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.

That was when I realized Wendy's silence that night wasn't restraint.

She'd been busy poaching my clients.

Was it just business?

Maybe Tristan was right.

But neither of them understood one thing.

If I could help build Wendy up, I could tear everything down too.

I forwarded all the evidence to my lawyer to start the divorce proceedings.

Then I called my friend.

"Mason, I need a favor. Once this is over, every one of Wendy's accounts is yours."

Over the next few days, Wendy never came home.

Unlike before, she didn't even try to add me back after I blocked her.

Instead, messages from my former coworkers flooded in.

[Dylan, the second you left, Tristan took your job and started making up ridiculous punishments just to target us.]

[We seriously can't take it anymore. If you've found another company, can you bring us with you?]

[Bathroom breaks can't be longer than five minutes. A hundred-dollar fine if your phone isn't on silent...]

The complaints kept coming.

Rule after rule.

And every employee being fined was someone who'd spoken up for me.

[Perfect timing. I need a team anyway. Join me. You'll be a lot better off.]

Seven days later, Wendy finally approved my resignation.

HR asked me to come in and finish the paperwork.

The moment I walked into the office, I saw a huge banner hanging across the room.

Wendy stood beneath it with a smug smile. "Tristan just closed a major account. His growth has been incredible.

"I've decided to promote him directly to vice president and award him three percent of the company's shares."

A few scattered claps followed.

My former coworkers looked at me with sympathy.

Everyone knew I'd spent ten years building this company from the ground up.

I'd practically worked myself to death for it.

Yet forget shares—even my salary had never been raised.

The only reward I'd ever gotten was an empty management title.

I said nothing.

Wendy walked toward me, clearly eager to unload all her pent-up frustration. "Whenever you're upset, you block me and throw a tantrum.

"You really think this company can't survive without you?

"Using your resignation to threaten me? You've gotten way too full of yourself.

"If someone as useless as you could do the job, Tristan will do it even better."

She smirked. "If I were you, I'd swallow my pride and apologize.

"For the sake of our marriage, I might even let you come back as a security guard."

Tristan immediately laughed. "Wendy, he's still your husband. Don't be so harsh."

Then he turned to me. "Mr. Depp, if you eat that pasta with worms, apologize publicly, and ask for my forgiveness, I'll give you a chance to work under me.

"If you want to succeed, you have to know when to bend and when to stand tall.

"Aren't you the one who taught me that?"

Wendy lifted an eyebrow but didn't stop him.

She simply crossed her arms and watched.

In her mind, Tristan held all the cards now.

She expected me to lower my head.

I waved a hand. "No thanks. I've already found something better. This company isn't worth my time."

Her expression instantly darkened.

Just as she was about to snap, Mason walked in with his team.

Wendy leaned close and whispered smugly, "Didn't see this coming, did you? Even your friend betrayed you. This is just the beginning. Soon all your clients will belong to me.

"We'll see how arrogant you are then."

Then she turned around with a bright smile. "Mason, long time no see.

"We've already prepared the contract. We're just waiting for your signature."

Mason smiled. "Signature?"

He glanced at her. "I'm here on behalf of your clients to terminate their contracts.

"And to take my new hires home."