Chapter 3

It was almost laughable. After all these years working for the Quale family, I hadn't managed to save a single penny.

To make matters worse, Martin had repeatedly slandered me in front of Wrenley. Then, she'd punished me by stripping me of every bonus I was entitled to.

I couldn't even hold on to my base salary.

Meanwhile, Martin got everything handed to him without lifting a finger. All he had to do was say a few words to Wrenley, and he'd get a luxury apartment overlooking the river and a supercar, which I could never afford even after working my whole life.

For a moment, I honestly couldn't tell which one of us her boyfriend was.

As time ticked by, I finally met the buyer. Once we'd completed the paperwork, I took the 4,900 dollars and rushed back to the hospital to settle the bill. After that, I contacted the funeral home and paid for the arrangements.

By the time everything was settled, I had only 20 dollars left in my pocket.

It was already dark by the time I walked out of the funeral home. I lowered my head and looked at the cold urn in my arms. My nose stung, and my eyes began to water.

I'd once promised Mom that I'd buy her a spacious home to enjoy for her retirement. Who would've thought she'd end up in this tiny urn instead?

My eyes burned, and tears instantly blurred my vision.

I'd originally applied for a job with the Quale family because I wanted to ease Mom's financial burden and let her enjoy a comfortable retirement. However, Wrenley had blindly believed Martin's lies and slashed my salary again and again with the excuse of punishing me.

Not only had she given him all kinds of special privileges and benefits, but she'd also granted him paid leave. And now, she was even taking him on a private vacation.

When I'd confronted her about it, she'd stood her ground and said firmly, "He's arrogant and self-centered. He has no idea how to be considerate of other people's feelings. The only way to change him is to put him in a position of authority and let him run into obstacles.

"Once he suffers enough setbacks because of his incompetence, his arrogance will wear off. Only then will he stop talking back to you and learn to follow your instructions."

She'd sounded so confident that I'd actually believed her. I'd thought she genuinely had my best interests at heart.

But what had happened in the end?

Martin hadn't changed one bit. If anything, he'd become even more arrogant.

He'd openly challenged me and teamed up with other coworkers to make things difficult for me. To make things worse, he'd even sabotaged my work time and again to prevent me from meeting my targets.

I'd reported his behavior to Wrenley countless times, but she'd ignored me every single time. Instead, she'd accused me of lacking foresight and interfering with her plans.

Looking back now, it was obvious. All those excuses had been nothing more than a cover for her blatant favoritism toward Martin.

I wasn't going to fall for it again.

With the last 20 dollars I had, I bought a bus ticket back to my hometown. Then, I carried the urn to the Quale residence to collect the belongings I'd left behind. I'd also decided to hand in my resignation.

The only reason I'd stayed in the job all this time was that I didn't want Mom to worry about me. But now that she was gone, there was no reason to keep working there.

The six-year relationship I'd shared with Wrenley would be over for good too once I officially ended things with her.

As I approached the mansion, I suddenly heard laughter and excited chatter coming from the courtyard.

When I walked in, I discovered that Wrenley was setting off fireworks with Martin. The moment I looked up, fireworks burst across the sky, scattering brilliant sparks that illuminated the entire courtyard.

I saw Wrenley gazing at Martin affectionately as she handed him a sparkler. Martin, in turn, thoughtfully handed her a glass of water.

As I watched them exchange loving looks, I felt my heart clench painfully. It was so intense that I could barely breathe.

So, this was what she'd been so busy doing? Spending time setting off fireworks with Martin?

It wasn't until a sharp ache spread through my chest that I finally snapped out of it.

Just then, Wrenley noticed me. The moment our eyes met, the smile on her face instantly froze.

After recovering from her surprise, she frowned and asked, "Why are you back? Shouldn't you be at the hospital taking care of Jasmine at this hour?"

She seemed irritated, as though my presence had ruined her evening. Realizing that, I couldn't help the wave of sorrow that washed over me.

Now that I'd stumbled upon her having a good time with another guy, she couldn't even be bothered to put on an act to cover it up.

I stared at her coldly and replied, "What? Did I interrupt your little date with Martin?"