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.

I didn't know when it started, but at some point, Christina had allowed Adrian to invade every corner of her life and learn everything about her.

The seven years I had spent with her were nothing more than reflections in the water—mere illusions.

After that, I watched as Christina and Adrian visited all the scenic spots, sampled all the delicacies, and took photos like a couple. Gradually, my heart became numb.

There was barely any pollution in my hometown, and the water's surface reflected the clear blue sky. I took a photo without thinking, but I didn't open the chat window with Christina right away.

In the past, I couldn't wait to share every interesting little moment in my life with her. Now, I no longer felt like doing that.

While I was still lost in thought, a message from Christina popped up.

"Jeremiah, don't forget to water my two golden pothos plants. I want to bring them to the new house after we get married."

Her tone was matter-of-fact, just like the way she sounded every other time she'd ordered me around.

I was slightly taken aback. She didn't even know that I had moved out? I had sent her an email. HR should've told her about my resignation by now too. But she probably ignored them the second she saw my name.

As for the "new house", it was just another one of Christina's empty promises.

When she didn't receive a reply from me, she "graciously" sent another message.

"Thank you for the trouble! If you have time, look into some wedding dates. Love you!"

There was only a chill in my heart.

So this was what she meant when she said she'd agree to my proposal when she came back. Every mention of wedding plans, every casual "Love you", felt like a knife stabbing straight into my heart.

What kind of bride was so indifferent to her own wedding, treating it like just some kind of formality?

It was ridiculous.

All along, I'd only been her backup plan. I was the safe choice she kept around for appearances.

I shook my head and, for the first time, ignored all her messages.

Before I knew it, a month had passed.

One afternoon, while I was fishing, watching small ripples spread across the water, my phone started buzzing at the worst possible moment.

I glanced at it and saw it was a message from Christina, asking me to pick her up at the airport.

"Landing in ten minutes. Hurry."

I could practically hear her high-handed tone through the screen. Speechless, I rolled my eyes. Did she think she was the queen and that I was her most loyal servant?

In one swift motion, I blocked and deleted her contact.

Just when I thought no one would disturb my fishing anymore, I suddenly received a message from Adrian. A voice message, no less.

Frowning, I played it, and Christina's voice came through the speaker. She was seething with fury after being ignored and humiliated.

"Really, Jeremiah? Don't come then. And if you've got the balls, don't bother ever coming back home either!"

I almost laughed. That was the one thing I wasn't planning to ever do.

Expressionless, I promptly blocked and deleted Adrian's number as well.

My mood improved instantly, and I even caught a couple more big fish. Everything seemed to be working out perfectly.

Just as I was about to head home, my phone rang again. I frowned. It was Christina calling from her work number.

What did she want now?

Had she been stewing in anger for the past few hours and now decided to call just to yell at me?

I meant to hang up, but muscle memory kicked in, and I swiped to answer.

At the other end of the line, the usually cold and aloof Christina sounded choked up. Her voice trembled as she said, "Jeremiah, didn't you say you'd stay by my side forever? Why'd you suddenly disappear?"