Chapter 7

Inside the safe, tiny objects had been carefully packed into individual vacuum-sealed bags, filling every inch of space.

Toys. Bookmarks. Even a lollipop.

Confused, Hannah turned the sealed bags over and discovered a sticky note attached to the back of each one, documenting where the item had come from.

[May 7, 2016. Sara gave me something for the first time in class today. It was a strawberry-flavored lollipop. I'm so happy. Today's mood is strawberry-flavored, too.]

[June 7, 2016. Today is my birthday. Sara braided a ring for me out of grass and told me she'd marry me one day. I swear I'm going to make it big enough to buy her the most expensive ring in the world.]

[January 1, 2017. It's the new year. Sara gave me chocolates! I want to eat them so badly, but they're a token of her love, so I have to save them forever.]

...

After reading only a handful of them, Hannah lost all desire to keep going.

No wonder that whenever Ethan sneaked into the study late at night, she would hear faint sounds of laughter coming from inside.

Even after working through an entire night, he would emerge the next morning looking energized, with a bright smile and a sparkle in his eyes.

So, these were the memories he had cherished all along. Memories he had shared with Sara.

Hannah couldn't help a bitter, sarcastic laugh. She had always assumed Ethan had simply grown tired of their relationship and started seeing his female assistant on a whim.

She had never imagined that Sara was the mysterious ex-girlfriend he'd refused to talk about. His feelings for Sara weren't some passing fling. He had been carrying a torch for her all this time.

"So, what does my ten years with him mean to him?"

The question surfaced in Hannah's mind, but by then, it no longer mattered. Whatever they had once shared was over.

She shook her head, grabbed her suitcase, and walked out of the apartment without looking back. She checked into a hotel near the airport and slept peacefully for the first time in ages.

When she woke up, she casually submitted her resignation through the company HR portal before heading to brush her teeth.

Soon, her phone chimed with a notification: [Resignation Request Approved.]

Normally, any message Hannah sent to Ethan took at least three or four hours to receive a response, assuming he responded at all.

She had even been prepared to call him personally to make sure her resignation was processed. She hadn't expected him to approve it within seconds.

As she wondered why he'd suddenly become so efficient, a photo was sent to her phone. It showed Sara and Ethan at a luxury boutique, trying on wedding gowns, the entire picture dripping with provocation.

Sara: [So what if you were with Ethan for ten years? In the end, I'm the one getting the marriage certificate and taking wedding photos with him.]

Hannah let out a cold laugh.

No wonder Ethan had approved her resignation so quickly. He was busy playing groom and couldn't spare even a second for her.

Whenever he was with Sara, everything else seemed to disappear from his world. That was why he had stood Hannah up countless times before.

In the past, his neglect would have crushed her. She would even have wondered whether she'd somehow done something wrong.

Now, however, she almost felt grateful for it. If Ethan hadn't been so distracted, her resignation would never have gone through so smoothly.

After all, as one of Turner Group's key founders, Hannah had played an indispensable role in building the company into what it was.

Clients specifically sought out her distinctive design work, and more than 70 percent of the company's major contracts depended directly on her concepts and proposals.

Under normal circumstances, Ethan would never have let her leave without squeezing every bit of value out of her.

Hannah heaved a sigh of relief and dismissed Sara's pathetic taunts.

After completing the exit formalities, she walked out of her office and was immediately greeted by the loud, shameless chatter of her colleagues.