Chapter 3

Naturally, I joined Diana's startup, starting from the very bottom as an intern.

At first, she said that keeping our relationship under wraps was to prevent people from saying that I got ahead through connections. So, I waited.

When I clawed my way to the top of the marketing department on my own merit, she told me that it was to protect my friendship with Richard. So, I kept waiting.

I always believed that, sooner or later, she'd go public with our relationship.

It took seeing the marriage certificate on Steven's Instagram for me to finally wake up.

It wasn't that Diana didn't want to get married, but rather, she just didn't want to marry me.

I drove back to the apartment that Diana and I had shared for five years.

It would take a few days for the resignation paperwork to be processed. In the meantime, I'd pack up my belongings and move out first.

I pulled out a suitcase and opened the wardrobe.

Diana's clothes took up more than half the space. I used to tell her she dressed too plainly and suggest she try brighter dresses. But she'd say that she was the boss and needed to look serious.

Yet now, hanging in the most prominent spot in the wardrobe were several brightly colored dresses from trendy streetwear brands.

It wasn't that she wasn't willing to change, but rather that she just didn't want to change for me.

I was folding my clothes and putting them into the suitcase when I heard the sound of the lock turning behind me.

Diana walked in. When she saw my open suitcase, she frowned and said, "There's really nothing going on between Steven and me, so can you please stop kicking up a fuss?"

She came over and tried to take my hand. "Registering the marriage was just me being childish and reckless. I'll go with him to the courthouse this afternoon to get a divorce, okay?

"Once the deal with Townsend Group is signed and things settle down at the company, we'll go public with our relationship."

I was just about to say "Let's break up" when she cut me off, her eyes scanning the room.

"By the way, where did you put the keys to the Everwood Court apartment?"

"In the bottom drawer of the nightstand." I paused before asking, "Are you planning to sell it to cover the cash flow?"

Diana blinked in confusion, then chuckled.

"Sell it? No. Steven's lease is up, so I told him he could move in there for now. It's just sitting there empty anyway," she replied casually.

My chest tightened painfully, like something had lodged itself there, heavy and suffocating.

Diana had bought the Everwood Court apartment for my birthday last year, saying that it would be our future home after we got married.

But now, another man was going to move in there.

As if she hadn't noticed how pale my face had gone, she added, "Oh, and once you're done drafting the deal with Townsend Group, just pass it over to Steven.

"He'll take it from there. His probation period is almost over, and this deal will be just what he needs to get made permanent. Don't worry. I'll still give you your full commission."

Before I could get a single word out, her phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID and picked it up immediately.

"Yeah, I'll send you the address. Just have the movers head straight there," she said tenderly.

Without so much as a glance back at me, she walked out the door as she talked.

The door clicked shut.

I stood there in the living room and suddenly let out a laugh.

It turned out that eight years of my life meant less to her than an intern who'd just shown up three months ago.

I pulled my suitcase out of the apartment without looking back and went straight to my parents' house.

Ever since I'd agreed to the marriage with Arlene, my mother, Shannon Gray, hadn't stopped smiling. The moment she saw me walk through the door, she came right over to take my suitcase.

"I always said that Arlene was a solid choice. We've watched her grow up, so we know her inside and out. Your father and I can rest easy knowing that you're marrying her."

Arlene and I had known each other since we were in diapers.

My mother and her mother, Monica Morton, were best friends. They used to joke about betrothing us to each other even before we were born.

If I hadn't met Diana in college, I probably would've married Arlene a long time ago. And I'd always known she had feelings for me.

When Diana's company ran out of cash and was backed into a corner this time, I was the one who swallowed my pride and went to Arlene to beg her to give Diana a deal.