Chapter 2

At the celebratory dinner that night, Winston didn't sit next to me.

He took his spot at the head of the table, with Sera Thorne seated to his right, his black overcoat still casually draped over the back of her chair.

I sat in the seat closest to the door. Just as I picked up my fork to start on the appetizers, someone at the table started teasing him.

"Mr. Sterling, Director Thorne was absolutely flawless on stage tonight! You have to give her a real reward for that, right?"

Winston let out a soft chuckle. "Her bonus is doubled."

Sera lowered her head, the tips of her ears flushing red.

The private dining room instantly erupted into a chorus of laughter and cheers.

Someone then turned their gaze toward me. "Director Cross, don't go getting jealous now! You’re family to Mr. Sterling, while Director Thorne is his partner in the trenches. It’s completely different."

Winston glanced over at me as well, as if declaring me innocent before I could even defend myself. "Natalie is reasonable. She won't let something like this bother her."

I wrapped my fingers tightly around my water glass, the burning heat of the glass stinging against my fingertips.

Reasonable.

Those words felt like a tiny needle—piercing into me without leaving a drop of blood, yet aching deep inside for years.

Suddenly, Sera slid a plate holding a slice of cake right in front of me. "Natalie, Winston specifically had them save this piece for you. He mentioned you love sweet things."

I stared down at the slice of mango cake.

Three years ago, I had ended up in the emergency room due to a severe mango allergy. Winston had stayed by my side, keeping watch over me all night long. The very next day, he had thrown out every single product containing mangoes from our entire apartment.

And now, he couldn't even remember what would literally kill me.

I didn't move an inch.

Winston’s brow furrowed in disapproval. "Sera went out of her way to save that for you. Who exactly are you throwing a tantrum for?"

I lifted my eyes to meet his. "I'm allergic to mangoes."

The entire dining room instantly fell dead silent.

The expression on Winston’s face froze completely.

Sera scrambled to apologize, her voice laced with panic. "I am so sorry, Natalie! I completely forgot. My head has been so foggy lately because of this low-grade fever, I must have..."

Her voice trembled slightly, and tears began rolling down her cheeks.

Winston immediately pulled out a napkin and handed it to her. "Nobody is blaming you."

Then, he turned back to face me, his voice dropping to a low, warning hiss. "It’s a minor oversight. Don't make a scene and humiliate everyone here."

A sharp laugh escaped my throat. "A minor oversight?"

I reached into my pocket, my fingers brushing against the cold metal of a ring.

Winston had given this to me during the third year of our startup. It wasn't expensive. Back then, he told me that once the company went public, he would replace it with the absolute best diamond money could buy.

I used to believe him.

I pulled the ring off my finger and placed it directly onto the glass table.

The sound of metal hitting the glass was incredibly soft, yet it was loud enough to make everyone in the room freeze.

"Winston, let's break up."

He stared down at the ring, his expression turning ice-cold in an instant. "Natalie, have you finally had enough of your little tantrum?"

"I am exiting my shares, resigning from the company, and breaking up with you," I said, executing every single word with absolute precision. "Starting today, you don't ever have to placate me again, and you don't have to expect me to be reasonable anymore."

Sera stood up in a panic, reaching out to grab my arm. "Natalie, please don't do this! Winston is just putting up a tough front, but you are the person he cares about most deep down."

I stared down at her hand.

Clasped around her wrist was my silver bracelet.

It was a spare piece of jewelry I kept stashed away in the glove compartment of my car.

I pulled my arm back, snapping it out of her grasp. "Sera, have you just gotten completely used to wearing my things?"

Her face drained of all color.

Winston slammed his hands down and stood up abruptly. "Natalie!"

His chair screeched harshly against the floor.

"Is your sole goal today to bully Sera until she cries before you're finally satisfied?"

I looked at him, completely unfazed. "She wears my bracelet, she rides in my passenger seat, she wears your overcoat, she uses my support cushion, and she feeds on your blatant favoritism. Tell me, Winston—who exactly is pushing who?"

A volatile rage swirled deep within Winston’s eyes. "If you walk out of that door today, don't you dare come back begging for my forgiveness."

I picked up my purse. "Don't worry. I won't."

The ring remained resting on the table.

As I reached the doorway, Sera’s faint, fragile voice echoed from behind me. "Winston... what should we do with this ring?"

Winston didn't give her an answer.

And I never looked back.

At that exact moment, I finally forced myself to admit the truth.

It wasn't that he didn't know how much I was hurting.

He just genuinely believed that Sera’s tears would always be more important than my wounds.