Chapter 3

Elias' POV

The next day, I went to work as usual.

My assistant, Tamara Hayes, told me that a new person had joined the department.

It wasn't until I saw him in person that I realized it was Matthew.

Ivy made no effort to hide their relationship as she introduced him to everyone.

"Matthew is a friend of mine. His research topic abroad happens to be related to my field, so I invited him here to observe and learn. Everyone, please be nice to him for my sake, okay?"

Although Ivy was the director of the research institute, she had never allowed anyone to pull strings or receive special treatment.

In the past, her mentor's daughter had wanted to visit her research project, but Ivy had bluntly turned her down.

And whenever anyone tried to bribe their way into becoming her graduate student, she would reject every single one of them without exception.

Now, hearing her openly admit that Matthew was someone she had brought in, everyone began whispering among themselves.

"Dr. Bennett has always been strictly business. If she's saying something like this, this person has to be more than just an ordinary friend!"

"Matt, is there something going on between you two?"

"Come on, tell us! We promise not to spread it around!"

Matthew glanced sideways at Ivy with a smile in his eyes. "Us? If you're referring to our relationship, I guess you could say we're childhood sweethearts."

Ivy's ears turned red at his words.

Someone laughed and called out, "Ooh, childhood sweethearts! So you've been in love since you were kids!"

"Sounds like a match made in heaven!"

The more Ivy listened to their teasing, the deeper her smile became.

Then, she cleared her throat lightly and announced, "To welcome Matt to our department, lunch will be on me today! Everyone, order whatever you like! Don't hold back!"

The rest of the department cheered even louder for Matthew.

I didn't move and just stood there watching him.

After three years of secretly being in love with Ivy and five years in a relationship with her, I'd dreamed countless times of this very scene—Ivy openly introducing me as her boyfriend, and finally being able to take that spot beside her, standing beside her for all to see.

Alas, that day never came.

I left without listening to the rest of their banter.

…

After work that day, Ivy invited everyone to dinner. When she noticed that I was the only one missing, she asked, "Where's Elias?"

Tamara gave a vague answer. "Eli left right after work. I heard he was going on a blind date."

The tension in Ivy's brow smoothed out when she heard that.

Jenna's reputation in their circle is easy enough to uncover with a little asking around. Ivy knows I wouldn't spend much time with someone like that.

At 10:00 pm, I had just gotten home when several videos popped up in the work group chat.

In the videos, Ivy was holding a bouquet in her left hand and a diamond ring in her right.

Behind her was a sea of champagne-colored roses and candles arranged in the shape of a heart surrounding Matthew.

The camera angle was well chosen, so both of their expressions were clearly captured.

Ivy gazed at Matthew tenderly. "Matthew, the day you left, you asked me to wait for you, so I waited for five years. Now that you've finally come back, I finally have the chance to confess my feelings for you."

Matthew nodded, smiling.

Even the bystanders were envious of how thoughtfully Ivy had arranged the confession, and I could hear our colleagues congratulating them in the background.

But as I stared at the video, my fingers trembled uncontrollably.

Not for any other reason—but because the setup in that video was exactly the same as the proposal ceremony Ivy had promised me when she agreed to go public.

A month ago, she'd asked me how I would like my proposal to be set up.

Thinking that she was finally going to make our relationship public, I had eagerly told her that I liked traditional setups with roses, candles, and a diamond ring. Ivy had carefully written every detail down.

I thought she was going to make our relationship public with a confession like this, so I'd started getting up an hour early every morning just to make myself look presentable.

I'd even prepared a diamond engagement ring in advance and written three pages worth of love letters.

I never imagined that when she asked me about the proposal, it would all be for Matthew.

Tears spilled uncontrollably down my face.

But in that moment, I finally walked away from this relationship that had always been kept in the shadows.