Chapter 2

Only then, after seeing him throw away every principle and every boundary he had once claimed to have for Wendy's sake, did I finally understand something.

When someone truly loved another person, their first instinct when that person was hurt was to protect them, not to stand back and calculate the pros and cons.

As I was lost in thought, the chair in front of me suddenly crashed to the floor. Wendy had kicked it over.

"Elaine, have you lost your mind?" she snapped, pointing at me. "Jeff is my husband, not yours. If I hear you spreading nonsense like that again, you'll regret it."

She cursed me out as if I were the homewrecker.

Jeff watched the whole thing happen, not saying a word to correct her. Instead, he simply stood behind Wendy, silently backing her up.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

"Fine," I said. "I'll delete everything."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I pulled out my phone. First, I posted an update announcing that I had left the company. Then, I opened my work account, ready to delete it for good.

The moment Jeff realized I was serious, panic flashed across his face. He quickly stepped forward to stop me.

"Forget it. Considering you've been with the company for so many years, you don't have to delete anything. Just leave."

The tension in the room immediately eased, and several coworkers let out relieved sighs.

Wendy, however, stamped her foot in frustration. "Jeff, I'm the vice president now. Don't I even have the authority to make a decision like this?"

Jeff usually indulged her every whim, but this time, he shot her a warning look, telling her not to push things further. Then, he turned back to me, his expression softening. A notification appeared on my phone. He had transferred me 50,000 dollars.

"Don't worry," he said. "The company takes care of the people who've contributed to its success. Even though you're leaving, you won't lose anything that's rightfully yours. We just need a little time.

"As for your severance package, we'll get back to you about it in seven days. For now, go home and get some rest."

He still thought I had no idea his amnesia was fake. In his mind, seven days from now, he could simply claim his memory had returned, apologize, beg for forgiveness, and everything would go back to normal.

Jeff had been a hands-off boss for so long that he had no idea the company's most important project was due in exactly seven days. The contract was worth a fortune. If the deliverables were not submitted on time or if anything went wrong with the project, the company would face massive penalties for breach of contract.

In the past, for the sake of the company's stability and Jeff's future, I would have swallowed my pride and endured the pain alone. However, I was tired now.

Truly tired.

I did not want the company anymore, and I did not want him, either.

Jeff instinctively reached out as if to grab my arm, but he seemed to remember he was still acting and awkwardly lowered his hand.

I glanced at my phone. The transfer was still pending.

Without hesitation, I sent the money back. Then, I opened his contact information. I had him saved as 'My Sweet Jeff' years ago, and it was now staring back at me. I deleted it completely.

After finishing everything, I looked at him calmly.

I said, "Jeff, I want a divorce."

Jeff froze.

"What?" he blurted out. "You want to divorce me? Why?"

The second the words left his mouth, he realized he had made a mistake. His expression stiffened, and he quickly corrected himself. "Divorce? That's ridiculous. Wendy is my wife. How could I possibly be married to you?"

Watching his terrible acting, I could not even be bothered to expose the lie. Arguing with him felt like a waste of breath, so instead, I decided to play along.

"You're right," I said. "I tricked you into marrying me. Since that's the case, let's go get divorced."

Wendy's eyes lit up immediately. "Finally! That's exactly what should happen. Let's go right now."

Jeff frowned. For the first time, hesitation appeared on his face. He ignored the obvious holes in my story and tried to brush the whole thing aside. "Forget it. Something about this feels strange. I'll decide later."

I could not understand it. Was Wendy not the one he wanted? I was offering him exactly what he wanted. I was stepping aside and giving them both what they had been working toward.

I was confused. Did he not love Wendy?

I was the one offering him a divorce, willingly stepping aside so they could be together. Why was he so reluctant?

The old me would have demanded answers. I would have followed him, refusing to let the matter go. I would have asked the same questions over and over until he responded. I might even have humiliated myself by asking the one question I had always been terrified of hearing the answer to.

Had he ever loved me at all?