Chapter 2

Stacy's cruel words had hurt me deeply over the years.

Yet, I heard the admiration in her thoughts.

"Zack's a smart one. He knows how to keep Jake from leaving. I'll give him another bonus later!"

It was so ridiculous that I actually laughed.

Zack was clearly mocking me, but Stacy didn't seem to realize it at all.

I didn't want to say anything more, so I turned around and walked away.

Stacy immediately grew anxious.

She stepped forward, grabbed my arm, and said impatiently, "Why are you getting so upset? I just told you off a little. That's all. Haven't you always wanted a promotion? I…"

As she spoke, Stacy finally held out the vice president appointment letter. The paper was wrinkled from how tightly she had been clutching it.

I frowned.

Just as I was about to turn her down, Zack snatched the appointment letter from her.

He unfolded it, and then covered his mouth.

Zack exclaimed with shameless delight, "Ms. Levine, you just promoted me to manager, and now you're making me vice president too?

"Isn't this happening a little too fast? People are going to have something to say about it."

He tried to sound modest, but the smug look on his face made it clear how pleased he was with himself.

Stacy curled her fingers slightly, but she said nothing to correct him.

I could hear her fuming inside, her thoughts growing increasingly frustrated.

"I've already swallowed my pride, and Jake is still giving me attitude. He won't even comfort me! Fine. I'll give the appointment to Zack and make Jake jealous. Maybe that will teach Jake a lesson!"

When Stacy stayed silent, everyone looked delighted by what they were seeing. They started clapping and cheering all at once.

After all, Stacy was usually fair with everyone, but things with Zack were different. She was always calling him into her office to whisper about things, and everyone had noticed.

However, I wasn't going to get jealous or make a scene anymore.

Amid the buzz of voices, I turned around and pulled out the paperwork I had prepared in advance. I went straight to Human Resources to submit my resignation.

They handled it quickly. Within minutes, I was removed from the employee group chat.

As I left the office and passed the restroom, I heard Stacy's sweet, petulant voice.

She complained, "This is all your fault. You said bringing him down first would make the surprise more exciting. Now you've only made him angry!

"He actually talked about quitting today. What are we supposed to do now?"

I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

Whenever Stacy spoke to me, her tone was always icy and full of sarcasm. Only her thoughts ever sounded this sweet and coy.

A moment later, I heard someone kick the wall. The sharp clack sounded like a high heel had struck it.

Then the person Stacy was talking to finally spoke, his voice full of affection and helplessness.

"I don't know either. Maybe Mr. Sawyer has always had a problem with us."

Sure enough, it was Zack.

After a brief pause, he added, "Don't worry, Ms. Levine. I'm only taking the vice president position to protect the company's reputation. It'll always belong to Jacob.

"The moment he asks for it, I'll give it back to him right away!"

I lowered my eyes, and a mocking smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

Zack really knew how to play his cards. He knew I would never lower myself by asking him for the position, which meant he could keep enjoying the benefits for himself.

I had thought Zack was too calculating from the moment we interviewed him, but Stacy insisted on going against me. She made no secret of how much she admired him.

Zack was also the only person in the company who knew about my relationship with Stacy. Yet he was always provoking me, either openly or behind my back, and finding ways to trip me up.

That was the final thing that made me give up on my marriage to Stacy.

For five years, I had watched Stacy say one thing while feeling another. Sometimes, I couldn't help wishing she would just tell me how she really felt.

But she would always coldly insist that she meant everything she said and did. She would claim she had nothing to say.

Stacy never wanted to open up to me.

Yet she told Zack everything, even though she'd only known him for less than six months.

What mattered was how she treated me, not what she claimed to feel inside.

Even if Stacy truly loved me, five years of being targeted, worn down, and pushed around had already taken more out of me than I could bear.

From now on, I would never let her use me as an emotional crutch or allow her to keep taking everything out of me.