Chapter 3

I pushed the car door open and tried to get out on my own.

But Jayden got out first and scooped me into his arms. His movements weren't exactly gentle, but at least he didn't let me fall.

After we went inside, he found the first aid kit. With clumsy hands, he applied medicine to my ankle, his expression as indifferent as ever.

"Don't do this again," he said.

I silently watched him finish tending to my injury.

Jayden was always like this. He would say or do something harsh one moment, and in the next, he would act somewhat considerate. His hot-and-cold behavior left me constantly overthinking, draining me emotionally.

Had he ever truly loved me, even just a little?

It was foolish to obsess over whether someone loved me. Still, I had been a hopeless fool for five years.

Now, it was time to wake up from my delusions.

I no longer cared to guess what was on his mind, so I thanked him offhandedly.

Jayden stood in front of the couch without moving.

"Is there anything else?" I asked.

He pursed his lips together. "Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

I shook my head calmly.

Actually, I had already looked at Wynona's social media. Yesterday, she had posted a photo of her plane after it landed.

The caption read, "Waiting for you."

I had searched through all the comments and hadn't found any sign that Jayden had liked or commented on the post.

But I knew that he would go, and it turned out that I was right.

"I'm tired. I want to go to bed." I stood up. "I'll sleep in the guest room tonight."

Jayden grabbed my wrist. "Shirley!"

For once, he actually took the initiative to explain. "It's not what you think between Wynona and me. I picked her up this time because she had just returned to the country and wasn't familiar with things here. I was only helping her out."

I hummed in acknowledgment. "That was the right thing to do."

Jayden studied my face, as though searching for any sign that I didn't mean what I said. "Shirley, she and I ended things a long time ago. We're just ordinary friends now."

I nodded uncaringly like I wasn't particularly interested. "I know."

Jayden pulled me into his arms and, for once, he made the first move to kiss me. His warmth seeped through the fabric of our clothes. It was a warmth I had once craved more than anything.

He knew I liked physical affection and thought a kiss would be enough to make everything better. However, I turned my head away.

Jayden was visibly stunned. He clearly hadn't expected me to reject him.

His expression darkened as he warned, "Shirley, my patience has its limits. Don't push things too far."

That night, we slept in separate rooms. Jayden gave me the master bedroom and slept in the guest room himself.

When I woke up the next morning, our home was quiet.

He had already left.

Without a second thought, I went to the office and handed in my resignation. Since I was leaving, I might as well leave completely.

I had only stayed at that company because of Jayden. My original intention was to work with him so that we could spend more time together.

But he had hidden the fact that we were married at work, saying it wouldn't be appropriate. Not only that, but he had also deliberately kept his distance from me.

Whenever he needed someone to accompany him on business trips, he never chose me. During meetings, he treated me as if I were invisible. Even when I completed a major project entirely on my own, I never received a single word of praise from him.

Jayden's cold attitude made our coworkers think that he had something against me, or that I had somehow offended him behind the scenes.

The HR manager, Karen Tully, was one of the few people in the company who knew about my relationship with Jayden.

She remarked in surprise, "You're leaving? Mr. Luther only said you were being demoted. He never said you had to resign..."

I froze for a moment and repeated, "Demoted?"

Karen nodded, looking at me with sympathy. "Someone who just returned from overseas was brought in to replace you. Mr. Luther personally arranged it."

A chill spread through my heart.

I heard my own trembling voice ask, "Is her name... Wynona Easton?"

"Yes, that's her name," Karen confirmed.

I nearly lost my balance and had to steady myself against the desk. Even though I was already planning to leave, hearing the news shattered me. It felt like the ground had collapsed beneath me.

At work, Jayden had never shown me any favoritism. I had climbed to the position of director through my own abilities, one step at a time.

However, he had given my position to Wynona just because he wanted to.