Manager Moore were involved in an improper relationship. Mr. Murphy, do you think this could be related to the situation?”

“Mr. Murphy, did you assign this major project to her because of your ambiguous personal relationship with Manager Moore?”