Chapter 1

During my internship, my girlfriend, Ruth Monroe, told me, "Spencer, let's break up. It's for my future.

"Pat really loves me."

She thought having the project manager, Patrick Evans, on her side would secure her position.

But she had no idea.

I was the one who had the HR manager pull her internship resume out of the pile.

*****

It was already 11 PM when I got home.

I didn't bother turning on the living room lights and went straight to the bedroom.

It was pitch black and deserted.

Ruth still wasn't back.

I picked up a pen and put a small X on the calendar.

It was the 16th today, and out of those 16 days, 14 already had an X.

This was how I kept track of how often Ruth came home late.

For the past month, she'd been getting home later than me almost every single day.

Ruth and I had been together since our sophomore year.

Back then, I was the vice president of the student council, running the publicity department, and she was one of the team members. After working together for a while, we just clicked and got together.

After college, we both stayed in Bytel to chase our dreams.

She landed a job at a major construction company, while I launched my own startup.

I checked my phone. No new messages.

I called Ruth.

After a few rings, she picked up. It was quiet on her end.

"Ruth, where are you?" I asked.

"Spencer, I'm still working overtime," she replied.

"Want me to come pick you up?" I asked.

"No, it's fine." There was a brief pause on her end. "I'm in a meeting. I'll call you later."

Then she hung up quickly.

I spotted the Chanel diamond earrings sitting on her vanity.

I didn't buy those for her. Lately, there had been more and more things in our room that didn't come from me.

The clock struck 1 AM when I heard the door unlock.

Ruth finally came back.

She turned on the lights.

"Spencer? What are you doing here?" she asked, clearly surprised.

"It's so late. Why are you sitting in the dark? You scared me," she added.

Ruth paused briefly, then gave me a teasing, reproachful look.

I stood up to greet her, keeping my cool. "Why are they making you work overtime this late on a Friday?"

"My supervisor kept us late..." she said softly, looking down to change her shoes, but her eyes involuntarily flicked up to meet mine. Our gazes locked for a moment before she quickly dropped her eyes again.

"Why?" I asked, my tone casual, as if just making conversation.

I knew her supervisor, a young guy in his twenties who had already secured the project manager position.

But there was more going on behind the scenes.

She slipped off her coat, revealing a pricey tailored skirt suit underneath. "It's just... the project's behind schedule, and I'm dead tired."

As she came over to hug me, I caught the sharp scent of cedar in her perfume.

It wasn't her usual floral or fruity fragrance.

I took her bag. It was heavy. Glancing inside, I saw a brand-new jewelry box with a fancy logo on it, clearly expensive.

"What's this?" I asked, looking up at her.

Ruth quickly grabbed the bag back, a flash of panic crossing her face before she pouted slightly, "Oh, it's a colleague's. I'm helping her get it resized tomorrow, so I'm just keeping it for her."

She turned and swiftly put the bag away in the wardrobe.

I watched her retreating back, saying nothing more.

But as soon as she couldn't see me, my gaze turned ice-cold.