Adrian opened the door, stepped out of the car, and leaned against it. He lifted a hand and waved.

He was young and full of energy, just like an innocent high school boy trying to impress the girl he liked.

"Christina, I came to pick you up," he said. Let me show you my driving skills."

Christina was immediately dazzled by him, and her grin stretched from ear to ear as she walked toward him. She probably didn't even realize it herself, but her whole being seemed to light up whenever she saw Adrian, like a flower revived by rain.

I didn't say a word. I just grabbed the suitcase from the trunk and handed it to Christina.

A flash of surprise crossed Adrian's eyes as he looked me up and down.

"Jeremiah, were you going to drive Christina to the airport?" he asked. "Then I guess I shouldn't steal your thunder…"

He lowered his gaze, looking disappointed.

Only then did Christina think to explain, saying casually, "Jeremiah, you must be tired from getting up early to make breakfast. Just let Adrian drive me."

I nodded.

She pinched my cheek, coaxing me as if I were a puppy. "You've been so good today, Jeremiah. When I get back, I'll agree to marry you, okay?"

My heart stirred.

Christina and I had been together for seven years, and I'd proposed to her countless times. But no matter how romantically I had decorated the venue or how sincerely I had poured my heart out, she'd either say the timing wasn't right, brush me off, or flat-out reject me.

It seemed like she must have really been in a good mood today to use marriage as a way to placate me.

The corners of my mouth curled up, but the smile didn't reach my eyes. "Okay."

I sighed inwardly.

What she didn't know was that she would never get another proposal from me.

After seeing Christina off, I walked home slowly.

I looked at the plane ticket on my phone that I'd booked days ago. My thoughts churned as memories surfaced one after another in my mind.

In the end, they all blurred into a single image; Christina gazing at Adrian, her eyes sparkling brightly.

I took one last look at the apartment I had shared with her for the last seven years. Then I turned and walked away without looking back.

I had come to the big city to work because of Christina. Unlike me, she had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth.

To stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her, I had worked day and night, pulling endless overtime, even pushing myself to the point of cardiac arrest and collapsing at my desk.

I still remember how I had hit the floor hard.

Everyone had rushed over. No one would sit by and turn a blind eye, even those who didn't like me. Yet, Christina stepped right past me, anxiously rushing off with her car keys in hand.

After I was resuscitated, I saw a post on Adrian's social media. In the photo, he was sitting in the passenger seat, flashing a peace sign, while Christina smiled gently in the driver's seat.

The caption read, "It's dinner time! I was starving, so the boss is taking me out for a feast! She's so beautiful and kind!"

Lying in that hospital bed, I felt utterly chilled to the bone. I immediately called Christina and asked where she was.

There was a brief silence on the other end before she calmly said that she was out having dinner with a client and was exhausted.

Her voice grew increasingly impatient as she warned me not to keep tabs on her while she was in the middle of discussing important matters. She didn't want to waste precious time dealing with my paranoia.

That night, Christina and I had a huge fight. From then on, we fell into a silent standoff.

Christina treated me like I didn't exist. We lived under the same roof, yet it felt like we were complete strangers.

She wouldn't even touch the breakfast I made. That was her way of punishing me. She knew I worried about her gastritis, and that when I saw her pale and unwell, it would force me to give in.

This cycle happened again and again.

But this time, my heart had shattered completely.

Christina going on a business trip with Adrian was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Perhaps from the moment she had praised him with a smile on her face, our relationship had already reached its end.

She was not a woman I could bring myself to want anymore. Our seven-year relationship would end here.

I packed my belongings and loaded them into the car. The only thing left to do was to go into the office and submit my resignation.

What I didn't expect, however, was running into Christina and Adrian. They were supposed to be at the airport.

Inside the office, Adrian was holding Christina's hand. He said, pouting slightly, "This is all my fault. I got so excited thinking about going on a trip with you that I couldn't sleep last night, and I forgot to print the contract. I'm sorry for holding you up, Christina."

Christina didn't pull away from his touch at all and laughed off his apology. "It's no big deal. Do I really look like such an unreasonable boss?"

I lowered my gaze, knocked on the door, and pushed it open.

Christina's expression stiffened when she saw me. She glanced at her watch, and her brow furrowed slightly.

"Jeremiah, you're half an hour late today. You're not taking your work seriously enough. No wonder your team has complaints about you."

I felt like icy shards were circulating through my bloodstream, as if someone had shoved a handful of snow into my chest.

Christina had always been strict and ruthless at work, never showing me any favoritism. If anything, she was even harsher toward me than she was with others.

We had never made our relationship public because she said office romances were bad for optics. My coworkers all thought she disliked me and would make things difficult for me depending on her mood.

When I told Christina how unfair it felt, she'd only scoffed. She told me to reflect on why I was so unpopular, and that if I wanted respect, I should earn it with my own ability. If my team were the top-performing team, naturally, no one would dare say a word against me.

But the next day, she sent a company-wide announcement via email, reminding everyone to mind their words and maintain a positive work environment.

Even though the announcement hadn't actually changed my situation, I remember being overjoyed at the time. I believed that she truly cared about me, and I even thought that she was stricter with me because I was special to her.

Looking back at it now, she was just using the old carrot-and-stick approach to keep me firmly under her control.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I took a deep breath and pulled out my resignation letter.

"Ms. Davenport," I said flatly, "I'm here to resign."

Christina froze, her eyes snapping up to meet mine.

Adrian spoke up. "Christina, Jeremiah must not trust you. He was already jealous the last time we went out for dinner together."

He smiled at me, his eyes full of provocation. "Jeremiah," he said slowly, "nothing is going on between Christina and me. It's strictly professional."

Christina's expression darkened instantly. "Jeremiah, you're a grown man. Why are you still acting like a child, getting jealous over nothing? Haven't I already told you? I'll only be gone for a month. When I get back, I'll agree to your marriage proposal."

"It's not because of that," I replied calmly. "I just don't think this job is right for me."

Adrian cut in again. "Jeremiah, stop saying things out of spite. I know your application for promotion was rejected again last month. I'll talk to Christina, and we'll definitely promote you next time, okay?"

Christina's brow relaxed as she brushed off the matter. "So that's what it's about. Fine, when I get back, I'll give you a promotion and a raise. Happy now?"

The two of them carried on between themselves, like a perfectly coordinated routine.

A cold scoff escaped my lips.

With my capabilities and the years I'd devoted to this company, I should have been promoted a long time ago.

However, Christina had kept passing me over for promotions. She would either give them to the new hires, claiming she wanted to retain talent, or to the senior employees, saying she didn't want them to be disappointed in the company.

That was why, after so many years, I was still nothing more than a lowly team lead.

But I was done buying her empty promises.

I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, Christina shot up to her feet, irritation clear on her face.

"Enough!" she shouted. "Haven't I already given you everything you wanted? What more do you want? I'm very busy."

She glanced disdainfully at the resignation letter in my hand. "Put that away. I'll tell HR not to deduct your attendance bonus. Now, go back to work."

With that, she grabbed the freshly printed contract and walked out, pulling Adrian along with her.

I stood rooted to the spot for a long time.

Finally, I shook my head. That was probably the last conversation Christina and I would ever have. I never imagined it would end on such bitter terms.

After telling myself to let it go, I placed the resignation letter on her desk. Then, I cleared out my desk and boarded a flight back to my hometown.

I found a job there soon after. The pay wasn't great, but the work was easy. I even had time to go fishing on the weekends, just staring at the water all day.

Occasionally, I scrolled through my social media feed.

Adrian would post something nearly every day—photos of him eating, drinking, and having fun with Christina. It didn't look like a business trip at all, but more like a honeymoon.

Christina clearly looked like she was enjoying herself, her eyes brimming with happiness in each picture. She even eagerly went along with Adrian to check out all kinds of trendy, internet-famous spots.

Adrian even complained in the caption.

"There are too many places to see. My legs are about to fall off. Good thing my boss is with me, or I'd be too lazy to go out. Next time, shall we pick a city that's easier to walk around in?"

He tagged Christina at the end, and she quickly replied with an "Okay".

I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Going on a vacation with Christina—something Adrian achieved so effortlessly—had always been a distant dream for me.

All these years, I'd wanted nothing more than to go out on a trip with her like a normal couple. But she'd always said I lacked perspective, and that all I cared about was having fun. She couldn't stand how unambitious I was.

Yet now, she was happily wasting time with Adrian, grinning from ear to ear.

In the comments, our coworkers teased that there was something clearly going on between them.

One of them even asked, "Where's Jeremiah? Why hasn't he popped up to say something sarcastic?"

No one knew I was Christina's actual boyfriend.

Back then, whenever I heard them gossiping about Christina and Adrian in the break room, I'd raise my voice and tell them to stop spreading rumors. And when I saw Adrian posting stuff about Christina on his social media, I'd leave snarky comments.

Over time, our coworkers just assumed that I was a bitter, single, loser who was cynical and resentful of other people's happiness.

I once told Christina how wronged I felt and asked to make our relationship public. But she only warned me to stop commenting on Adrian's posts and said she'd ask him to block me from seeing his posts.

I laughed bitterly. Looking back now, my past behavior had really been childish.

A sudden spasm of pain pierced my heart.

The truth was, I'd always known that every one of Adrian's posts was directed at me. They were meant to provoke and show off. But without Christina's indulgence, he never would've had the chance.

Adrian was the only person in the company who knew of my relationship with Christina. That was the part that I couldn't accept either.