Chapter 1

My mouse hovered over the "Confirm Resignation" button. Without a second thought, I clicked it.

The CEO's office door was half open, and Theo Ludwig's voice came right through the wall. Every word felt like a slap in the face.

Leo said, "Sofia is so rigid. Sending her to Berringer Labs would be a waste of a slot. Let Sunny go instead. She can pad her resume, and it'll grease the wheels for us. Good for the company too."

I'd spent a year and a half fighting for that spot, written three rounds of applications, and pulled over sixty all-nighters.

A coworker leaned over, whispering, "Who's that pretty girl in Mr. Ludwig's office?"

I stuffed my resignation letter into an envelope, forcing a smile. "Mr. Ludwig's ex-girlfriend. Looks like she's about to become official."

Theo pushed the door open and suddenly stopped in his tracks. He stared at the envelope in my hand. His face went completely blank for a few seconds.

Never in a million years would Theo have guessed that the company's most valuable chip design, from the very first draft to the final blueprint, was all me, every single line.

Ever since I overheard Theo arguing with his dad in the study, I'd started keeping my distance from him.

That fight was all about Theo standing up for his first love, Sunny Smith.

He said it like he was talking about the weather. "If you hadn't forced me to marry Lin Xia back then, Sunny and I would have a kid calling me 'Dad' by now."

After that, I started avoiding any place he might show up, and I stopped going out of my way to be near him.

When I was out in public, I deliberately distanced myself from him.

One time, I got out of his car, and a coworker spotted me. They pulled me aside and started grilling me about what was really going on between Theo and me.

I forced a smile. "He is my distant cousin."

The polite smile on Theo's face froze, and his eyes grew cold.

*****

I went back to the office to pick up the external hard drive I'd left behind. As I walked past Theo's office, the door was half open, and I could hear voices drifting out.

Theo's father, William Ludwig, sat on the couch, his hand trembling slightly as he held his coffee cup. "Theo, are you helping that woman again? You've been married to Sofia for three years. Don't you know how much she's done for the company?"

Theo's voice was flat. "Dad, she has a name. It's Sunny."

William set his coffee cup down on the table a little too hard, splashing some coffee. "Sunny? If she had any sense, she would've kept her distance after you got married instead of still hanging around you.

"If Sofia finds out about this, how do you think she's supposed to feel? Honestly, I don't think Sunny knows how to stay in her lane."

That clearly hit a nerve with Theo. He tossed his pen onto the desk. "Dad, I only helped Sunny get a spot in the training program, that's all."

William stood up. "A training spot? Sofia spent a year and a half fighting for that. And you handed it to someone else like it was nothing?

"If Sunny knew where to draw the line, she wouldn't have accepted it. You've been married to Sofia for three years. Put an end to all this drama, for good."

Theo's voice dropped, cold as ice. "If you hadn't forced me to marry Sofia back then, Sunny would be my wife. Maybe we'd have a kid in preschool by now."

I stood in the hallway, my fingers unconsciously tightening around the USB drive pendant hanging at my chest.

William slammed his hand on the desk, sending the coffee cup flying to the floor, where it shattered. "You ungrateful bastard. How could you say that? You owe Sofia better than that."

Theo didn't say a word. His silence spoke louder than any answer.

As for whether he owed me better than that, he never gave it a second thought.

I turned and walked to the entryway, bending down to pick up the external hard drive from beside the shoe cabinet.

My legs felt a little shaky when I stood up, but I didn't stumble. I pushed open the front door and walked out.

"If you hadn't forced me to marry Sofia, Sunny would be my wife." That line kept replaying in my head, over and over.

Three years into our marriage, I thought maybe time would change something. All those nights I stayed up keeping a pot of soup warm for Theo when he came home late.

The lipstick stains on his collar I pretended not to see. The endless all-nighters I pulled sketching out designs for his company's toughest projects.

I thought all of that would at least make me someone he was used to having around.

But now I knew. To Theo, I wasn't even that. I was the interest he had to pay on a debt of gratitude.