Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 9

After Stella Frost tore up my resignation letter, I didn't rush to smooth things over the way I used to. I only felt tired.Over the years, she had used my education to cut me more times than I could count.Stella and I grew up together in the same small town, but I was the kid raised by the neighbors because I had no real family of my own.When we were little, she would secretly bring me food. If her mom baked bread or her dad brought candy back, she always saved half for me.We got together during our freshman year of college, and that was the happiest time of my life.Then, her dad suddenly got sick.The surgery cost tens of thousands, more than her family could ever hope to afford.I still remembered that winter night. She crouched in the hospital hallway, sobbing until she could barely breathe, and said to me, "Felix, I'm dropping out to work. I can't lose my dad."I was so angry that I didn't talk to her for days.Then I went and withdrew from school myself, secretly tak

I walked to the end of the hallway and threw the bottle of stomach medicine into the trash.Stella still hadn't come home by late that night.I called her three times, but no one answered.I was afraid something had happened after she drank too much. I hated her, but after six years together, some part of me still worried.I grabbed my car keys and drove back to the restaurant.The reunion had already ended.I stopped a server and asked where the woman in the white dress from the private room had gone.The server thought for a moment and said, "Oh, she was drunk. Her husband helped her out.""Her husband?""Yeah. The guy in the suit. Pretty handsome."The server kept wiping down the table as she spoke."She was leaning all over him, and he even kissed her before taking her straight down to the parking garage. She could barely walk. He was basically holding her up."I knew she was talking about Tanner."Thanks."I turned and left the hotel.The night wind was cold, cuttin

Stella looked as if the strength had gone out of her all at once.Her face turned pale, and her mouth opened, closed, then opened again."H-How did you know…"The mask she had spent so long holding in place shattered right in front of me."How I found out doesn't matter. Just remember to meet me at the courthouse tomorrow at ten."I turned back to my desk, opened my computer, and organized the handover files before walking to Tanner's workstation."All the official procedures and materials are here."Tanner flipped through them, the corner of his mouth lifting as he spoke with that fake courtesy of his."Thanks for laying the groundwork for a whole month. I'll handle the follow-up from here. You should get some rest."I looked at his smug face and couldn't be bothered to waste another word.Tanner had no idea that the foreign partner's local representative was someone I had spent two weeks drinking with. I had also waited three full days outside a school district office to he

Right when Stella was already overwhelmed, her dad, Edward Frost, suddenly had a heart attack.The local hospital back home wasn't equipped to handle it, so he was transferred by ambulance overnight to a major medical center in the city.Stella's mother, Amelia Frost, was losing her mind outside the emergency room and called Stella more than a dozen times.At the time, Stella was drinking with clients. Her phone was on silent, so she never picked up.With no other choice, Amelia instinctively called me.When the call came in, I was just about to rest.Even though Stella and I were already divorced, I had never forgotten how kind Edward had been to me back then.Without a word, I threw on a jacket and rushed to the hospital.I spent the day running from one department to another, paid ten grand up front toward Edward's hospital bill, and arranged a private room for him.At 2 a.m., Edward's condition finally stabilized.He lay in the hospital bed, looking at me covered in sweat

The office went silent in an instant.Every coworker set down what they were doing and turned to watch the scene unfold, watching it like a joke at Stella's expense.Tanner yanked himself out of her grip and straightened his rumpled suit. The mild, polished manner he usually wore was gone.He said with a cold laugh, "Stella, watch your mouth. What do you mean I stole your client? Clients belong to the company. Whoever has the ability to close them gets them. What, did you think this was real? Did you honestly think I was that into you?""How dare you…"Stella shook with anger and raised her hand to slap him.Tanner caught her wrist and shoved it away, his eyes full of contempt."Save it. You couldn't even hold on to Felix, the ex-husband who would've done anything for you. That's on you. Deep down, you're vain and selfish. Everything happening to you now is exactly what you deserve."Tanner's words cut like a knife, striking exactly where Stella hurt most.The next day, Stella