Chapter 2

I evaded Hayden's grasp and stepped back. "It's office hours right now, Hayden."

Hayden frowned. "I know that you're still angry with me. How about I drive you over to the hospital to visit Mrs. Atwell after work?"

I snorted coldly. "That's no longer necessary."

Mom was no longer around, and he didn't deserve to see her anymore, regardless.

If she knew that I was being criticized for being someone's mistress because of him, she would be angry and upset.

Hayden felt that I was behaving strangely. He paused for a moment before saying, "In just a few more days, I'll be able to divorce Scarlett. We can get married after that."

He then retrieved two gift bags from under his office desk. "I especially asked a friend to buy these from abroad. They're supplements for Mrs. Atwell."

I gazed at him and took a deep breath.

It was too late. Mom could no longer accept his sincerity.

Hayden was rather confused by my silence, but just as he was about to ask about it, his phone suddenly started ringing.

He took out his phone, then glanced at me. In the end, he seemed to arrive at a decision and turned to leave.

I knew that it had to do with Scarlett.

At the moment, Hayden's legitimate wife was her and not me.

Still, I felt at peace with myself, because it no longer mattered to me.

I dropped by the HR department and handed in my resignation letter. My sudden resignation didn't surprise the HR manager, Hilda Errington, at all.

"Hayden will definitely take care of your affairs for you, Lucy," she reassured me.

I looked at her, unable to stop myself from sneering inwardly at her comment.

Everyone seemed to think that I was Hayden's secret lover and that he should be paving a way out for me.

It didn't occur to any of them that I was his actual girlfriend and he had betrayed my feelings by marrying someone else behind my back. It never crossed their minds that I had only chosen to leave because he had thoroughly broken my heart.

I packed up my personal belongings into a box. Then, I carried the box with me as I walked toward the elevator in a daze.

I looked up only to see Scarlett and Hayden walking in my direction, smiling. They were in the middle of flirting with each other.

"You're too bad."

"Do you like that side of me?"

Hayden noticed me and became nervous. "Don't overthink it, Lucy. I brought Scarlett along because—"

Scarlett, on the other hand, outright grabbed Hayden's arm and interjected, "I came to my husband's company to familiarize myself with the environment."

I remained silent.

"You don't mind, do you, Lucy?" she added, her tone filled with provocation.

I simply stepped out of their way without saying a word.

Hayden opened his mouth to speak, but just as he grabbed my arm and attempted to explain himself, Scarlett noticed and quickly dragged him away.

…

Later in the afternoon, I cried as I watched Mom's body pushed into the furnace for cremation.

I delivered her ashes to the cemetery afterward.

Hayden never contacted me, even when evening came, but I no longer cared. My mom could leave in serenity without him disrupting her peace.

Mom used to treat him as if he were her own son while she was alive and could remember all his preferences.

She was allergic to mangoes, but she would still endure the discomfort they brought her when she made him his favorite mango cake.

However, it was clear that he really didn't deserve her love and care.

He had not only cheated on me but also deceived my mom as well.

Wherever she was in heaven now, she definitely wouldn't want me to remain in such a shaky, uncertain relationship with Hayden, much less watch us get married.

It was time to let go of our seven-year relationship.