Chapter 2

After six years of being in a relationship with Darell, I could count on one hand the times I'd ever talked to him this way.

I remembered when he first joined the company, I was already leading a project team.

With my reputation for efficiency and professionalism, I'd established myself in the company.

Back then, he'd wrap his arms around me, grinning, and say that everyone else only saw the surface, but he was the only one who got to see the side of me that was gentle and loving.

From college until now, I had really given him so much kindness and care.

But the more I gave, the less he seemed to care.

If that was how things were, then there was no reason to be nice to him anymore.

"What's wrong? You had the guts to do it, but now you can't even admit it?" I rose to my feet and confronted the man I'd loved for six years.

The tension in the air was palpable. Darell turned his head aside, refusing to meet my gaze.

After a long silence, Darell finally opened his mouth. "Next month, I might have a shot at a position at the overseas headquarters."

I arched my brow, set my cup down, and said, "What does that have to do with you cheating?"

Darell frowned impatiently, clearly not happy with how I put it.

He said, "Sally, do you know how rare it is to get a fast-track promotion at headquarters? There's only one spot every three years.

"Do you even realize how much effort I put into building a relationship with Thelma?

"Can't you just be a bit more mature and try to understand how tired I am sometimes?"

What a load of self-righteous excuses.

He wanted to use Thelma and her uncle, the chairman, to fast-track his way to the top and land himself a cushy spot.

But he didn't want the cheater label, so he kept playing innocent.

I said, giving him a faint, mocking smile, "Why don't you just go climb your way to the top with that girl of yours?

"Darell, may your future turn out exactly as you wish."

"Sally, you!" Darell's face flushed with embarrassment, but when he saw my unshakeable composure, he was left speechless for a moment.

There wasn't a trace of sadness on my face.

I was as calm and indifferent as if I were just taking out the trash, completely unfazed.

Of course, I knew exactly what was going through his mind. He was frustrated and humiliated by my complete indifference.

He finally said, his voice low and strained, "After everything I did to get close to her, don't you get why I did all that?

"I'm willing to put up with all this for our future, but you keep picking at every little thing."

He said, giving me a scrutinizing look, "Sally, you're way too controlling.

"It's just a private account and a few fake messages. Is that really worth you interrogating me over it?"

He was pulling out all the stops to save face, doing whatever he could to push my buttons.

Every single thing he said made me out to be the unsympathetic, controlling, and paranoid wife.

He acted like he was the martyr, bearing all the burdens and swallowing his pride just to keep things together.

Too bad for him, his tricks never worked on me.

Understanding was never a word in my vocabulary.

Control was always more my thing.

I replied, my tone unwavering, "Yes, I am controlling.

"So much so that I can't tolerate my cheating ex still standing in the house I fully paid for.

"Darell, please move out now. The moving company I arranged is almost here. No need to thank me."

So, with the wind howling outside and Darell cursing up a storm, my place was finally peaceful again by three in the morning.

To dodge all the office gossip, Darell kept our relationship under wraps from day one.

I used to get why he was so cautious, but looking back now, it was obvious he never considered me his only option.

After all, just three days after I dumped him, Darell was already showing up everywhere with Thelma, making no effort to keep it secret.

It was like he was flaunting it right in my face, daring me to do something about it.

And just like clockwork, a box of candy showed up on my desk again, the same kind Darell always used to order.

I had pretty bad low blood sugar, and if I got too tired at work, I'd sometimes pass out.

Darell used to stress about it all the time, so every month he'd buy my favorite candies and have them delivered straight to my office.

I stared at the box of candy, a relic of a relationship that had changed beyond recognition, sighed, and was about to stash it away when Thelma pushed the door open and walked in.

"Ms. Smith, sorry, looks like some candy got delivered to the wrong place," Thelma said, walking in with a smug look.

She walked in, her eyes flashing with triumph.

"That's actually Darell's gift for the team to celebrate announcing our relationship. Could you hand it over?" she said.