Chapter 3

Larissa called Jeff's name several times. By the end, her voice was tinged with impatience before he finally dragged his gaze back to her.

-

I had thought our restaurant encounter would be the last time I'd see Jeff before leaving the country.

But on the very night I officially quit as his assistant, I got a video call from him.

It was such a rare surprise that I had to fight the urge to hang up immediately. Instead, I switched to a voice call.

Jeff's voice carried a hint of annoyance.

"Why switch to voice?"

I shrugged it off casually.

"I don't have makeup on. I'm not ready for video."

I immediately regretted saying it—it sounded as if I wanted to impress him.

As expected, Jeff laughed, suddenly in a better mood.

"We've been together forever. I've seen you without makeup plenty of times."

His flirty tone made me uncomfortable. I kept my voice cool.

"Do you need something?"

He noticed the distance in my tone and sat up straighter, leaving behind his usual lazy posture.

"I heard you quit from HR."

I gave a short "Yeah" and didn't explain.

Neither of us spoke for a while.

Jeff tried to fill the silence, but it felt like small talk without real meaning.

"I'm glad you quit. I never understood why you chose to be an assistant when you're already the CEO's wife. That's kinda lowering your status."

He continued, "And honestly, your schedule was all over the place. I barely saw you at the office, but I still had to send your paycheck every month. Everyone knew you were my 'plus one', saying I'm playing favorites."

Annoyed, I cut him off before he could say more. "Don't you have to go see Larissa?"

Jeff muttered under his breath, "We're not together. Why would I?"

Then he went quiet, remembering I was just his ex.

A flicker of guilt crossed his face.

"I'm sorry about the divorce. I owe you for that. I was just worried people would gossip about Larissa if we were still married."

I nodded to myself.

Sure, Larissa didn't deserve the whispers and judgment. So I got to be the joke, the topic of conversation for everyone else.

My voice grew colder. "If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."

"Wait!" Jeff's voice turned urgent. "December 12th is our anniversary. Your favorite singer's concert is that night. I know you've always wanted to go. I'll buy the tickets, and we'll go together, okay?"

For a brief second, I almost thought about telling him the truth.

But before I could speak, Larissa's voice rang from the other side of the call. "Jeff, I forgot my towel. Can you grab it for me?"

Jeff froze and stared at my name on the screen, clearly caught between choices.

I kept my expression neutral. "Go ahead."

Finally, he slowly got up, phone still in hand.

"Don't hang up yet. I'll be right back."

Then he walked toward the bathroom.

As expected, I heard the unmistakable sounds of Jeff kissing Larissa, a muffled moan from him, and then the bathroom door slammed.

I hung up, smirking.

Right at that moment, Scarlett came over, all excited as she invited me to a club.

I didn't hesitate. I set my phone down and linked arms with her.

There were still so many things in the world that could make me happy.

I used to be a lovesick fool, but now, why should I waste energy on a man who was completely in the past?

-

Days without Jeff flew by. Before I realized it, my departure was only a few days away.

Even though I had no contact, I still heard about him and Larissa from Scarlett.

Apparently, he had a huge argument with Larissa and, ignoring her embarrassment, stormed out of a dinner party.