Tamara's POV

Eventually, I lowered my expectations. I told Louie that I’d be happy just to have a proposal—nothing fancy, just some commitment. But he never made a move.

Two more years passed, and it became clear: he had no intention of marrying me.

So I started bringing it up myself, gently at first. But every time, he brushed it off, saying we were still young, that he wanted to enjoy life for a few more years.

The more he resisted the idea of marriage, the more insecure I felt. And the more insecure I felt, the more I clung to the idea of marrying him, like a safety net I desperately needed.

At one point, I even asked him, “If I got pregnant, would you marry me?”

I never expected it to actually happen, especially since we were always careful. But somehow, I still got pregnant.

At first, he didn’t want the baby. But when I refused to get an abortion, he finally gave in and agreed to get married.

I was over the moon. I thought my years of devotion had finally paid off—that our love had reached its happy ending.

So when the car accident happened, my first instinct wasn’t pain or fear. It was to protect the baby. Our baby. I couldn’t let anything happen to it.

But when the doctor told me I’d lost the baby, I didn’t feel the heartbreak I thought I would. In fact, I felt strangely relieved.

I’d spent so many years obsessing over the idea of building a home with Louie that I trapped myself in a cage of my own making.

Letting go of that obsession felt like breaking free. For the first time in years, I could breathe.

I had failed my child. I had let myself down. But I had never wronged Louie, not once in all these years. Even now, walking away, I could say with a clear conscience. I gave him everything I had.

“Still giving me the silent treatment?” he snapped. “Let me remind you, my patience has a bottom. Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean I’ll keep putting up with this crap! If you keep pushing me, I’ll pretend that kid doesn’t even exist!”

When I didn’t respond, he just kept going, unfiltered and cruel. That was always his way. Whenever he got angry, he knew exactly how to twist the knife.

In the past, his words would’ve shattered me. I’d cry silently, swallow the pain, and wait for things to go back to normal.

But not anymore.

I didn’t love him anymore. He couldn’t hurt me like that again.

Just as he was about to say more, his phone buzzed.

He glanced at it, then his expression shifted ever so slightly.

“Next Monday. county clerk's office. Morning. Be there,” he said coldly. “If you don’t show up, don’t even think about using the kid to tie me down.”

And with that, he turned and walked out without even looking back.

I stared at the door long after he left, bitterness slowly spreading through me.

What made him think I’d still love him after everything?

That night, I barely slept.

The next morning, I went to see the apartment on Downtown Street.

It was perfect.

The landlord told me he had originally bought the place for his son’s wedding, but since his son had decided to settle overseas, he was renting it out instead. He also asked me to take good care of it.

I agreed right away. We signed the lease on the spot, and I paid three months' rent upfront.

Then I called a moving service to bring over my things.

By evening, I had finished unpacking. I was just about to take a shower when my phone rang. It was an unknown number.

Curious, I picked up.

“Baby, you smell so good…”

The voice was Louie’s.

And then, giggling followed, “Stop it! Louie, you’re so naughty!”

It was Lindsay. Her voice was breathy, flirtatious.

“Ohh… are you happy now? Still want to go up to the rooftop?” Louie teased in a tone I'd never heard before.

“Ah… Louie!”

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut.

I hung up immediately, disgusted, like I’d just swallowed a fly.

Brushing the thought off, I remembered my leave was over, and I was scheduled to return to work.

The first thing I heard when I got back to the office? Mr. Gilbert Fowler, the president of Fowler Corporation, was coming for an inspection.

I worked at a car manufacturing company, and they were the leading force in the entire auto industry.

It had taken me six months of effort to convince them to invest in us.

Tamara's POV

The deal had been finalized a month ago, and Fowler Corporation’s first investment was a whopping 800 million.

What I didn’t expect was for Mr. Fowler to show up for a surprise inspection.

And even more unexpected? He brought Lindsay with him.

Somehow, she’d managed to become his assistant.

Since I was the lead on this project, it was my job to step up and manage the situation. When I faced Lindsay, I stayed calm and professional, not letting any emotion show.

Mr. Fowler was very impressed with our company.

During the lunch break, I went to the break room to get some water. Lindsay followed me in.

Seeing we were alone, she finally spoke, her tone slow and mocking. “Why’d you hang up on me that night? Wasn’t I moaning sweeter than you ever could?”

She looked at me, eyes gleaming with challenge.

But I smiled coldly. “I’m picky with my tastes. I don’t waste time on free adult films.”

I turned to leave, but she blocked the door, refusing to let me pass.

“I heard Louie dumped you,” she sneered. “Guess that baby of yours is just a bastard now. What are you planning to do with it?”

“Watch your mouth,” I warned, keeping my cool. I didn’t want to get dragged into her drama.

I tried to push past her. But out of nowhere, she yanked me by the arm and then threw boiling hot tea straight at my stomach.

The scalding liquid hit me hard. Then, before I could react, she let out a high-pitched scream.

“Tamara! What did I ever do to you for you to throw boiling water at me?!”

Her shriek drew attention immediately. People rushed toward the break room from all directions.

Standing in the middle of the crowd, she raised her now-red arm and put on her most pitiful expression, tears shimmering in her eyes.

“Miss Bishop, I swear there’s nothing going on between me and your boyfriend. If you’re upset, I get it. If throwing tea at me helps you feel better, go ahead and pour another cup. I can take it.”

I was stunned. The way she switched faces was almost a talent.

“Miss Bishop,” Mr. Fowler suddenly spoke up from the crowd, standing protectively behind Lindsay. “Do you have a personal issue with my assistant?”

My boss looked at me, panicked and furious. “Tamara, what’s going on here?” he demanded.

He was clearly worried the investment would fall apart if Mr. Fowler got angry.

Clutching my burning stomach, I frowned and said, “Boss, Mr. Fowler. There’s a security camera in the break room. Why don’t we just pull the footage and see exactly what happened?”

Both men nodded immediately.

“No, that’s too much trouble! It’s fine, really!” Lindsay quickly tried to intervene, her voice faltering. “I don’t want to cause any tension in the partnership.”

But her panic gave her away.

Clearly, this whole stunt had been spontaneous. She hadn’t counted on there being cameras.

Neither Mr. Fowler nor my boss paid her any attention. We all headed straight for the surveillance room.

On the way there, I saw her typing a message to Louie, along with a photo of her swollen, red arm.

[I ran into Tamara at the office, and she did this to me. Well, I deserved it. I really did.]

Once the footage played, Mr. Fowler’s face darkened immediately. He looked furious.

“Lindsay,” he said coldly, “don’t bother coming in tomorrow.”

Then he turned to the group. “As for the collaboration between our companies. I’ll be creating a new subsidiary to manage the partnership. From now on, Miss Bishop will be solely in charge.”

That officially put an end to the chaos.

But a sudden voice shouted through the crowd. “Enough! All of you, ganging up on one poor girl. Have you no shame?”

Louie had just arrived, and of course, he immediately rushed to shield Lindsay behind him.