Chapter 3

That was when I caught the look of surprise that flashed quickly on Johnny's face.

Mindy's lips tightened, and when I saw the hesitation on her face, my heart sank. Before she could say a word, I turned to pull Johnny out of the office, where many people had started gathering outside.

"Eric, you…" Mindy spoke up from behind me, but I pretended not to hear her. I turned on the surveillance footage in front of everyone, and the timestamp of 12:23 pm could be seen on it. Johnny could be seen approaching my computer after everyone had left the CEO's floor.

Johnny was clearly caught amending the contract. Mindy's expression fell as everyone exclaimed in shock.

"This really was Johnny Packer's doing?! Why would he do something like this?"

"What other reason could there be? Have you forgotten that Johnny Packer is Ms. Graham's ex-boyfriend? The ex is framing the current husband, and the outcome can only be determined by who Ms. Graham chooses to support."

"I'm placing my bet on Johnny Packer. The rest of you who joined the company later than the rest of us have no idea what a dramatic love story Ms. Graham shared with Johnny Packer."

My body stiffened from their words. I tried my best not to reveal the fear I was feeling and to ignore Mindy's hesitation. That was when Johnny, who had been silent all this time, suddenly smiled at me. I frowned as I suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

Johnny admitted what he did to Mindy without remorse. "Yes, I did it. You can fire me for framing Eric."

When Mindy turned to look at him, Johnny stared right into her eyes. "Do you want to fire me, Mindy?"

I looked up at Mindy. She should fire him because I had the evidence, and Johnny admitted his wrongdoing. What reason would she have not to fire him? I clenched my hands and held my breath as I stared at her without blinking.

Not long after, Mindy looked away from Johnny's eyes. "This ends here. I'll bear all the consequences of what Johnny did."

Johnny smiled gleefully as he threw me a taunting glance.

There was commotion among the crowd, and I could hear my mind exploding from what she said. It was like a hard slap on my face as sorrow filled my heart. "Why?" I blurted, unable to stop the trembling in my voice.

Mindy glanced at me to reply matter-of-factly, "Johnny is my boyfriend, and this was just a rash mistake on his part. As his girlfriend, I'll bear the consequences for the mistake he made."

I laughed. "Boyfriend… Don't you forget that we're legally married, Mindy! And Johnny Packer is the third party in our relationship…"

"Eric Lambert!" Mindy interrupted me while trying her best to hold back her fury. She looked at me coldly. "He's not the third party."

I looked down blankly at the ground, finally understanding why Johnny could act so brazenly. It was because Mindy's love for him had given him the courage to do so. I decided to stop fighting this. "Fine. He's not."

Mindy dispersed the crowd and came up to me after that to hug me gently while softening her tone, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose my temper at you. I've told him that this will only last a month, Eric. I'll be fully yours after a month."

I clenched my fists so hard that it hurt, and I looked up at her with a smile. "All right. I believe you. By the way, I have a few documents with me that I need you to sign."

The documents included the approval of my resignation and our divorce papers, and I passed everything to her. Mindy was taken aback by the unexpected segue, but she was relieved when she saw my calm expression. She signed all the documents without even reviewing them and then returned to her seat.

I faxed the signed divorce papers to my lawyer and handed the approval for my resignation to HR as I quietly waited for the day to end.

Evening came, and I took one last look at the company I had worked at for five years as I placed my name tag on my desk.

When I got to the underground parking lot, I found Johnny standing next to my car. I wanted to ignore him, but he suddenly spoke to me. "I told you before that you'll be out of the picture once I return. If you know what's good for you, you should get a divorce, Eric. Why keep a woman who doesn't love you by your side?"

I stood still as I replied sarcastically, "Oh? Too bad you'll always be the shameful third party as long as I don't get divorced."

"You!" Johnny was enraged, and he punched me right in the face. "I'll kill you!"

That was when Mindy suddenly appeared and saw everything that happened.