Chapter 3

Mia stood outside the men's restroom, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I warned you. Stay away from her! Gabriella, if you dare show up in front of her again, just try it!"

It was Liam's voice, laced with viciousness and anger.

"Why so harsh, Mr. Reed?" Gabriella's voice was lazy and seductive. "Or is the only place you're not polite to me in bed?"

"You! Shameless!" Liam snapped.

Gabriella snickered.

Her laughter was like a hook. "Isn't that exactly what you like about me? Shameless? You said it yourself. Ms. Steele is way too uptight and proper. She can't even let loose in bed."

Mia's body went cold, as if her blood froze on the spot.

Inside, the angry voices started to change, taking on a different edge.

"Let me go."

"Thought you said I was shameless, huh? So what exactly are you doing now?"

The man's rough breaths tangled with the woman's sultry moans, mixed with the soft jingle of a belt buckle.

Mia clamped down on her lower lip, barely stopping herself from making a sound.

After what felt like ages, the cleaning lady gave her a confused look. "Ma'am, this is the men's restroom. The ladies' is over there."

Meanwhile, the noises from inside came to a dead stop.

Mia bolted upright and rushed off. The moment she got past security, her phone buzzed. Liam's name flashed on the screen.

She took a few deep breaths. "Hello?"

"Mia, did you get through security?" Liam asked.

Mia glanced at the bustling coffee shop nearby. "I'm in line for coffee. What's up?"

Liam let out a sigh of relief on the other end. "It's nothing... I just couldn't help thinking about you."

In the end, she boarded the flight to Nedrein, but her mind kept replaying all the little memories she'd shared with Liam.

Liam's awkward confessions at school, the countless nights sketching side by side, the cramped apartment during the early days of their startup, the way he twirled her around in excitement when he got his first project bonus, promising to give her the best life…

When did it all start to change? Was it when his career took off, and he was always out at business dinners and networking events?

Was it when he stopped truly listening to her stories, and his replies turned into absent-minded replies?

Or was it when he started coming home later and later, sometimes smelling of perfume that wasn't hers?

Mia used to think it was just the inevitable lull every adult couple goes through. Now she realized it was barefaced betrayal.

By the time she arrived at the mountain-view hotel at the foot of Varkon Mountain, it was already late at night.

Liam's video call popped up right on time. "How's the hotel? Ever since you left, the house has felt way too quiet. I keep lying on the couch and feeling like something's missing."

Mia's eyes landed on the red high heels lying quietly on the floor by the front door behind him. It was Gabriella.

So that was why he couldn't wait to get her out of the way. It wasn't to fix anything. He just wanted to bring his mess home without her around.

Her voice came out a little hoarse. "Yeah, it is kind of quiet. Take care of yourself."

Liam noticed something was off and asked anxiously, "Is your throat bothering you? Did you take any medicine?"

Just then, in the background of the video, Gabriella, wearing a red silk nightgown, slipped past the floor-to-ceiling window, coming from the bedroom.

Mia closed her eyes. "It's nothing, just a bit tired. I think I'll get some rest now."

Liam said, "Alright, get some sleep. Goodnight, I love you."

Mia replied, "Goodnight."

As soon as she hung up the video call, her phone buzzed with a friend request notification on her social media.

It was Gabriella.

Mia's fingers trembled as she tapped into Gabriella's posts. There was a new post just a minute ago.

The photo was taken in a dimly lit room, showing the silhouette of a tall man holding Gabriella from behind, their figures reflected in the window glass.

The caption read: [Talks tough, acts even tougher.]

Mia couldn't take it anymore. She rushed into the bathroom and doubled over the toilet, retching violently.

Tears spilled down her cheeks, not out of heartbreak, but from sheer nausea and humiliation.

She slumped onto the cold tile floor, staring at her own pale, miserable face in the mirror.

Nine years together, the so-called golden couple of the architecture world was all just a crumbling facade.

Mia stood at the window in her hotel room, watching the moonlight trace the outline of the snowy peaks in the distance.

She glanced down and made a call.

She said, "Mr. Dackham, it's me, Mia Steele."

The HR manager, Leyton Dackham, on the other end sounded surprised. "Ms. Steele? Aren't you on vacation? Is there something I can do for you?"

She didn't beat around the bush and gave the order. "Fire Gabriella from the design department. Give her double severance. Get the paperwork done immediately."

Leyton hesitated. "Gabriella? She's a full-time employee. Shouldn't we check with Mr. Reed first..."

Mia interrupted, her voice steady. "No need to ask Mr. Reed. I'm well within my rights to let go of an ordinary staff member."

There was a brief silence on the other end. "Understood, Ms. Steele. I'll take care of it right away. You have my word. Gabriella won't be at the office tomorrow morning."

Mia just said "Okay," and hung up, then held down the power button to turn off her phone.

The next day, she didn't turn her phone back on all day.