Chapter 4

When I escaped that suffocating apartment, I canceled the ticket I had booked.

I found the earliest available flight and headed straight for the airport.

This city held nothing for me but humiliation. I could not bear to remain another minute.

My phone buzzed nonstop along the way.

Notifications poured in from the private office chat, along with texts from Mark.

Knowing it would only hurt, I opened the group chat anyway. My screen immediately filled with photo after photo.

Every one of them captured another intimate moment between Mark and Katrina.

Only then did I realize how thoroughly Mark had spoiled Katrina.

Around her neck was the limited-edition necklace I had wanted for years. On her wrist was the family heirloom bracelet his mother had once promised to the woman he married.

Even the wedding ring on her finger fit as though it had been made for her. Every gift and promise Mark had withheld from me had quietly been given to the woman he truly wanted.

I opened my conversation with Mark again.

There was no apology and no concern for how I felt. There were only a few hollow excuses followed by more orders.

[They wouldn’t let it go. They insisted on seeing proof that Katrina and I were legally married, so we went to the courthouse. It was only to keep up appearances.]

[I’ve arranged a private ceremony for us tomorrow. This time, it’ll be just the two of us. Be ready.]

[Be good, Emily. I’ll pretend I never heard what you said about breaking up. Marriage isn’t a game.]

My stomach churned.

I had heard those same words countless times before. At that moment, they only made me sick.

Which one of us was really treating marriage like a game?

He had replaced the bride without a second thought and gone to the courthouse as though marriage was nothing more than paperwork.

I wanted to ask why a wedding meant for the two of us had needed Katrina there at all.

Mark had never struggled to say no to me. Why was it suddenly impossible when anyone else was asking?

I typed it all out, deleted it, and ultimately sent nothing.

Since I had decided to walk away, I no longer cared enough to hear his excuses.

Just as I was about to close the conversation, Mark sent a question mark, followed with a message.

[Did you contact HR?]

I hesitated, but he apparently could not wait for an answer and called me almost immediately.

I stared at the screen for a long moment before finally picking up.

Before I could tell him I resigned, a weary sigh came through the phone.

Mark sounded thoroughly exasperated.

“I know you’ve put up with a lot these past eight years, but you can’t just go behind my back and pressure HR. You may have led the team that delivered our latest project, but you’re still too junior for management.

“If you compete with Kat for the same position now, it’ll raise too many questions. I’ve spoken to HR. Kat will get the promotion, and you’ll go to North Vale for some training in her place.

“When you come back, I’ll promote you. All right?”

His voice was impossibly gentle, as if he were offering me a favor, but every word left me feeling colder.

So, he had not called because he knew I had resigned and wanted me to stay.

He had not even bothered to read the update about me carefully. All he cared about was whether I was trying to take Katrina’s promotion.

He was even prepared to send me to North Vale, which was thousands of miles away, just to clear the way for her.

My heart hurt so much that it went numb. I managed a bitter smile.

“Okay.”

The persuasion Mark had been preparing died on his lips.

He seemed surprised that I had agreed so obediently.

After a long silence, all he managed was a stiff, “Have a safe trip.”

By the time I ended the call, HR had sent confirmation that my resignation had been accepted.

Mark had probably approved it without even bothering to read what it was.

Just then, my flight was called.

I picked up my suitcase and walked through the boarding gate without hesitation.

Without him, the journey ahead could only be easier.

(3rd POV)

The next day, Mark woke up long after the sun had risen.

He felt an inexplicable sense of loss, but dismissed it as a hangover.

One look at the time sent him rushing to get dressed before driving to the private wedding venue he had booked.

Only the photographer and officiant were there, exactly as expected for such a small ceremony, so he thought nothing of it.

He simply assumed Emily was running late.

However, with ten minutes left before the ceremony, there was still no sign of her.

When the wedding began, Emily still did not appear.

Even when the next couple arrived and asked when they would be finished, Emily was nowhere to be found.

Mark’s unease quickly sharpened into panic.

Remembering what he had told Emily the night before, he called HR.

“Where is Emily? Her transfer isn’t supposed to take effect until next week.”

The HR representative hesitated. “What transfer? Emily resigned last night.”