Chapter 3 Never His Priority

The screen was completely black as Camilla scrubbed the keyboard with a rag.

"What the hell are you doing?"

I rushed over, shoved her aside, and pulled the laptop out of the water.

Camilla shook the water off her hands, looking innocent. "Your keyboard was so dirty, I thought I'd clean it for you. You're welcome. It was no big deal."

"All my company's core data was on there!"

Timothy came out of the master bedroom and immediately pulled her behind him. "Camilla was just trying to help clean it. It's just a laptop. I'll buy you a new one."

I shot back, "It's the data I'm talking about! Three months of hard work, gone!"

"Vera, you're unbelievable. It's Camilla's birthday today. Do you have to make a scene every time?"

He casually pulled out his phone. "Emotional outburst. Unreasonable behavior. I'll be deducting $2,000."

Clutching my waterlogged laptop, I rushed to the office. My supervisor tossed a termination notice onto my desk.

"We received an anonymous report accusing you of using your position to leak confidential business information. The report included screenshots showing the company's core data being transferred out of your laptop."

I was stunned.

I left the laptop on the coffee table last night. Camilla was the only one who'd touched it.

She hadn't just destroyed the laptop. She'd copied the data before dumping it in the water.

I stood outside the office building with a cardboard box in my arms and called Timothy. "I got fired."

"So what? Now you can stay home and focus on trying to get pregnant."

"Camilla stole my data and sent it to a competitor."

His voice turned impatient. "You got fired because you screwed up at work, and now you want to drag someone else into it?"

The wind blew my termination notice against my leg.

Five years ago, when I failed my first promotion interview, Timothy had waited outside the office until midnight. He'd printed my proposal again and rehearsed my presentation with me 27 times.

He'd told me that my work wasn't just a way to pass the time. One day, I'd make it to the position I'd always wanted.

Then, three years ago, Camilla returned from overseas. For the first time, Timothy missed my promotion review to attend her homecoming dinner.

After that, whenever Camilla and I had a conflict, he always told me to look at what I'd done wrong first.

"Once we're married, I'll support you. You don't need to put your job ahead of the people closest to you. Be there at 7.00 p.m. to celebrate Camilla's birthday."

Before I could respond, he hung up.

Camilla had just posted an update on social media.

She was holding up a set of keys to an apartment overlooking the river, with Timothy standing behind her.

Her caption read, "A little birthday sulk, cured with a new place."

The apartment was listed at $2.6 million.

For my birthday last year, Timothy had given me a $39 book on emotional management. On the title page, he'd written, "Stability is the best gift of all."

When I arrived at the private dining room that evening, everyone was already raising their glasses to celebrate her birthday.

"Timothy, you just casually dropped $2.6 million on her? Why don't you two just get married already?"

"Don't start." Timothy lounged against the couch, his tone casual. "Camilla's just a buddy. There's nothing between us. Her lease was up, so I gave her a place to live. That's all."

Someone laughed and bumped his shoulder.

"What about the place you and Vera are supposed to live in after the wedding?"

"We're splitting the cost equally. She doesn't like owing anyone."

Two years ago, when we'd discussed buying a home, Timothy had pulled up a spreadsheet and calculated my share down to the last dollar. He'd insisted we split the cost equally.

To scrape together my half of the down payment, I'd taken on three freelance projects and worked until I developed a bleeding ulcer.

Later, when I accidentally transferred $86 less than I owed, he reminded me twice.

I pushed open the door, and the laughter inside stopped at once.

The room fell silent, and the mood turned icy.

I'd spent three years trying to please these people, yet the group chat still listed me as "Timothy's Partner."

This little circle had never truly accepted me.

Camilla was the first to break the silence. "Vera, you're finally here! It's not nearly as lively without you."

After a few rounds of drinks, she brought out a truth-or-dare wheel and suggested we play.

The wheel stopped on Timothy.

A wealthy heir with a teasing expression let out a whistle. "Timothy, truth. If Camilla had never gone abroad, would you still have decided to marry Vera?"