Chapter 2

"I'm not at the office," I replied flatly.

"Not at the office?" Nina’s voice instantly turned cold. "Last I checked, it's working hours, Darren Cole. Do you understand our company policy? Leaving without permission means losing a day’s pay."

"I know. But I already—"

I was just about to tell her I had resigned when another voice drifted through the receiver. It was soft, gentle, and unmistakable.

"Ms. Wynn, if Darren doesn’t want to do it, don’t force him. I can handle it," Zach said lightly.

"No way. You stayed up half the night yesterday. You need to rest today." Nina’s tone warmed immediately. It was a complete contrast to the way she’d spoken to me seconds ago.

Zach continued insisting he wasn’t tired, but Nina cut him off, firm and authoritative.

"I'm the boss. When I order you to rest, you rest. You dare disobey me?"

"I just don’t want Darren to overwork himself," Zach said.

"Overwork? Compared to you?" Nina gave a soft, dismissive laugh. "You’re traveling and still sorting contracts, while he sits in the office doing nothing every day."

Then she added, almost amused, "Besides, he’s my husband. Isn’t working hard exactly what he should be doing?"

With one sentence, she erased every effort I’d ever made.

I no longer felt anger, jealousy, or even heartbreak—only numbness. There had been too many moments like this.

When I said nothing, Nina assumed my silence was agreement and softened again. "Darren, do you really think I’m just giving you tasks? I’m trying to train you. You’re my husband. You should demonstrate more drive and responsibility toward the company.

"You should learn from Zach. He worked until 4 a.m. last night. I’ve never seen someone so young, so talented, and so hardworking."

Zach chimed in beside her, smiling. "I think Darren’s great too."

However, the tone carried a faint condescension.

Nina didn’t notice. She gave another little laugh. "If he were even half as good as you, I’d be thrilled. Don’t forget. You were the one who completed all our projects this year."

The two of them were perfectly in sync.

I stayed silent. There was no point arguing.

Every project this year had been snatched from my hands and handed to Zach. Nina knew that but pretended not to. In her eyes, five years of marriage meant I’d never divorce her over something so "trivial".

"Alright, Zach and I have a business dinner. Finish the work and send it to me as soon as possible."

She hung up before I could respond.

Two minutes later, my phone buzzed twice.

It was a new social media post from Zach. They were sitting at an extravagant candlelit dinner. Nina leaned her head playfully onto his shoulder. In front of Zach sat a small, elegant gift box, just big enough to hold a ring.

I scrolled further down.

There was another post from last night, timestamped at 4 a.m. He and Nina were drinking and laughing at a bar.

So that "hard work" Nina mentioned was them drinking together, and tonight’s so-called "business dinner" was actually a date.

I let out a quiet, humorless laugh. I couldn’t even bring myself to question her.

It was pointless. She always had some reason prepared. Even if I cornered her with facts until she had nothing left to say, what waited for me wasn’t an apology. It was another endless coldness. Every time, I was the one who had to beg for peace.

Thinking about it now, I should’ve spent that energy figuring out how to make more money instead.