She had no idea I'd already had enough of her double standards.

I'd just uncovered a massive mistake Tristan had made. I was even planning to give her some dignity and handle it in private.

But if she was dead set on making me the scapegoat, then I had no reason to keep up appearances.

I tossed the documents I'd printed earlier onto the table.

Proof that Tristan had sold Opaline Corp's confidential information.

"I can follow the rules and eat the pasta with worms. But according to company policy, shouldn't Tristan be fired and held liable for selling company secrets?"

The room erupted.

Everyone stared at the documents in disbelief.

No one expected Tristan to stab the company in the back after Wendy had practically bent over backward for him.

With everyone watching, Tristan's eyes turned red.

"Wendy, I'm sorry. I got drunk and someone tricked me into it. I didn't mean to."

For a mistake that serious, Wendy barely reacted.

"You've completely lost control of your drinking. You're not allowed to drink anymore."

Then she looked at me. "Dylan, I just realized the rule about tripling performance penalties for being one minute late is unfair to top performers like you. I wasn't thinking clearly last night. That rule is canceled. Meeting adjourned."

Just like that, she erased the punishment.

No one would be penalized.

Everyone in the room understood exactly who she was protecting.

And it wasn't me.

As she turned to leave with Tristan, I picked up the plate and stepped in front of them.

"Hold on.

"If that rule's canceled, Tristan is still last place.

I held the plate toward him.

"You're the one who insisted on enforcing company rules. You came up with this punishment yourself. Don't tell me you're backing out now."

The other co-workers immediately piled on. "It's just a punishment. We've all been punished before.

"Go ahead and eat. We're only looking out for you.

"You're so skinny. Think of it as extra protein."

Tristan stared at the worms still wriggling in the pasta.

His face went white.

He nearly threw up.

Wendy rubbed his back and snapped at everyone else.

"I said the meeting is over. Why are you all still standing around? Get back to work. Do I need to personally escort each of you out?"

The crowd quickly scattered.

When she saw me still standing there, her tone softened. "Don't worry. Mistakes will be punished. No one gets special treatment.

"Tristan, come to my office later and write a ten-thousand-word reflection report. You're not leaving until it's finished."

I almost laughed.

Her favoritism wasn't exactly new.

I didn't even bother arguing.

I grabbed my phone and headed for the door.

She had been comforting Tristan, but the moment she saw me leave, she panicked and hurried after me.

Pulling me into a corner, she held up a medical report. "Look. Tristan really is allergic to worms.

"If I wasn't worried about things getting out of control, would I have let you take the hit?

"Honey, for the sake of the company and our family, can you let this go just this once?"

Back when she found out I was allergic to peach, she'd shoved allergy medicine into my hand and made me eat it anyway.

I wasn't going to die, after all.

But when it came to Tristan, suddenly everything was different.

I opened my mouth to cut her off.

Her phone rang.

She answered immediately.

Tristan's aggrieved voice came through the speaker. "Wendy, I drank a lot yesterday. The worms freaked me out, and now my head really hurts.

"What should I do?"

A flash of panic crossed her face.

"I'm coming right now."

The second she hung up, Wendy dug twenty dollars out of her purse and shoved it into my hand.

"There's a problem with a project. I need to go deal with it. Buy yourself something good. Take the rest of the day off and come back tomorrow."

Before I could respond, she was already gone.

But I wasn't planning to forgive her this time.

I was done.

Done with her.

Done with the company.

I called a friend who'd been trying to recruit me as a partner for years. We met at a restaurant, talked over dinner, and worked out the details.

By the time we signed the contract, it was dark outside.

Afterward, I wandered through the mall.

Then I spotted a public proposal.

For a moment, memories surfaced.

Wendy and I used to have good times.

But after we built the company, she became more and more obsessed with profit.

Somewhere along the way, we turned into strangers.

I let out a quiet laugh and shook my head.

Just as I was about to leave, I got a clear look at the woman being proposed to.

It was Wendy.

Tristan knelt on one knee, holding a bouquet and a diamond ring.

"Wendy, you paid for my education. You helped me leave that small town. You funded my PhD overseas and stayed with me through three years of long distance.

"You're the most important woman in my life."

"I'm still broke. Even this ring was bought with your money.

"But I promise I'll work hard and give you a good life."

The crowd erupted.

"Say yes!"

Wendy nodded shyly.

Then she held out her hand and let Tristan slide the ring onto her finger.

The ring replaced the wedding band she'd once shared with me.

I smiled.

Then I started clapping.

Louder than anyone else.

She turned toward the sound.

The second our eyes met, all the color drained from her face.

The bouquet slipped from her hand.

She rushed over. "Honey, don't get the wrong idea.

"I just asked Tristan to help me rehearse.

"When we got married ten years ago, we were broke. We bought the cheapest rings we could find.

"I wanted to make it up to you with a real proposal and a diamond ring."

She looked at me hopefully.

"Honey, after ten years, will you marry me again?"

The crowd immediately started cheering.

I stood there with a cold smile.

Not moving.

Wendy forced a laugh and grabbed my hand.

She tried to slide the diamond ring onto my finger.

It wouldn't go on.

No matter how hard she pushed.

The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.

She lightly smacked my arm. "Honey, I keep telling you to eat less.

"Look at you. You've gained so much weight the ring doesn't fit.

"I'll exchange it for a bigger size later."

I glanced at the ring.

The wedding band we'd bought ten years ago still fit perfectly.

This one was obviously smaller.

It had been bought for Tristan.

And she expected me to believe it was just a rehearsal.

Did she think I was stupid?

The crowd didn't know any better.

They immediately took her side.

"It's normal for guys to put on weight."

"What matters is the thought."

"After ten years of marriage, she's spending a hundred thousand dollars on a diamond ring just to propose again. That's real love."

A hundred thousand?

I raised an eyebrow.

Back when we got married, we were so broke we bought our wedding rings from a dollar store.

They rusted away years ago.

One anniversary, I scraped together three hundred dollars to buy her a pair of silver rings.

I thought she'd be happy.

Instead, she accused me of wasting money.

She dragged me back to the jewelry store, demanded a refund, and made a huge scene.

Then she cut my monthly allowance to a hundred and fifty dollars for being irresponsible with money.

And now, barely two months later, she'd spent a hundred thousand dollars on a ring for Tristan Crocker.

So it was never about wasting money.

I just wasn't worth spending it on.

A cold laugh escaped me.

I didn't take the bouquet she'd offered.

Wendy didn't get upset. Instead, she reached over and straightened my wrinkled collar before fixing my tie.

Smiling, she said, "You're a grown man and still can't take care of yourself. I've been so busy lately I haven't even had time to help wash your hair. Look at you—you've got dandruff."

The people around us looked on with envy.

They didn't know Wendy only acted this gentle when she wanted something.

Or when she was trying to smooth over a mistake.

Every time, I'd softened.

Every time, I'd forgiven her.

And every time, she pushed a little further.

Not anymore.

I turned and walked away.

Wendy hurried after me with Tristan trailing behind.

"Honey, you've lost weight lately. Is your allowance not enough? I'll raise it to a thousand dollars, okay?"

A second ago, she'd been saying I'd gained weight.

Her excuses were getting sloppier by the day.

But I knew Wendy.

She never played nice without a reason.

Sure enough, she smiled and got to the point. "You were right. Tristan still isn't capable enough.

"How about you give him a few smaller clients to practice with? Once he's trained up, he can help take some of the pressure off you.

"I just hate seeing you work so hard."

I smiled. "That makes sense."

Her eyes immediately lit up.

She thought she'd won. "I knew you'd understand. Tristan's young and immature. I'll make sure he listens to you."

At her look, Tristan reluctantly nodded.

I watched the two of them.

My resignation statement was already typed out.

"You're right. I am under a lot of pressure. But I don't need him to share it. If I resign, there won't be any pressure."

Then I hit post.

The second it went live, my entire social circle exploded.

"Resign? Are you serious?"

Wendy looked ready to lose her temper.

Then her phone started vibrating nonstop.

"He isn't really resigning," she told whoever was calling. "I've just been busy lately and neglected him. He's throwing a little tantrum."

But the calls kept coming.

She was overwhelmed.

While she was distracted, I left.

The moment I got into my car, my phone started blowing up with her calls.

I blocked her.

Out of sight, out of mind.

I didn't have much money, so staying at a hotel wasn't an option.

I figured she'd come home and confront me.

She never showed up.

Not that I cared.

The next morning, I woke up to a flood of videos from Tristan.

In one, Wendy—who never cooked—was wearing an apron and learning recipes for him.

In another, the same woman who always claimed she was too busy to travel with me was taking him to the beach, on skiing trips, and on vacations all over the world under the excuse of "business travel."

Every video was another reminder of who she chose.

At the bottom of the chat were a few messages.

[Those three deals Wendy gave me? I sabotaged them on purpose. I just wanted you to see that she only cares about me.]

[She couldn't even bring herself to make me write that ten-thousand-word self-criticism. She wrote it for me. Has she ever done that for you?]

[Once all your clients become mine, it'll be time for you to disappear.]

I stared at the messages.

Combined with the things a few clients had quietly hinted to me before, everything finally clicked into place.